New York claimed veteran right-hander John Schreiber off waivers from the Kansas City Royals Monday, adding another arm to a bullpen that needs all the help it can get heading into September.
Schreiber, 32, leaves Kansas City with a 1-3 record, 3.65 ERA and one save in 55 appearances this season. Over 49.1 innings, he's allowed 41 hits, walked 22 and struck out 36, posting a 1.28 WHIP.
Those strikeout and walk numbers don't exactly scream Mariano Rivera. But dig a little deeper and there's something here.
Since April 19, Schreiber owns a 3.14 ERA over 43 innings, and he's been absolutely nasty against right-handed hitters, holding them to a ridiculous .143/.184/.231 slash line this season.
That's where I see the value.
This isn't your eighth-inning savior. This isn't David Bednar insurance. And nobody should be fitting Schreiber for a Monument Park plaque.
But he's a veteran reliever who can get right-handed hitters out, absorb innings and give Aaron Boone another legitimate matchup option instead of simply throwing somebody out there and hoping for the best.
And unlike some of Brian Cashman's famous dumpster-diving experiments, Schreiber actually has a track record. He's pitched in 327 major-league games with Detroit, Boston and Kansas City and owns a career 3.65 ERA.
Here's the concern: the strikeouts are down. Schreiber has only 36 K's in 49.1 innings, while walking 22. That's not exactly overpowering stuff, and in Yankee Stadium, putting runners on base and hoping for soft contact can turn ugly pretty quickly.
But as a September bullpen piece?
I'll take it.
The Yankees didn't acquire a star Monday. They acquired a useful veteran with one particularly valuable weapon: he gets righties out. Sometimes that's enough. And considering some of the bullpen roulette we've watched this season, I'll happily take "useful."
Welcome to the Bronx, John. Just throw strikes. We'll take it from there.
