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NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 10: Kirby Yates #49 of the Tampa Bay Rays throws a pitch during a game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on September 10, 2014 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)

Yankees acquire Kirby Yates from Cleveland

 

The Yankees have purchased right-handed reliever Kirby Yates from the Cleveland Indians, according to YES Networks Jack Curry.

Yates struggled throughout the 2015 season posting a 7.97 earned run average while giving up 10 home runs in 20 1/3 innings pitched for the Tampa Bay Rays. The Yankees see something in Yates to acquire him from Cleveland. The 28-year-old averaged 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings in the majors, which is something the Yankees covet. He has a big arm and provides New York with organizational depth.

In the minors, Yates’s struggles continued. He finished the season with a combined 5.60 ERA between Single-A and Triple-A. The Yankees continue to make small organizational moves to deepen their farm systems, especially at the higher levels. Though Yates is not the big name everyone is hoping for, he will provide depth in the system, which is something the team needs considering the lack of major league relievers on the current roster.