Big Day For The New York Yankees as Two Trades Are Made Before the Trade Deadline

Just a few weeks ago the New York Yankees acquired All-Star outfielder Andrew Benintendi from the Royals in exchange for three prospects (T.J. Sikkema, Chandler Champlain, and Beck Way). They didn’t stop making moves there, though, as today the phones in the Bronx were working overtime as the Yankees locked in two trades for some much-needed pitching support.

Yankees and Cubs Trade

Things started off with a nice bullpen trade for Chicago Cubs reliever Scott Effross. It’s not the Cub reliever I thought they would make a move for (David Robertson) but it IS a Cubs reliever that I am now glad is in pinstripes. The 28-year-old rookie has a 2.66 ERA across 44 innings pitched and has a strikeout-to-walk ratio of more than 4-t0-1. He also carries a 2.19 FIP, which is tenth best in the MLB amongst pitchers with more than 40 innings pitched.

In order to secure the trade, the Yankees had to part ways with minor league right-hander Hayden Wesneski, who was their #7 ranked overall prospect. The Cubs’ assistant pitching coach Daniel Moskos was Wesneski’s Double-A pitching coach, so the organization has some ties with the young righty. This season in Triple-A Wesneski has posted a 3.51 ERA.

Yankees and Athletics Trade

Effross wasn’t enough, so the Yankees looked out west to the Athletics for their next two trade targets. The Yankees acquired right-handed starter Frankie Montas and closer Loui Trivino in a deal that saw the Yankees give up Ken Waldichuk, JP Sears, Luis Medina, and Cooper Bowman. Waldichuk, 24, was the Yankees fifth-best prospect, and Medina was a top-10.

Montas has been struggling a bit with his record this season, coming into the Bronx with a 4-9 record. However, that doesn’t tell the whole story, as he is also carrying a 3.18 ERA and 109 strikeouts. The Yankees also acquired closer Lou Trivino, who is having a season to forget. Trivino has 10 saves but is also 1-6 with a 6.47 ERA. The Yankees will hope that Trivino can return to his 2021 form, where he snatched 22 saves with a 3.18 ERA.

Other MLB Trades From Around The Leauge

The Yankees weren’t the only team to make some moves today, so here is a little recap of what we’ve seen during the MLB’s trade season so far:

• The Padres acquired closer Josh Hader from the Brewers in exchange for LHP Taylor Rogers, RHP Dinelson Lamet, LHP Robert Gasser, and IF/OF Esteury Ruiz.

• The Houston Astros acquired 1B/OF Trey Mancini from the Orioles in a three-team deal that also included the Tampa Bay Rays. Houston received RHP Jayden Murray from the Rays as a part of the deal. The Astros also acquired catcher Christian Vazquez from the Red Sox.
• The Orioles acquired RHP Chayce McDermott from the Astros and the Rays acquired Jose Siri from Houston as a part of the Mancini deal.