HE EARNED HIS WINGS
Reliever Middleton parlays Yank success into deal with Cardinals
The Yankees missed a chance to retain another member of their 2023 bullpen, as Keynan Middleton agreed to a deal with the Cardinals late Thursday night.
Terms of the pact, first reported by FanSided’s Robert Murray, have not been disclosed yet.
The Yankees and Middleton had mutual interest in a reunion. “There’s only a few places I want to be,” the right-hander said in September, “and here is one of them.”
Instead, Middleton will join a revamped bullpen in St. Louis.
The Yankees made Middleton their only notable addition before last summer’s trade deadline when they acquired him from the White Sox. The 30-year-old pitched well over a small sample in New York, tallying a 1.88 ERA and 14.1 innings while occasionally logging multi-inning appearances.
Middleton spent some time on the injured list after the trade thanks to shoulder inflammation, but he totaled 51 games and 50.2 innings between the Yankees and White Sox. He ended the season with a 3.38 ERA, a 56.6% groundball rate, a 30.2% strikeout rate and a 10.8% walk rate.
With Middleton and Wandy Peralta off the board — the lefty recently agreed to a deal with the Padres — it’s unclear if the Yankees will make a major addition to their bullpen before spring training begins in less than two weeks. A few fits remain in free agency, including Phil Maton and Ryan Brasier, but the team is already projected to exceed the highest luxury tax threshold. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Yankees stand pat and fill the pen out with internal options.