Veteran left-hander Lucas Luetge has opted out of his minor league take care of the Crimson Sox and turn into a free agent, in accordance with Katie Morrison-O’Day of MassLive. The lefty first signed with the Crimson Sox again in February however will now return to free company looking for a greater deal elsewhere.
Luetge, 37, is a veteran of seven MLB seasons who first made his large league debut again in 2012 as a member of the Mariners. He spent his time with Seattle shuttling between the main and minor leagues, throughout which period he posted a middling 4.35 ERA with a 4.27 FIP in 89 large league innings with an analogous 4.21 ERA throughout 94 appearances within the minors. Whereas Luetge loved a powerful 47.7% groundball price within the majors throughout his years in Seattle, a lackluster 19% strikeout price mixed with an elevated 12.1% stroll price seemingly restricted his potential, leaving him to be outrighted off the Mariners’ 40-man roster in late 2015.
He elected free company shortly thereafter however wouldn’t return to the majors till 2021, when he joined the Yankees as a member of their bullpen. The lefty loved the very best seasons of his profession by far when within the Bronx as he posted a sterling 2.71 ERA with a 2.92 FIP in 129 2/3 innings of labor for the membership throughout the 2021 and ’22 seasons. His strikeout price ticked as much as a powerful 25% whereas he slashed his stroll price to only 5.8%. Whereas these enhancements got here on the expense of his groundball price (39% with the Yankees), the outcomes greater than justified his change in strategy and made it considerably shocking when the membership designated him for project throughout the 2022-23 offseason.
He was traded to the Braves shortly thereafter and opened the 2023 marketing campaign of their bullpen, although he didn’t final lengthy in Atlanta after permitting eleven runs in 9 2/3 innings of labor throughout his first 9 appearances as a Courageous. He was outrighted to the minor leagues however remained with the membership and returned to the massive leagues with them to throw 4 scoreless innings throughout three appearances down the stretch, however that enchancment and his middling work with the membership’s Triple-A affiliate (3.75 ERA in 24 frames) weren’t sufficient to persuade the Braves to retain Luetge for the 2024 marketing campaign.
Again in free company for the primary time since signing with the Yankees, Luetge signed on with the Crimson Sox. He by no means broke into the massive leagues with the membership, although he’s regarded fairly spectacular in 41 2/3 innings of labor for Triple-A Worcester with a 3.02 ERA and a strong 26.7% strikeout price. Given the fixed curiosity across the league in left-handed reduction depth, it will hardly be a shock if a membership noticed Luetge’s success within the minor leagues with Boston and his earlier success with the Yankees and determined to carry him into the group, whether or not as a non-roster depth possibility on a minor league deal or even perhaps as a right away member of the massive league bullpen.
