The Yankees have had a recent history of re-acquiring some of their former pitchers.
Aroldis Chapman, Tommy Kahnle, David Robertson and Adam Warren are all pitchers who were re-acquired by the Yankees over the past year. General manager Brian Cashman has shown a likeness to his former players, and hasn’t been afraid to make moves to bring them back in the mix.
With recent reports, it appears that Cashman is now showing interest in another former Yankee reliever.
Add another entrant into the Justin Wilson sweepstakes: The Yankees.
— anthony fenech (@anthonyfenech) July 27, 2017
According to Anthony Fenech of Free Press Sports, the Yankees have entered the sweepstakes for Justin Wilson. The 29-year-old is having a solid season as the Tigers’ closer, and has one more year of club control remaining on his contract.
The Yankees originally acquired Wilson as part of the November 2014 trade that sent Francisco Cervelli to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The left-hander served as a setup man in his only season in the Bronx, posting a 5-0 record with a 3.10 ERA in 74 appearances. After the 2015 season, Wilson was dealt to the Tigers in exchange for Luis Cessa and Chad Green.
Wilson served as a setup man for the 2016 season, and became the Tigers’ closer for the 2017 campaign. In 41 appearances this season, the left-hander has a 2.75 ERA with 12 saves.
The Tigers are clearly looking to be sellers at the trade deadline, and have already begun moving some of their key pieces. Last week, the club agreed to a trade which sent outfielder J.D. Martinez to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
For teams looking for bullpen help, Wilson could definitely be a hot commodity as the trade deadline approaches. According to Fenech, the Tigers were looking to get a package similar to what the Yankees got for Chapman last summer. However, it’s more likely that the return package for Wilson is similar to what the Washington Nationals traded for Mark Melancon.
After the trade for Kahnle and Robertson, the Yankees probably don’t need to add any additional bullpen help. This could be just due diligence on Cashman’s part, but a trade to re-acquire Wilson could make the Yankees bullpen even more lethal.
If Cashman wants to make a deal happen, he definitely has the means to do so. With the Yankees strong farm system, the club can elect to part with a few solid prospects to add another big arm to the back-end of the bullpen.
As of now, no reported trade talks have occurred between the two teams. With the trade deadline just a few days away, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see trade talks pick up between the two sides.
Another Yankee reunion? We’ll have to wait and see..
