January 23rd, 2012

Yankees Trade: Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi (-2.0 WAR since)
Mariners Trade: Jose Campos and Michael Pineda (4.5 WAR since)

What a way to start. Enough ink has been spilled on this trade, so I won’t t go overly in-depth on it. This one has been as lopsided as they come, which says a lot given that Michael Pineda has been a relative disappointment thus far. Jesus Montero moved out from behind catcher, and the ‘bat that will play anywhere’ only seems to truly play at Triple-A. There’s still hope for the 26-year old, but the chances of him becoming a major-league regular are slim. Noesi, 29, is the owner of a career 5.30 ERA, and that’s all that needs to be said about him.

Once a pitcher with top-of-the-rotation upside, Jose Campos is just hoping to make the big leagues. It’s not all his fault, as a rash of injuries have crushed his value, but as is the case with Montero it’s tough to predict big league success for him. Luckily, Michael Pineda saves this deal.

Pineda, who recently turned 27, had a rough start with the Yankees. Despite a successful rookie year for the Mariners in 2011, it took him until 2014 to get back to the big leagues due to injuries. With those ailments behind him, Pineda has looked like a No. 3 or No. 4 starter with a ceiling near the top of the rotation. Last year’s 4.37 ERA was a disappointment, but his 3.34 FIP and flashes of elite stuff give the Yankees hope for a big 2016. At the very least, he’s a young and controllable starter with big upside that many teams would love to have—and the Yankees got him for two players that have combined for -2.0 WAR.

February 19th, 2012

Yankees Trade: A.J. Burnett and cash (6.8 WAR since)
Pirates Trade: Exicardo Cayones and Diego Moreno (0 WAR since)

Ah, the start of the Yankees vast trade history with the Pirates. On paper, this one looks pretty ugly, but the context of the deal needs to be understood.

This trade was made to get rid of $13M of Burnett’s remaining $33M left on his contract. The fact that this deal got done alone is impressive, given that nobody wanted the pricey player who had a 4.79 ERA and 1.45 WHIP in New York.

That said, this trade is one of Cashman’s weaker ones; Cayones and Moreno haven’t really panned out while Burnett flourished in Pittsburgh. That being said, the Yankees didn’t need to have the two prospects turn into contributors to be satisfied with the deal. Neither were ever looked at as legitimate prospects, and for the most part nothing has changed. Moreno’s actually done well in the Yankees’ system considering his past, and last year’s 2.18 ERA at Triple-A in the bullpen last year suggests that the 28-year old Moreno could see some innings in the Yankees ‘pen next year. This isn’t a trade to be proud of, but it’s also not one that the Cashman and the Yankees lost out on.

July 23rd, 2012

Yankees Trade: Danny Farquhar and D.J. Mitchell (0.4 WAR since)
Mariners Trade: Ichiro Suzuki (1.6 WAR since)

It’s not worth spending much time on this one, given the uninspiring results on both sides. Ichiro did about what the Yankees expected, and they were able to squeeze a year and a half of below average starter/great fourth outfielder production out of him. Mitchell hasn’t reached the big leagues since, and Farquhar’s had one very good season and two terrible ones. At this time last year, it may have looked like the Yankees blew it given Farquhar’s 2.66 ERA in 2014. But his 2015 ERA of 5.12 makes the Yankees’ rental of the then 38-year old Ichiro look solid.

July 26th, 2013

Yankees Trade: Corey Black (0 WAR since)
Cubs Trade: Alfonso Soriano (0.2 WAR since)

In the grand scheme of things, this trade wasn’t anything special. But, most Yankees fans will remember it because of four games in August where Alfonso Soriano went on one of the greatest hot streaks ever. He became the first player in baseball history with 12 hits and 18 RBIs in four games and those four games justified giving up Corey Black, who had the looks of a solid pitching prospect. Black is now a reliever and although he can miss bats, it doesn’t seem that he’ll be a player the Yankees will miss. Soriano provided a huge boost for the Yankees down the stretch, and while a dreadful -1.4 WAR in 2014 may have erased some of that initial impact, the move was still a great one for New York.

July 6th, 2014

Yankees Trade: Vidal Nuno (0.8 WAR since)
Diamondbacks Trade: Brandon McCarthy (1.3 WAR since)

In one of Brian Cashman’s most shrewd moves in recent years, the Yankees were able to ship off a player who was pitching in the independent leagues a couple seasons prior to his acquisition for McCarthy, who was arguably the Yankees’ best pitcher down the stretch. Things didn’t work out according to plan in the long run — the Yankees missed the playoffs and McCarthy didn’t re-sign — but, turning Nuno (likely a long reliever) into 90.1 innings of a 2.89 ERA from Brandon McCarthy was a brilliant move by Brian Cashman.

July 22nd, 2014

Yankees Trade: Rafael De Paula and Yangervis Solarte (2.6 WAR since)
Padres Trade: Chase Headley (3.2 WAR since)

This is one of the few trades that I’m not a fan of. A fan favorite, Solarte has surprisingly been productive as a member of the Padres. He was worth 2.2 WAR in 2015, exactly twice as much as Chase Headley was. In addition, Solarte is just 28, under team control through 2020, and dirt cheap until 2017. De Paula was, at one time, a promising pitching prospect. But his 5.01 ERA in 2015 (mostly out of the bullpen) means that the Yankees probably aren’t lamenting over his departure.

Still, this didn’t work out for the Yankees the way many expected. While Headley was very solid for the remainder of 2014 and re-signed with the team, he drastically under-performed last season and it’s hard to imagine a full recovery. On the other end of the spectrum, Solarte surprised many with his performance and a repeat in 2016 isn’t all that unlikely. This trade could still turn in the Yankees’ favor, but it’s probably the weakest of Girardi’s in years.

July 31st, 2014

Yankees Trade: Kelly Johnson (0.1 WAR since)
Red Sox Trade: Stephen Drew (-0.2 WAR since)

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha nope.

July 31st, 2014

Yankees Trade: Peter O’Brien (0.2 WAR since)
Diamondbacks Trade: Martin Prado (5.2 WAR since)

Yankee fans were initially up in arms about this trade, as shiny new toys that can play catcher and hit baseballs far are coveted in New York. Alas, O’Brien’s gone the way of Jesus. Like Montero, he has seen his strikeouts pile up and he’s now left without a position. The 25-year who combined for 71 home runs in 213 games over the past two seasons isn’t much of a prospect anymore due to his lack of position. O’Brien’s big power could still have a place on a big-league roster, but he probably isn’t a starter.

The return for the Yankees, Martin Prado, only spent 37 games with the team. Still, he accrued an impressive 2.1 WAR and hit .316 while in the Bronx. An appendectomy and subsequent trade sent him to Miami, but his return, Nathan Eovaldi, is just as important as Prado’s short 2014 campaign with the Yankees. Once again, it appears that Cashman has won handily, and maybe one day teams will learn not to acquire fringe-catching prospects from the Yankees.

November 12th, 2014

Yankees Trade: Francisco Cervelli (3.1 WAR since)
Pirates Trade: Justin Wilson (1.4 WAR since)

The next installment of the Yankees-Pirates trade saga was one of Cashman’s few poor moves. The trade is understandable, given the Yankees’ lack of space for Cervelli and their organizational depth at catcher. Still, Cervelli had a great year in Pittsburgh, hitting .295 and showing off his elite framing skills. Wilson was very good, with a 3.10 ERA and 9.7 K/9, but a good catcher is much more valuable than a good reliever. It’s only been a year and the Yankees weren’t ripped off, but it wasn’t one of Cashman’s finest works.

December 5th, 2014

Yankees Trade: Shane Greene (-1.8 WAR since)
Diamondbacks Trade: Didi Gregorious (3.3 WAR since)

What an experience this trade was! It’s probably best to cover this in a couple of diary entries from Yankees fans:

>December 5th, 2014: Dear Diary, the Yankees made a trade today. It was pretty fair—the Yankees filled a need at shortstop despite giving up a promising young pitcher. It’s not a steal, but a trade I can deal with. We’ll check back in a few months…

>April 23rd, 2015: DEATH IS NEAR. WE HAVE GIVEN UP ALL HOPE. SHANE GREENE HAS A 0.39 ERA IN THREE STARTS AND IS THE NEXT JUSTIN VERLANDER. DIDI GREGORIOUS IS BATTING .200 AND HAS A 33 wRC+. HE’S A BUTCHER ON THE FIELD AND IN THE BASE PATHS.

>October 1st, 2015: Cashman’s the best! We have the shortstop of the future in Didi Gregorious, who was worth 3.3 WAR last season. Even better, he had a .294 batting average and 109 wRC+ in the second half, so an improvement in 2016 isn’t out of the question. He’s also a great defender! We still miss Shane Greene, but we don’t miss his 6.88 ERA in Detroit. This trade was a downright steal!

This was not exaggerated in any way and all Yankee fans can attest to that.

December 19th, 2014

Yankees Trade: Martin Prado and David Phelps (3.3 WAR since)
Marlins Trade: Garrett Jones, Nathan Eovaldi, and Domingo German (1.2 WAR since)

Based on WAR totals alone, it might seem silly of me to proclaim this as another Cashman success, but upon a careful look it’s a great move for the Yankees. Martin Prado is still a solid infielder and a player that every team would love to have thanks to his flexibility. David Phelps is, well, David Phelps. He had a 4.50 ERA last season in 19 starts and as boring as Phelps is, he’ll find ways to remain on the big league roster.

One reason why the Yankees’ return WAR is so low is due to Garrett Jones’ -0.6 mark in New York. Many thought his swing and power would fit nicely in Yankee stadium, but after just five home runs and a .215 batting average in 57 games, Jones was designated for assignment. He can be effectively scratched off this deal. Domingo German was a very solid pitching, but Tommy John surgery in Spring Training leaves his status up in the air. He could end up starting, but now it looks like German is more likely a reliever. That said, it wouldn’t be shocking to see German out-perform David Phelps if his stuff is back following the surgery.

Finally, we get the big name of this deal: Nathan Eovaldi. ‘Evo’ had an up-and-down 2015 for the Yankees, struggling out of the gate but showing promise in the second half before falling to elbow inflammation in September. At his best, Eovaldi has the upside of an ace. His big time velocity and nasty splitter could make Eovaldi a special player. The Yankees will have to hope that his elbow holds up, but this trade looks like another great one for New York.

January 1st, 2015

Yankees Trade: Manny Banuelos (-0.2 WAR since)
Braves: David Carpenter and Chasen Shreve (1.3 WAR since)

Just like the Didi Gregorious trade, this deal was quite the emotional rollercoaster. It certainly hurt fans to lose the previously beloved Banuelos, who was only a couple years and a Tommy John surgery removed from being a top pitching prospect. Things were looking up for Banuelos to start last season, as he was finally healthy and had a 2.23 ERA in Triple-A. Injuries struck again, though, and his 5.13 ERA in the majors hasn’t been very encouraging.

Back in New York, David Carpenter was never able to find success. After struggling through just 18.2 innings of 4.82 ERA ball, he was designated for assignment. Chasen Shreve saved this trade for the Yankees, with a 3.09 ERA last season in 58.1 innings. Shreve was hugely valuable to the team in the first half of the season, with a 2.02 ERA. He hit a wall in the latter part of the season, though, and had a 4.76 ERA after the All-Star Break. It depends on which pitcher shows up in 2016, but there’s optimism that Shreve can once again be an above-average relief pitcher for the team. Banuelos has some control over how this deal ends up looking, and there’s still hope that the 24-year-old can stay healthy and be a back-of-the-rotation starter. There’s plenty of baseball left to be played for these players, but it’s another solid trade by Cashman at the least.

Overall, it’s clear that Brian Cashman’s track record in trades is overwhelmingly successful. Among the significant moves detailed here, only one of them looks like a ‘bad deal’ and the others seem to be at the very worst ‘fair.’ There’s time for the winners of each trade to switch, but these moves are great evidence of Cashman’s elite trading abilities.

It’s important to be aware of Cashman’s success in this facet of running the Yankees, because it could very well be the only way the team stays afloat over the next couple of years. Given the lack of prosperous free agent classes until after the 2018 season and the Yankees’ newfound refusal to spend money, Cashman could be forced to rely on these deals to build up the roster. Shying away from free agents doesn’t sound fun, but based on Cashman’s past primarily focusing on trades may not be a bad strategy.

Lead photo: Steve Mitchell/USA Today Sports

An often overlooked part of a bullpen is the “bridge” from the starting pitchers to the elite relievers. After all, it doesn’t matter how good a closer is if the team is losing once he enters. Last year, the team was in relatively good shape in the middle innings, due to contributions from Adam Warren, Justin Wilson, and Chasen Shreve. Unfortunately, two of these pitchers are no longer with the organization, and the third, Shreve, is a big question mark going into this season following a second-half collapse in 2015. The Yankees will have to rebuild the bridge for next season, and that’s not an easy task.

The good news for the Yankees is that they won’t be forced to put as much pressure on the bridge, as Chapman’s addition theoretically removes an inning between the starters and the setup men/closer. This is hugely important, given two thirds of last year’s middle relievers are gone, and the other is hard to trust. Still, Yankees starters averaged just over five innings last season, so there will be a gap between them and the elite trio. The Yankees will have to build this vital bridge, and it won’t be easy. At the least, there will need to be two or three dependable pitchers to get from the fifth to the seventh.

The most obvious name for this bridge is the aforementioned Shreve, who was one of the team’s best middle relievers for much of the season. A lot of Shreve’s value came from his ability to fortify the middle innings. He totaled 21 innings in the seventh, which was 11 more innings than any other frame. His 2.02 ERA in the first half of the season was huge for the team, but following the All-Star Break, Shreve’s ERA ballooned to 4.76. I detailed the reasons behind Shreve’s collapse right here, but despite knowing what happened, it’s very hard to predict if Shreve can bounce back. At this point, the Yankees will have to hope he can rebound, but they can’t expect another 2.02 ERA. That said, any ERA around three is fine, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Shreve put up numbers around there.

Finding the second and third relief pitcher isn’t as easy. There are plenty of talented arms, but none of them have a track record of big-league success. The Yankees have six young relievers who could all conceivably make an impact next season: Bryan Mitchell, Branden Pinder, Nick Rumbelow, Jacob Lindgren, Nick Goody, and James Pazos. These players are listed in order of career innings: Mitchell has the most at a mere 40 2/3 innings, so we’ll start there.

Mitchell, 24, has started for the team in the minor leagues, and had a 3.12 ERA in 15 starts at Triple-A last year. He could be a third or fourth starter, but the Yankees gave him a chance as a relief pitcher last season. He totaled 24 innings, to the tune of a disappointing 6.00 ERA. But, it’s important to mention that Mitchell missed time after being hit in the face by a line drive. Luckily, Mitchell was ultimately okay and wasn’t out for very long, but he wasn’t the same pitcher after returning. Before the injury, Mitchell had a 4.03 ERA. Afterwards, his ERA was 12.46. That makes his 6.00 ERA understandable, but also worrisome. While it shows that he’s a better pitcher than what last year’s numbers showed, there’s the concern that Mitchell will have trouble bouncing back from his scary injury. Last season was rough for the young pitcher, but he’s still a very talented player. Beat writers have noted that Mitchell is a popular ask in trade talks, and he could be a decent option in the middle innings next year.

Next up is Branden Pinder, the owner of 27 2/3 major-league innings, all recorded last year. There’s good news and bad news with Pinder. The good news is his 2.93 ERA last season, and the bad news is a 4.72 FIP and 4.55 BB/9 to go along with the shiny ERA. A high walk rate and low groundball rate are what fueled Pinder’s frightening FIP, and he’ll have to get both under control if he wants to experience prolonged success. Pinder’s minor-league numbers don’t suggest an issue with control, so the biggest X-Factor will be his ability to induce groundballs. If the 26-year-old can cut down on the walks and keep the ball on the ground more, he could have an impact in 2016.

Despite struggling in Triple-A last season (4.27 ERA), Nick Rumbelow received a cup of coffee last year, throwing 15 2/3 innings of 4.02 ERA ball. Rumbelow may have more upside than Pinder, but he’s less likely to find immediate big-league success, as he’s struggled to put up anything better than average numbers in the minors recently. Rumbelow will be on the roster fringe, and may need a good performance in Spring Training to make the 25-man roster for Opening Day. He’s not a pitcher that the Yankees will expect to handle important innings early on, and has a better chance to contribute later this season and in 2017.

Now we get to the big name, Jacob Lindgren. The Yankees took Lindgren with their first draft pick (55th overall) in 2014, and he’s absolutely dominated in the minor leagues. Lindgren, when healthy, is possibly the best relief prospect in the minors, and has yet to have a K/9 in the single digits at any level of professional baseball. The issue, though, is health. Lindgren underwent surgery to remove bone spurs in his elbow, knocking out his 2015 season after just 29 innings. If Lindgren can cut down on the walks, his elite strikeout rates gives him closer upside, and the 22-year-old could easily separate himself from all the other young relievers.

If Lindgren is the king of ridiculous strikeout numbers in the minors, then Nick Goody is the king of a ridiculous ERA. Last season, Goody posted a 1.73 ERA in Double-A and a 1.31 ERA  in Triple-A, along with a double-digit K/9 and reasonable walk rate. Goody wasn’t exactly dominant in the majors, with a four runs allowed in 5 2/3 innings, but that’s a very limited sample size. Goody’s raw talent isn’t anything special, but the 24-year-old’s eye-popping stats are sure to get him a look in the Spring.

Speaking of eye-popping stats, James Pazos posted a 1.09 ERA in Triple-A last year. Pazos, the only lefty in the mix, has elite velocity (for a left-hander) but doesn’t have any special secondaries. Still, he was utterly dominant in the minor leagues, and the Yankees are in love with him. When asked who was untouchable at the trade deadline, Hal Steinbrenner said Luis Severino, Greg Bird, Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez…and James Pazos. The fact that he was mentioned in the same breath as the team’s best prospects says a lot about the 24-year-old, and the team already has confidence in him as a pitcher. Despite throwing just five major-league innings, the majority of his innings came in the ninth—a rare thing to see with pitchers merely receiving a cup of coffee.

All of these arms are very intriguing and could be late-inning relief pitchers in the future. But, what matters to the Yankees is present performance, and not all of these relievers are ready to be difference makers next season. Of all of the pitchers, Mitchell is the most likely to make the team out of spring training, along with Pinder. If Lindgren is healthy and back to old levels, there’s a good chance he makes the team as well. Pazos, Goody, and Rumbelow have a chance at making the bullpen, but it will take successful spring training performances. It’s challenging to choose one or two of these pitchers to join Shreve as the “bridge,” given their lack of track record, but for now Mitchell seems to be the most likely to get that role. If Lindgren is 100 percent, he absolutely deserves the role, but it’s hard to tell how he will look at this point.

The issue with the Yankees bullpen isn’t their lack of depth overall, but their lack of proven options. They have plenty of talented arms, all of whom I’ve mentioned above, and while they are likely major-league ready, that doesn’t mean they are ready to form a successful bridge to the elite relievers. Out of these pitchers, at least one or two should be up to the task, but it may take time for the team to find those pitchers and consistency could be hard to come by. Spring training will be a major determinant in who forms the bridge, but if I had to choose one now, Mitchell and Lindgren, along with Shreve, would be the best options in the middle innings.

Lead photo courtesy Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Since the All-Star break, Yankee relievers have pitched to a 3.86 ERA. In the last month, the group has a 4.85 ERA and 4.76 FIP. A hefty portion of the relief work has been done by pitchers that spent the year in the minor leagues and it shows. What was once a strength is now largely a group of inexperienced rookies and tired mainstays. The act of starting up the bullpen has been a roll of the dice for Joe Girardi, especially with his starting pitchers not working deep into games. He now gets to do that with the season on the line, and then against the Royals. He’s got his work cut out for him to say the least.

We know for sure that Betances, Warren, Justin Wilson and Andrew Miller will get spots. These are the rest of the candidates:

• Chasen Shreve
• Chris Capuano
• Ivan Nova
• Bryan Mitchell
• Andrew Bailey
• Nick Rumbelow
• Nick Goody
• Branden Pinder
• Caleb Cotham
• James Pazos
• Chris Martin

There’s a chance that Nathan Eovaldi could become healthy enough to be activated at some point, but the Yankees likely won’t want to risk the chance that he won’t be ready for important outings. That means these are the guys from which Girardi must select. I won’t pretend to have inside knowledge to Girardi’s thought process and most of these pitchers have been inside and outside of his fabled Circle of Trust at various times.

The most obvious choice seems to be Rumbelow. When Rumbelow is right, his stuff is electric. In 15.2 innings with the big club, Rumbelow has struck out 22.1 percent of the batters he’s faced, but he’s also walked five and given up two homers. This is a rather small sample, of course, but Rumbelow isn’t the worst option to eat an inning or two if the Yankees have a comfortable lead. That’s five of the spots filled. The recipients of the other two spots will likely not matter very much, as if the last man in the bullpen has to get into a playoff game, the game is likely over or deep into extra innings. The Royals showed us last year that due to the rest days built into the playoff schedule, it’s a bit easier to run the big guns out every time they’re needed.

That won’t matter if the Yankees don’t escape the showdown with the Astros. In the very real scenario in which Masahiro Tanaka serves up a few home runs to the powerful Astros and the Yankees have to get into their bullpen early, how do they piece together the necessary innings? CC Sabathia will probably be available in relief, but Sabathia has allowed a humongous .370 wOBA to right-handed hitters this year. The Astros are made up largely of righty power hitters like Carlos Correa, Evan Gattis and George Springer. Is Luis Severino capable of pitching effectively on short rest? With Dallas Kuechel on the mound for Houston, the Yankees don’t want to have to find out.

(Photos: Adam Hunger-USA Today Sports) 

End points are arbitrary, but August 30th seems to be the turning point for Shreve. Exploring the differences before the 30th and afterward turn up some alarming trends. While Shreve was clearly bound for some regression (an unsustainable .235 BABIP and 3.82 FIP), his ineffectiveness can be attributed to far more than that. What has plagued Shreve most has been his control. He has always been teetering on the line of wild, with a 4.71 BB/9 on the season, but he has an atrocious 9.95 BB/9 since August 30th. It’s unlikely that Shreve is dealing with an injury or fatigue that has lead to a lack of control, as all of his pitches have maintained consistent velocity and shape. There’s no clear reason for why he can’t seem to find the strike zone, but it’s likely Shreve’s biggest issue right now.

Another problem for Shreve is his splitter. Usually his best pitch, it’s been hit hard lately. Before August 30th, Shreve’s batting average against his splitter was .088. Since then it is .375. The reason behind this increase is that batters are seeing the splitter better: they are whiffing on the pitch 9.53 percent less since the end of August. At this point, Shreve’s splitter is not a weapon that hitters have to worry about. When a pitcher loses his feel on his best pitch, a whole lot can go wrong, as it has for Shreve.

Shreve’s fastball has also been destroyed of late (hitters are slugging .786 against it in September, .471 points more than before). Obviously, his loss of command has allowed batters to make hard contact more frequently. Also, Shreve had excellent results with his (relatively unremarkable) fastball in the past, thanks to the threat of his splitter. Without this splitter, hitters can sit on the fastball. We’re working with small sample sizes right now, but the splitter/fastball effect can be seen twice in the past two weeks. Against the Blue Jays on September 11th, Shreve gave up a home run to Russell Martin. He started with a fastball out of the zone, following it with a splitter that was nowhere close. After that, Shreve threw a fastball, which Martin was sitting on and pulled for a home run. Three days earlier, the same thing happened. Shreve buried a 1-0 splitter in the dirt to Chris Davis. Once again, the pitch was nowhere close, and on the next pitch, Davis turned on it for a game-spoiling home run. These are just two instances, but they serve as an example of what happens when Shreve doesn’t have his splitter working.

On Saturday, Brian Cashman acknowledged Shreve’s struggles, and said that the team “may need to call a different name until we can get him resuscitated.” While resuscitated is an odd term to use, Cashman is correct. Shreve’s issues won’t right themselves with better luck, it will take some something to click or mechanical changes before Shreve can be effective again. To answer my initial question, yes, Shreve is broken. Luckily, he can be fixed. But with a lack of trustworthy options behind the overused Betances and Miller, the new question is: When will Shreve be fixed?

(Photo: Gregory Fisher-USA Today Sports)

Because of the way players are deployed in the sport, it is very difficult to put your best players in specifically for the most important situations. Therefore your sixth-best hitter needs to be passable because he could come up with the game on the line. Your fourth starter ought to be OK because he might start in the first game of a critical series against a division rival. The bullpen is the exception to this rule, but it rarely contains a team’s best players.

If you ranked all of the players on a 25-man roster from best to worst, those ranked 20-25 might be more or less interchangeable, but the guys from 14-20 are crucially important to a team’s success even if they aren’t big names or even particularly good at their jobs.

For the New York Yankees, Chasen Shreve is one of those guys in the middle. With the dynamic duo of Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances firmly entrenched at the back end of the bullpen, Shreve rarely sees the highest-leverage situations. However, when he’s gotten into the game, he’s excelled.

So far, the southpaw has a shiny 6-1 record that goes with an equally shiny 1.88 ERA giving him traditional stats that gleam enough to enthrall magpies and irritate the hungover.

While his peripherals are not quite so luminescent, his 3.19 FIP, 0.6 WAR and 8.92 K/9 marks are all very solid. Shreve is the classic example of a middle-roster player exceeding expectations on a successful team.

The Yankees are not succeeding because of Shreve, but their surprisingly good season can be explained, in part, by the fact they are getting performances like the one the left-hander is giving them.

Speaking about Shreve specifically, it would have been hard to see this coming. The lefty was excellent in a 12 1/3-inning audition with the Braves last year, but he didn’t look like anything more than a southpaw middle reliever before he came to New York.

That may ultimately be his fate, but for now he looks like something a little bit more interesting. Shreve is not a run-of-the-mill LOOGY type, in fact he’s held right-handed hitters to a .136/.216/.250 line this year.

His ability to shut down right-handers is because of a rather special splitter that he can use as an out pitch regardless of an opposing hitter’s handedness.

Shreve has thrown the pitch 28.3 percent of the time, up from a mere 7.8 percent in his brief time with the Braves, and it’s clearly been his best offering.

When looking at a reliever like this standard small sample size warnings apply, but it’s clear Shreve is getting results with the pitch.

Not only does his splitter have bite, he’s located it perfectly below the strike zone where it needs to be.

If left up, this pitch can be hit a long way, but Shreve has almost never made mistakes in the zone with it. Instead he has stayed exactly where the whiffs are.

At the end of the day ,Shreve is a left-handed reliever who doesn’t close. He’s never going to get much credit for the Yankees’ success. Strictly speaking, he doesn’t deserve much. But he does deserve some.

Shreve is a small cog in the big machine that has been a winning Yankees team in 2015. He’s not irreplaceable, but he’s not disposable.

He’s beginning to feature his nifty splitter more and more as the season goes on and that’s going to make him less limited than some of his southpaw compatriots.

When the story of the 2015 New York Yankees is told, Shreve will not feature prominently, but he is the type of player you can never have too many of.

Lead photo courtesy of Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports

In January, the Yankees dealt Manny Banuelos, who Mariano Rivera once called the greatest pitching prospect he had ever seen, to the Braves. In exchange, they were to receive a sturdy veteran reliever in David Carpenter, along with Shreve, who had seen brief Major League action and hadn’t been regarded as a prospect to watch in Atlanta.

As we approach the All-Star break, not only has he survived in the bullpen longer than Carpenter, he’s solidified himself as one of the four most trustworthy arms in the bullpen. Only Dellin Betances and Justin Wilson have appeared in more high-leverage situations (20) than Shreve (12).

“He has that confidence where he believes he can get anybody out,” said bullpen-mate Adam Warren. “That’s what you’ve got to have, especially coming into those situations. No matter who it is, get ahead of him, and pitch your game. You want to pitch to your strengths, you don’t want to try to pitch to a guy’s weaknesses. I think that’s what he does, he just comes in with that confidence that he can get anybody out.”

Outside of a slight bump in the road at the onset of July, Shreve has found a groove as the season has gone on.  He’s leaned on his sinker more and more, throwing it 20 percent of the time in April, 26 percent of the time in May, and 35 percent of the time in June. His whiff-per-swing percentages have also increased from 46.7 percent, to 52.4 percent, to 60 percent. He’s found and developed his most effective pitch, and as Warren said is so important, has pitched to his strengths.

Shreve allowed a run in his second outing of July, snapping a 16.1-inning scoreless streak that spanned 15 games. Maybe most impressive about his first half is this — he’s inherited 21 runners and allowed just three to score. He has the mental makeup to handle pressure situations, but he’s not necessarily settled in when he’s on the hill in a big spot.

“I don’t think you ever get comfortable in them,” said Shreve. “I don’t think you ever want to get comfortable in them. But, having done it before, it helps a little bit with confidence. You just try to go and do what you’ve done all year and not try and change. Just try to focus on the glove, throw strikes, and get ahead in counts.”

He’s a large component of what has proven to be a very versatile, and formidable, Yankees bullpen. The southpaw has proven he can get both righties and lefties out, with a .149 BAA & 19 K’s versus right-handed hitters, and a .209 BAA & 17 K’s versus lefties. Joe Girardi has been able to plug him in anywhere and get results.

“I don’t see his role changing a whole lot. He’s pitched really well, so he’s going to pitch important innings,” said Girardi. “Sometimes an important inning is the sixth. I think people get caught up in ‘it’s the eighth inning, it’s the ninth inning.’ Sometimes the game can be on the line in the sixth.”

With the return of Andrew Miller to the bullpen, and the relocation of Adam Warren, the Yankees now have a solid core of five relievers that can come in and get the job done in pressure situations. None of them are younger, and possibly more exciting, than Shreve. For the Yankees win the AL East, they’ll have to repeat what’s been a stellar first-half.

(Photo: Brad Penner-USA Today Sports)

Since Warren is no longer in the bullpen, and the pitchers for the 8th and 9th innings are already determined, who should the Yankees count on to come through in a big spot in the 7th inning?

Via Brooks Baseball & Baseball Prospectus, here is how the Yankees have handled their bullpen so far this season. The higher the leverage index, the tighter the spot. An index of 1 is considered an average, neutral situation.

As evidenced by this chart, Justin Wilson has a slight lead on Chris Martin and Chasen Shreve when it comes to trust in big spots. Wilson’s also been used in as many games as Dellin Betances has this season, though he’s sixth in innings pitched among relievers. He’s also pitched in 11 high-leverage situations, to Betances’ 13 and Andrew Miller’s 12.

Is he the right guy to be leaning on, though? Let’s examine.

Chris Martin has been pretty solid this season with a 3.55 ERA, but he’s coming off an injury and was sent to Triple-A after his rehab assignment expired. That’s given Chasen Shreve the opportunity to showcase his ability to pitch late in games, and he’s been pretty reliable.

Shreve’s 2.38 ERA and 22.2 IP rank 3rd & 4th in the Yankee bullpen. His Win Probability Added is 1.5, with Wilson’s 1.6. Shreve, a 24 year-old acquired along with David Carpenter for Manny Banuelos, has induced 51 percent whiffs per swing this year on his splitter, up from 33 percent in limited time last year. His slider, with nice 12-6 movement, has also produced more whiffs per swing than an average for a left-hander, according to Brooks Baseball. He’s been a pretty solid strikeout pitcher, with 28 percent strikeout rate, but he ranks last among Yankee relievers in GB:FB ratio.

Wilson, on the other hand, has been a superb groundball pitcher. His 1.04 GB:FB ratio is tied with Dellin Betances for second among team relievers, behind Andrew Miller (1.05). His cutter has been particularly effective for him. He pitches to contact, while Shreve limits the amount of hard hit balls against him by throwing junk. The drawback on Wilson is his walk rate, which is the highest on the team at 11.3%.

Which type of pitcher do you want, then?

I don’t think you can go wrong if you say you want the pitcher that most closely resembles Dellin Betances. While Shreve doesn’t bring the heat quite like Betances does, he pitches to whiffs. He’s also been fantastic in limiting the amount of walks he’s given up (6.9 percent walk rate). As long as Chris Martin is out of consideration, the 24-year-old Shreve would be my choice in the 7th inning. Who do you go with?

(Photo: Joe Nicholson-USA Today Sports)