Yankees Agree to Minor-League Deal with Nick Tropeano

This offseason has been the winter of homecomings for the Bronx Bombers.

Nick Tropeano, a veteran right-hander from Long Island, came to terms with the Yankees on Wednesday, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network. The contract includes an invite to Spring Training next month.

Tropeano is not the first ballplayer to become a part of the Yankees organization this offseason with prior ties to the team, or a geographic connection to New York.

Remember when the Bombers signed outfielder Zack Granite back in November? Granite is originally from Staten Island, playing college ball at Seton Hall University in New Jersey. Granite isn't the only one.

Gerrit Cole, who grew up a Yankees fan and recalled his father's childhood in the New York area, signed the largest contract ever for a starting pitcher this winter. In what feels like a perfect match, he'll be in pinstripes for the next nine years.

Plus, longtime members of the organization returned for unfinished business.

Brett Gardner, the longest-tenured Yankee, re-signed with the club on a one-year deal in December, while Aroldis Chapman opted in on his contract to remain in the Bronx through 2022.

Similar to Granite, Tropeano's signing won't make the front page. His connection to this town, however, makes this far more significant than just a minor-league deal to add starting pitching depth.

Tropeano, 29, started out his baseball career at West Islip High School before attending Stony Brook University -- less than an hour up the road from where he grew up in Long Island. He was drafted by the Astros in the fifth round of the 2011 MLB Draft, debuting with Houston in September of 2014.

In his five-year career, the right-hander has a respectable 4.51 ERA over 42 games pitched (including 39 games started). In 217.1 innings pitcher, Tropeano has punched out 193 batters with a career WHIP of 1.390.

After being traded to the Los Angeles Angels in 2014, he had his best season in 2016. The 6-foot-4 hurler had a 3.56 ERA over 13 starts.

At the end of 2016, however, Tropeano underwent Tommy John surgery, sidelined for all of 2017. He had a strong return in 2018, setting a single-season career-high in starts (14) and innings pitched (76), but spent the majority of this past season in Triple-A (where he was barely able to keep his ERA below 6.00 over 17 games).

Tropeano is a long shot to make the Yankees' big-league roster, but an invite to Spring Training gives the right-hander an opportunity to prove his worth to the organization. Odds are he'll start the season with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, but should he remain within New York's system this season, he's got potential to be called up for a spot start or for long relief help to keep arms fresh.

With Domingo Germán out for the first 63 games of the season -- due to a violation of the league's domestic violence policy -- the fifth spot in New York's rotation will likely feature a mix of southpaws J.A. Happ and Jordan Montgomery.

In five years at the big-league level, Tropeano has yet to toe the rubber at Yankee Stadium. It's safe to say a call up to the Bronx at some point in 2020, regardless of his role, would be a momentous occasion for the Long Island native and his family.

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