Yankees 2018 Roster Report Card: Traded relievers

Giovanny Gallegos, Chasen Shreve, and Adam Warren all started the season with the Yankees, but ended up on different teams. They all fell behind on the depth chart in the bullpen, and none pitched exceptionally well, so they were all expendable in their own right. That doesn’t mean they didn’t provide any value though.

Extremely unintentionally, parting with Gallegos and Shreve might have been the most important move the Yankees made this past season. They were shipped to the Cardinals in exchange for Luke Voit. We all know how that turned out. Warren, on the other hand, provided value in the form of laughter as this was the second time Brian Cashman traded him. This time he was sent to the Mariners for international bonus slot money (remind me to buy that jersey).

Still, no season review would be complete without reviewing all parts of the seasons, and these three were there. File them with David Hale and George Kontos in terms of importance, however.

Giovanny Gallegos

Grade: C

2018 statistics: 4 games, 10 IP, 4.50 ERA, 4.66 FIP, 9.0 K/9, 2.7 BB/9, 1.8 HR/9

There isn’t much to say about a guy who pitched in four games across three months, but that’s the story of Giovanny Gallegos’ 2018 with the Yankees. He was mostly kept as depth pitching down in Triple-A, where he was also unspectacular. It won’t be long before he’s forgotten in the team’s history. He was certainly a team player in the games he pitched, though.

Even after being traded, Gallegos mostly stayed with the Cardinals’ Triple-A affiliate until he ultimately got a September call-up. He did have a 0.00 ERA for them though, which would be impressive if you overlook the fact that it was over only 1.1 innings pitched. At least he connected with Zordon on LinkedIn while searching for a night job:

Chasen Shreve

Grade: C

2018 statistics: 40 games, 38 IP, 4.26 ERA, 4.98 FIP, 10.90 K/9, 4.3 BB/9, 1.9 HR/9

I’ll remember Chasen Shreve’s tenure with the Yankees for four things:

1. That one game against the Red Sox in 2015
2. He fell completely off a cliff and still got more playing more time than he deserved
3. Luke Voit (well, at least as long as I remember Voit)
4. Don’t go Chasen waterfalls.

Shreve was so good in the first half of 2015 that the years following came with undeserving hopes of him finding that form. This year might have been the first time it was accepted that 2015 Shreve was never coming back. He was fine to have in middle relief, but never could take that next step to an elite level. Somehow the combination of him and Gallegos were enough for Voit, but who knows if his MVP-caliber second half was real. We may end up laughing at how one-sided this trade was, or more likely, forgetting it ever happened.

Adam Warren

Grade: C

2018 statistics: 24 games, 30 IP, 2.70 ERA, 3.29 FIP, 11.1 K/9, 3.6 BB/9, 0.9 HR/9

Death, taxes, and Brian Cashman trading Adam Warren. The fact that Mike Leake has a no-trade clause in his contract is the most amusing contract fact I can think of, behind Bobby Bonilla. And it will continue to be until Adam Warren gets a contract this winter and his demand of a no-trade clause is fulfilled. All thanks to Cashman trading him for the second time, this time for international bonus pool money. I won’t be shocked if Warren never learned to trust again.

Cashman was comfortable trading him because he got Lance Lynn to take his spot in the bullpen. It was good that he did, though, because Lynn really stepped up when he was needed. Warren was mostly fine for the Yankees this year, but his usage seemed weird. Though he pitched in 24 games for the team, it was clear he fell far below many others on the depth chart.

His tenure with the team may be over, but of the three relievers here, he’ll probably be remembered the most fondly.

Okay, PSA readers, now it’s time for a fun caption contest! Winners will get absolutely nothing more than knowing they made us laugh. So, hit us with your best caption for this Adam Warren picture I stumbled upon:

Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports

Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports

Winner will be chosen by me with no real grading scale, based purely on how I’m feeling at that particular moment.