NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -The New York Yankees found a fresh arm for their bullpen Tuesday, reaching a preliminary agreement to trade Tyler Clippard to the Washington Nationals for right-hander Jonathan Albaladejo in a quiet swap of young pitchers.
The deal was subject to physicals, according to a person familiar with the talks who spoke on condition of anonymity because the trade had not yet been completed.
The 25-year-old Albaladejo was 1-1 with a 1.88 ERA in 14 relief appearances for Washington this season. The rookie struck out 12 and walked two in 14 1-3 innings. He also went 3-0 with a 1.13 ERA in 15 games at Triple-A Columbus.
Clippard made an impressive major league debut in May before a Sunday night national television audience. The 22-year-old beat the New York Mets 6-2 at Shea Stadium to help the Yankees avoid a Subway Series sweep. The lanky right-hander allowed three hits over six innings.
He was sent back down to the minors in June and finished 3-1 with a 6.33 ERA in six starts for the Yankees this year. He gave up six homers and 17 walks in 27 innings.
Clippard became expendable when several other young pitchers emerged for New York, including Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy.
New York also got Andy Pettitte back on Monday when his agent revealed the left-hander’s decision to pitch for the Yankees in 2008 rather than retire.
“Personally, it means a lot because I know what Andy is all about,” new Yankees manager Joe Girardi said Tuesday at the winter meetings. “I had a chance to play with Andy and it was a wonderful experience.
“He’s important to our club,” the manager added. “Andy is a true professional and I just can’t tell you how happy I am to have him back.”
—
AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum contributed to this report.
Home Yankees set to trade RHP Tyler Clippard to Nationals for reliever Jonathan Albaladejo