Utilityman Tyler Wade spent his first five MLB seasons with the New York Yankees before he was traded to the Los Angeles Angels back in November of 2021.
While Wade’s career in the Bronx was nothing to write home about, it appears that New York just can’t quit him. Mere days after being designated for assignment, the Yankees have acquired the veteran from Los Angeles. According to Joel Sherman of the NY Post, Wade will report to Triple-A.
Prior to being designated by the Angels, Wade was hitting a mere .218 with one homer, eight RBI and a .544 OPS in 67 games on the season. With that said, he’s considered a good defensive player and could provide versatility at myriad positions in New York.
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New York Yankees acquire Tyler Wade, impact on Aaron Judge
This is the obvious backdrop here. Judge and Wade were members of the same Yankees 2013 draft class with the former being a first-round pick and the latter going in the fourth round. The two are considered good friends.
It was back in May that the two actually had dinner when Wade’s now-former Angels team visited the Yankees. He admitted to recruiting Judge, a pending free agent, to Southern California.
“You never know, I might have planted a couple seeds. But you never know. He’s having a great year, I’m happy for him.”
Tyler Wade on Aaron Judge recruitment
Even with New York boasting the best record in MLB and Judge being in the midst of an MVP-caliber season, his contract situation has been the primary talking point in the Big Apple. Judge, 30, will hit free agency after the 2022 campaign and there’s no guarantee he’s going to return to the Yankees.
Acquiring Wade likely doesn’t change the dynamics too much here. But anything to make the stud outfielder happy can’t be seen as a bad thing. As for Wade, he has experience in the Pinstripes.
- Tyler Wade stats (2017-21): .212 average, 6 HR, 33 RBI, .605 OPS
Having more depth at multiple positions can’t be seen as a bad thing for a Yankees team that’s vying for its first World Series title since back in 2009.