Yankees Sign Former Giants, Reds Starting Pitcher in Exciting Free Agent Move

The New York Yankees added some much-needed starting pitching depth this week.

According to the team's transaction log, the Yankees signed veteran right-handed pitcher Anthony DeSclafani to a minor league deal and assigned him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

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DeSclafani, 35, last pitched at the major league level in 2023 with the San Francisco Giants. In 19 appearances and 18 starts, he went 4-8 with a 4.88 ERA, punching out 79 batters across 99.2 innings pitched.

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DeSclafani joined the Giants in 2021 and had the best year of his career that season. The right-hander made 31 starts, going 9-9 with a 3.17 ERA. He had 152 strikeouts across 167.2 innings pitched.

DeSclafani was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the sixth round of the 2011 MLB Draft. He was then traded to the Miami Marlins in a massive 12-player deal in November 2012.

DeSclafani debuted with Miami in 2014 and was then traded again that December to the Cincinnati Reds.

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The New Jersey native spent the majority of his career with the Reds, being with the club from 2015 to 2020. Across 112 appearances (110 starts) with Cincinnati, the 6-foot-2 righty had a 4.19 ERA across 623.1 innings pitched.

DeSclafani has a career 4.20 ERA. He'll hope to work his way back to a major league mound after sitting out 2024 due to elbow surgery. He spent last year with the Minnesota Twins after being traded from San Francisco.

Yankees Starting Pitchers

The Yankees could use the starting pitching depth.

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Gerrit Cole is out for the year after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Luis Gil remains nowhere near a return, while Marcus Stroman is out with a knee injury.

Max Fried and Carlos Rodon have carried the rotation, but seven different pitchers have started a game for the Yankees this season, and many have struggled.

Will Warren has a 4.61 ERA across nine starts; Carlos Carrasco was designated for assignment after sporting a 5.91 ERA over six starts and eight appearances; and Clarke Schmidt has a 4.73 ERA over five starts.

While DeSclafani will start in Triple-A, he'll hope to earn an MLB call up and provide some innings to the 25-18 first-place Yankees.

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