Potential Free Agent for the Yankees Ryan Brasier is the target.
It was Ryan Brasier who ended up with the Dodgers. Is a trip back to the AL East possible?
Every MLB season, there are countless tales of players who struggle at first with one team before switching to a different team and seeing a significant improvement in their play. It’s fairly common, sometimes requiring an adjustment and other times just a change of scenery.
One individual in particular who was affected by this occurrence in 2023 is a seasoned reliever who is well acquainted with the AL East’s environs. From being a dominant late-inning option on a World Series contender, Ryan Brasier came from being a waiver wire claim.
Brasier, who turns 37 in the middle of the following season, was the epitome of a late bloomer, having played in the major leagues with the Angels for just nine innings prior to his age-30 campaign. After five years, the right-hander enjoyed tremendous success with Boston, where he was a key member of the 2018 World Series winning team. But after that spectacular year, Brasier retreated a little in the next few campaigns and struggled with instability for the most of his time in Boston.
Brasier had a rather strange campaign in 2022, throwing 62.1 IP with a 5.78 ERA while maintaining a fairly decent 3.61 FIP. It was obvious that there was still something the Red Sox could use, but it wasn’t happening with them. He began 2023 still a member of the team, but on May 21st, following 20 games that displayed more of the same, he was let go. The Dodgers then made an attack.
Brasier signed a minor-league contract with Los Angeles on June 5th, but he was called up to the major leagues after just three innings of work with the Dodgers Triple-A affiliate, Oklahoma City. The main thing that had changed for Brasier on the West Coast was the addition of a cutter, something he had not had before. Lefties, who saw the pitch 27.2% of the time, were the main opponents of this surface. In addition, Brasier began to use his sinker a little more frequently and had a more well-rounded Dodger blue arsenal overall.
And the outcomes were in. During his tenure with the Dodgers, his crazily high BABIP (.344) dropped to an incredibly low one (.183). He was able to increase his groundball rate significantly with a more proficient sinker. It was 34.1 percent in 21 innings against the Boston Red Sox and 51.1 percent in 38.2 innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Just take a peek at how much more of the plate’s heart his sinker caught in 2022 than in the previous season:
The bottom line is that Brasier’s extended arsenal made opposing hitters less effective at hitting meatballs. Although his BABIP may regress to a point in the middle of those two extremes, the changes are sustainable, and it’s possible that Brasier has returned to his peak. Brasier is similar to a handful of the relievers we’ve previously spoken about in terms of team fit, particularly in that he is likely limited to a one-year contract at a cost that this organization can afford due to a number of circumstances.
Though the Yankees may benefit if they sign Brasier following his season overseas and outside of the AL East, Boston was unable to identify these improvements in his game in time. Hector Neris, the alleged focus of intrigue, has reportedly withdrawn from consideration, and there has already been smoke showing interest from New York. The adjustments he made out west align nicely with Matt Blake’s coaching philosophy, which serves as a sounding board for him to keep refining and maintaining the success of this new repertoire.
Given his age and limited track record, Brasier shouldn’t be too expensive on the open market, but he’s a great addition to the bullpen’s middle.
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