LAS VEGAS -- In previous trade talks with the Yankees, right-hander Nick Green's name came up. But nothing ever came of it until Thursday, when the D-backs selected the 23-year-old in the Major League portion of the Rule 5 Draft.
The D-backs must pay $100,000 to the Yankees as compensation for selecting Green, and Arizona has to keep him on its 25-man roster throughout the 2019 season. If the D-backs elect not to keep him on the roster, they must offer him back to the Yankees for $50,000. They can also work out a trade with the Yankees for Green which would allow Arizona to option him to the Minor Leagues.
Green spent most of last season with the Yankee's Class A Advanced team in Tampa, compiling a 3.28 ERA and 7.3 strikeouts per nine innings in 20 starts. He did make three starts for Double-A Trenton, where he went 1-2 with a 3.63 ERA and 4.7 strikeouts per nine.
"He's got a good cutter, good curveball, he's up to 93-94 [mph]," D-backs GM Mike Hazen said. "We've liked him in trade discussions in the past. It's a little bit of a flier, given that he only has three starts in Double-A, but he's going to be 24 years old [in March] and we like a lot of things that he can do."
While Green was almost strictly a starter in the Minor Leagues, if he sticks with the D-backs in the 2019 season, it will almost certainly be in a bullpen role.