The New York Yankees had a very busy trade deadline day. And that doesn’t even count the three trades they made earlier in the week. They added some depth to the roster and a lot of talent to their bullpen. Let’s take a look at everything Brian Cashman accomplished today and where the Bornx Bombers stand now that the deadline has passed.
Where to begin? I’ll get this one out of the way. The Yankees traded infielder Oswaldo Peraza to the Angels for minor league outfielder Wilberson De Peña and international bonus pool money. Wilberson De Peña is an 18-year-old right-handed hitter who plays all three outfield positions. Which is good because he can’t hit. At least not yet in his young professional career. In two seasons of pro-ball he has hit .218 with 4 home runs and 18 RBIs in 57 games. He is so young, who knows what, if anything, will become of him. As far as Peraza goes, I hope playing out in Anaheim, where there is zero pressure, will allow the kid to find his swing. He is such a good defender, it would be sad to see him never make it as a major leaguer because he can’t even be an average hitter. He clearly was never going to make it in the Bronx. Hopefully the change of scenery, and maybe a new hitting approach, will do him well.
The first big trade the Yanks made was for Pirates closer David Bednar. To acquire the two-time All-Star the Yankees sent minor league catchers Rafael Flores and Edgleen Pérez, and minor league outfielder Brian Sánchez to Pittsburgh. Flores was the Yankees 8th ranked prospect and someone they would not have given up if they did not really believe in Bednar. Flores was having an excellent season in AA before he was recently called up to AAA. However, as a catcher Flores is kind of blocked from making the Majors with the Yankees who have Ben Rice and Austin Wells behind the plate. Not to mention J.C. Escarra in AAA for depth. This is the kind of player you move in a deal like this. Give up a talented player at a position you have a surplus of for something you need. Edgleen Pérezis a 19-year-old in A- Tampa. He has not hit at all this season and is probably too young and inexperienced to project. Much like De Pena, who knows if we will ever hear from him again. As for Sanchez, he is a 21-year-old outfielder who is currently on the IL. He is a .283 hitter with little power and at 21 and still in A+ kind of tells you there is much there to worry about losing.
As for Bednar, the Yankees got one of the most sort after relievers on the trade market. Bednar has been very good for all but one of his seasons. I don’t know why but he sucked last year. What ever it was he is apparently over it as he has been good again this season. He has a 2.37 ERA with 51 strike outs in 38 innings. He has only walked 10 men so far this season. His fastball averages 97.1 mph and he throws a curveball and a splitter. His 33.1 k rate is top 5% in the league. You can never have enough hard throwing strike out pitchers in your pen. He should really be a reliable arm out of the pen, which is something the Yankees really need right now. He also has another year of arbitration before he hits free agency so it’s not a rental, which is big when giving up your 8th ranked prospect. If Bednar pitches as he has in Pittsburgh, this will be a very good trade.
The Yankees then traded minor league second baseman Roc Riggio and left-hander Ben Shields to Colorado for Jake Bird. This one I am not too sure about. Not because of what they gave up but because of what they got back. First off, Roc Riggio is a 23-year-old AA shortstop. He has a lot of pop for a shortstop (18 home runs in 62 games) but really can’t hit left-handed pitching. With Volpe in the Majors (who I believe will get back to his gold glove form) and Lombard coming up through the minors, there was no real spot for him in the Bronx anyways. I forgot Ben Shields was still in the Yankees organization. He was a top prospect a few years ago but has never reached that potential. He’s having a solid season (3.03 ERA, 42Ks in 35.2 innings) but he most likely will not be missed. Thus, I am very Ok with what they gave up even if Bird doesn’t work out for them.
The issue I have is that Bird isn’t good. He has a 4.73 ERA and opponents are hitting .271 against him. Not good. Now I know what you are thinking, “he was pitching in Colorado, he will be better in New York”. Well, his numbers are actually a lot better at home than on the road this season. On the road he has an awful 7.40 ERA and teams are hitting .330 off of him. That’s horrendous. This has to be one of those instances where the Yankees see something in his game that the other team doesn’t. Like what happened with Clay Holmes. Maybe if they recalibrate his pitching arsenal, they can turn him into a quality bullpen arm. From what I can tell his breaking balls are good but all three of his fastballs (4 seamer, cutter, and sinker) are terrible. I don’t know how you fix that. Well, he hasn’t even hit arbitration yet so they have 3 more years to figure it out.
Camilo Doval was the third reliever the Yankees acquired today. To do so they sent minor leaguers C Jesús Rodríguez, RHP Trystan Vrieling, INF Parks Harber and LHP Carlos de la Rosa to San Francisco. Jesus Rodriguez is the second player to come off of my prospects watch. Here’s my last comments on him…
Jesus Rodriguez—Catcher/3rd Base—AAA Scranton—Jesus has gone into a slump. While he is on a 10-game hitting streak, it’s been a vitamin streak. He has hit only .232 in his last 18 games. He has hit 2 home runs and has 10 RBI in those games. The home runs tripled his total for the season and the 10 RBIs is a third of his total for the year. I have a feeling someone told him he needs to hit for more power or he decided he has to and it is costing him big time in the average department. His walk to K ratio is still very high so at least he is still being patient at the plate. Personally, I rather have him hit over .300 than swing for the fences every time up. On the season he is at .294 with 3 Homers, 35 RBIs, 14 doubles, 2 triples, and 14 stolen bases.
He hits for a good average but not much pop. And as I have mentioned, the Yankees are all set at the catcher position. Parks Harbor is a 23-year-old corner infielder whose name sounds like a casino. He’s been on the IL since June 13th. Before that he was having a rather good season hitting .319 with a .914 OPS and 40 RBIs in 54 games. Before the injury, this is a kid I was starting to wonder about being a solution at 3rd base. I don’t know what the injury is but hopefully he will be able to continue his break out season. He may be missed but as they say, you have to give to get.
Trystan Vrieling was the Yankees 21 ranked prospect though you wouldn’t know it by his numbers. The 24-year-old was pitching in AA to a 4.36 ERA with 54 Ks in 53.1 innings. Doesn’t seem to be someone who will be missed. And Carlos De La Rosa is a 17-year-old pitching in the Dominican Summer Lague. Who knows if he will ever become anything.
That’s what the Bombers gave up to get Camilo Doval. What did they get in Doval? They got a 28-year-old righty with a 3.09 ERA and 50 Ks in 46.2 innings. He throws a 98 mph Cutter and a 89 MPH slider. The Slider is very effective and the Cutter is good. He sometimes mixes in a sinker that isn’t on par with his other two pitches. He has a bit of a base on balls problem but that will fit right in with the Yankees. If he can keep from walking guys, he should be very effective for them.
Bullpen arms were not the only thing the Yankees obtained today. The best trade in the Majors took place when Tamps Bay’s Jose Caballero was traded to the Yankees while in the middle of a game against, you guessed it, the Yankees. Nice short walk across the diamond to join his new team. The Yankees sent minor league outfielder Everson Pereira to Tampa. Pereira is one of those prospects like Peraza and Vivas who died on the vine. Hopefully he will get a chance in Tampa and be able to live up to the potential he had a couple of years ago.
Caballero is going to be a sneaky good pick up for the Yankees. He can play every position except first base and catcher. The Yankees needed a back up middle infielder with the departure of Peraza and Vivas and he can be that. He can also be a safety net if Volpe completely melts down defensively. They also need someone who can pinch run for Stanton when the need arises. Caballero leads the league with 36 stolen bases. The Yankees will be able to use that speed in many different ways. He is also under team control for the next 4 years so he can be the Yankees super utility guy of the future if they want. Neither Rosario or Slater are under contract for next season.
So, there you have it. Counting the earlier trades, the Yankees have acquired 7 new players and a minor leaguer. They gave up 18 prospects but none of their top seven guys. The bullpen and bench have been completely rebuilt and they solved their 3rd base problem. That’s one hell of a week. Will they all work out for the Yankees? That’s to be seen but You can’t say Cashman did not try. The Yankees now have 4 guys who can close if needed in Williams, Weaver, Doval and Bednar. Hopefully these additions will take the load off of Tim Hill, their only lefty, and he can be more effective. The depth on their bench should allow them to match up with opposing pitchers and utilize guys defensive and base running abilities. Now they just have to get, and stay healthy and pray Boone (or whoever makes in game decisions for them) doesn’t screw it up.
One more thing, the fact that none of these guys were rentals I think is huge. They will not only help them this year but also going forward. Neither Weaver or Williams is singed after this season. These trades could make the possible loss of them less hurtful. And while I love Weaver and want him to stay, you don’t want to get into a bidding war for a set up man. These moves will give the Yankees options moving forward.
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