Javier Lopez has been linked to several contending teams looking for left-handed bullpen help and the latest is the Yankees, with Andy McCullough of the Newark Star Ledger reporting that the two sides have “mutual interest.”
Lopez would replace fellow free agent Boone Logan as the Yankees’ left-handed specialist. In four seasons with the Giants he posted a 2.26 ERA in 147 innings, including a 1.83 ERA this year at age 35. Lopez has held left-handed hitters to a sub-.200 batting average five times in the past six seasons, so he’s basically the ideal southpaw specialist.
Now the question is whether any teams want to offer, say, a three-year contract to a 36-year-old reliever.