Yankees Started Working On The Squad If Aaron Judge Leaves! Adding Three New Pitchers

The New York Yankees ended their campaign ALCS campaign after the defeat at the hands of the Astros. On the other hand, several of the teams\’ players are headed to free agency. This includes Aaron Judge and Anthony Rizzo, while Aroldis Chapman is also parting ways with the team. Therefore, it was expected that there would be some big shakeups in the Yankee\’s roaster. Now it is happening. The team has added a trio of pitchers to their roaster, while Tim Locastro has been shown the way out.

The Yankees Add Three Pitchers To their Squad!

With just five days remaining in the free agency, several MLB teams are going through major shakeups, and the New York Yankees are no exception. On Thursday, the Yankees announced several changes in their 40-man roster. 

Jhony Brito, Matt Krook, and Jimmy Cordero, these three pitchers have been added to the Yankees\’ 40-man roster. Tim Locastro, an outfielder, declined to sign a free agent contract rather than accept a direct assignment to the minor leagues and removal from the main league roster. The Yankees signed pitchers Jhony Brito and Jimmy Cordero to their roster when roster spaces became available due to free agency beginning this week. Lefty Matt Krook on Thursday covered them so they wouldn\’t be exposed in the Rule 5 Draft the following month.

Including Krook and Brito in the roster gives them protection in the next Rule 5 Draft. That will occur at the conclusion of the winter meetings the following month. The 40-man roster must be updated five seasons after players with the age of 18 were signed. Additionally, players who sign contracts that are older than that must do so within four seasons to be eligible for the Rule 5 Draft. Meanwhile, Locastro has been released by the Yankees ahead of the upcoming season. He served as a capable defensive substitute and pinch runner. But for the Yankees to free up his roster place, the 30-year-old would have needed to agree to a demotion to Scranton. 

Instead, the veteran will enter the free agent market to see whether a major league team is interested in his speed and defensive abilities. The 31-year-final old\’s major league game was in 2020 with the White Sox. In 83 major league innings during his career, he has a 4.55 ERA+. With a 2.09 ERA in 38.2 innings pitched for Scranton in 2022, Cordero served as seasoned depth for the Yankee minor league organization. The Yankees\’ 40-man roster now has 37 players as a result of acquisitions and subtractions. Aaron Judge is the only one of their free agents who is no longer on the squad.

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