The New York Yankees could make a major move with Carlos Lagrange if this one thing occurs.
The New York Yankees' bullpen has certainly been better in the month of June, thanks much in part to David Bednar finally settling down after a disastrous start to the season.
That's why the noise around Carlos Lagrange being promoted to the big leagues in an attempt to bolster the Yankees' relief pitching has largely been quelled in recent weeks.
But make no mistake: New York still has an issue to address in the bullpen, and it will almost certainly do something to fix it before the MLB trade deadline.
So, where does that leave Lagrange?
The Yankees insist they still view the top prospect as a starter, this even though putting him in the bullpen this year could potentially be damaging to his long-term outlook as a starting pitcher. For that reason, they are being patient.
If New York is serious about wanting Lagrange to be a starter for the long haul, it probably doesn't want to bring him up to be a reliever this season. That seems like more of a last-ditch effort in the event.
At the time of the Lagrange speculation, the Yankees' bullpen was in full meltdown mode. Bednar had an ERA north of 5.00 and a WHIP above 1.500, Camilo Doval could barely record an out and Fernando Cruz's frequent command issues were infurating.
Things have since gotten considerably better. Bednar has not surrendered a run in over a month, Cruz has been dominant and Brent Headrick has been very impressive with a 1.66 ERA.
However, New York cannot be fooled by this recent run of bullpen success.
New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Lagrange. Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images.While there is reason to believe that Bednar has righted the ship, Doval is struggling mightily, Tim Hill now owns a 4.34 ERA, Jake Bird has mostly been subpar and Headrick's underlying metrics are more than a bit concerning.
The Yankees definitely need to add some more relief arms, so they should be pursuing trades for multiple relievers between now and Aug. 3.
The problem? There aren't too many obvious sellers at the moment.
The Miami Marlins, for example, looked like a prime trade partner for New York, as they possess several relief pitchers that could interest the Yanks. But they have gone an MLB-best 15-5 in June to establish themselves as serious playoff contenders.
And when you look around baseball, there are very few teams that are genuinely out of it. That could spell trouble for the Yankees when it comes to trying to bolster their bullpen in the coming weeks.
That's where Lagrange could come into play, and it's probably why New York is taking a wait-and-see approach.
If the Yankees are unable to land any significant relievers prior to the deadline, they may choose to call up Lagrange in attempt to fill a spot in the pen.
Lagrange has made 16 appearances and 11 starts at Triple-A this season, logging a 3.96 ERA and 1.288 WHIP. The strikeouts (11.7 K/9) are there, but the walks (4.5 BB/9) and home runs (1.5 HR/9) have been a serious issue.
New York did begin transitioning the right-hander to the bullpen earlier this month, but the early returns have not been great. In fact, he allowed seven runs — including a pair of homers — in three outings between June 9-18.
If Lagrange cannot harness his command and can't keep the ball in the yard, the Yankees will have a hard time successfully elevating him to the big leagues as a late-inning threat this season. But if he progresses well? New York might have a second-half weapon it can turn to in the event of a trade deadline flub.
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