Nationals Claim Thornton Off Waivers

When the Yankees signed left-handed reliever Matt Thornton to a 2-year/$7 million deal in January, not many people expected he'd struggle the way he has.

The 37-year-old veteran, who was great during his time with the White Sox, has usually had a high ERA this season, although his recent turnaround has lowered that stat to a respectable 2.55.

Nonetheless, Thornton has been overall bad this year, something that now appears to have cost him his job, with CBS Sports' Jon Heyman reporting today that the Nationals have acquired #48 off waivers. 

Unsurprisingly, the Yanks won't get anything in return for Thornton, who struck out 20 in 24 2/3 innings during his four months with the team.

Still, they will get to send the remainer of his contract elsewhere, a happening that could help them re-sign David Robertson come free agency. 

Also, as River Avenue Blues' Michael Axisa points out, it improves the odds of New York calling up recent draft pick Jacob Lindgren in September (1-0, 0.68 ERA, 13 1/3 IP, 30 strikeouts this summer in the GCL and at Low-A and High-A), likely making this trade a good one for the currently 58-53 club.