The Yankees have signed right-handed reliever Matt Bowman to a two-year minor league contract, Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. Bowman will earn a $900K salary if he makes the majors in either of the next two seasons.
Considering Bowman underwent Tommy John surgery in September, it seems like an extreme long shot that he’ll impact the Yankees at all in 2021. More realistically, New York can hope he’ll return to health during the second season of his deal and re-emerge as a viable big league reliever.
The 29-year-old Bowman began his career as an effective workhorse in St. Louis, where he combined for 126 1/3 innings of 3.70 ERA/3.47 FIP pitching from 2016-17. Bowman, who averages 91 mph on his fastball, didn’t rack up many strikeouts in those years (6.98 per nine), but he helped make up for it with an impressive 58.4 percent groundball rate.
Unfortunately for Bowman and St. Louis, he wasn’t able to turn in a third straight solid season in 2018. Bowman had multiple stints on the injured list because of blisters, logged a 6.76 ERA/4.73 FIP and recorded a career-worst 48.5 percent grounder mark in 23 innings. That was the end of the line with the Cardinals for Bowman, whom the Reds claimed before the 2019 season. Bowman returned to his previous form that year in Cincinnati, where he put up a 3.66 ERA/3.68 FIP and a 55.1 GB rate, but his elbow injury stopped him from pitching in 2020. The Reds moved on from Bowman in the wake of his surgery.
This is an interesting signing. Bowman is a solid major league pen option who has just had some injuries. Nice depth piece and no risk, if he sucks just cut him
Low risk high reward potential
High reward might be a bit of a stretch. He has the potential to be a decent pen piece, but if he’s somewhat decent he’s costing $900k. He’s more of a low risk, potentially adequately compensated for his output reward.
The Yankees finally make a move!
Yep, wasn’t exactly my idea of the pitching acquisition to which they were referring…… Welp, guess it’s something.
I have never heard of this guy.
Anyway, I like that two year MiLB deal. Can’t recall seeing something like that before? Wonder if we can do the same thing with Tommy Tightpants.
Think they did something similar with Adam Warren but they released him in July.
Good catch, @Joe Says… .
(It was all of a year ago & I couldn’t “recall something like that” lol…ay caramba)
Warren should actually be ready to throw this season.
@Ducky.. I only remembered it because I’m an Adam Warren fan. Otherwise, you are right, the Yankees don’t do this sort of thing very often.
I’m actually a fan of Adam Warren myself. He was an excellent Utility Pitcher for the Yanks. I was so irritated when Cashman salary dumped him to Seattle. I don’t think it’d have made any difference but, jeeez, I’d’ve preferred him to Lance Lynn against the sox.
I remember being stoked that we’d brought him back last winter. Only to realize he’d somehow undergone TJS & I’d heard nothing about it. For a brief half a minute or so I was convinced we’d reassembled another Super Bullpen, or whatever.
Alas.
I know he was let go during the season. I’ve heard nothing on him since, however.
I think this is a typical Yankee move, to sign these formerly solid ML players on two way deals. Some of them turn out to be good value. But I think the usual play is to bring these guys up for a couple of weeks to fill a roster vacancy, and then DFA them. It save them having to go deep into the system to add a player prematurely to the 40 man, and burn an option.
He’ll certainly want a MLB deal. I hope they look into Blake Treinen.
Hopefully the blisters are a thing of the past. Always among the most frustrating injuries.
Chevy Chase, MD?? Interesting
St Albans Bulldog
If he gets himself right health wise… You Yankees fans will love him. He’s a ground ball machine
Really liked him in Cincy
The news we’ve been waiting for
Yep, might slow offseason. The Hot Stove is ice cold…
Solid pickup for the Yankees… even if it’s not until 2022 that he gets into a game… he was a pretty effective workhorse reliever prior to his injury and with essentially no risk involved if his rehab goes well he could wind up being a nice addition to their bullpen depth whenever he is able to make it back from his rehab.
He’ll be 31 for 2022. If able to recover from surgery, still can deliver several more seasons.
What about Tommy Kahnle?!
Before TJ surgery he was a vital cog in the Yankee bullpen!!
Wow the big spending Yankees are at it again. Hurry up and lock up DJ or just move on
He was garbage out of the gate.
Will miss him with the Reds. He’s a really good guy. Saw him at Redsfest last year and he asked if we were having a good time and then played with my 2 toddlers for a few minutes.