The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Yankees acquire Lynn
MINNEAPOLIS — The disappointing Minnesota Twins have traded righthander Lance Lynn to the New York Yankees for first baseman/outfielder Tyler Austin and right-handed pitching prospect Luis Rijo.
Minnesota will send $2 million to the Yankees as part of Monday’s deal to cover half of the $4 million remaining in Lynn’s $12 million salary.
The 31-year-old Lynn was 7-8 with a 5.10 ERA in 20 starts for the Twins, walking 62 and striking out 100 in 1021⁄3 innings. He is likely to become a long reliever with the Yankees to replace Adam Warren, who was traded to Seattle on Monday.
Lynn also joins Luis Cessa as insurance for a starting rotation that includes Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, CC Sabathia, Sonny Gray and newly acquired J.A. Happ.
Austin, 26, made his major league debut against Tampa Bay in August 2016, combining with Aaron Judge to become the first teammates to homer in their first major league at-bats in the same game.
But Austin never became a regular with the Yankees. He hit .223 with eight homers and 23 RBIs in 121 at-bats for New York this year and .247 with five homers and 11 RBIs in 97 at-bats with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre
The 19-year-old Rijo is 4-1 with a 2.77 ERA in five starts and two relief appearances this year for Class A Tampa and Staten Island, and rookie level Pulaski.
MARINERS BOLSTER BULLPEN
The Seattle Mariners worked on their bullpen again, acquiring left-hander Zach Duke from the Minnesota Twins and Warren from the Yankees for a pair of minor leaguers.
The Mariners sent pitcher Chase De Jong and infielder Ryan Costello to the Twins, and dealt international slot money to the Yankees for Warren.
CLOSER SWAP
Swapping a closer with on-field problems for one with off-field troubles, the World Series champion Houston Astros have traded Ken Giles to the Toronto Blue Jays along with a pair of pitching prospects for Roberto Osuna.
Houston also sent righthanders David Paulino and Hector Perez to Toronto as part of the deal Monday, a day before the deadline for trades without waivers.
The 23-year-old Osuna is eligible to pitch in the major leagues starting Sunday after a 75-game suspension under Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy. He has made six scoreless one-inning appearances in the minors since July 14, the last three at Triple-A.
BRAVES ADD BAT
The Atlanta Braves have acquired outfielder Adam Duvall from the Cincinnati Reds to bolster their lineup for a postseason push.
The Braves sent righthanders Lucas Sims and Matt Wisler and outfielder Preston Tucker to Cincinnati. All three spent time in Atlanta this season but were with Triple-A Gwinnett at the time of the trade.