After trading for Isaac Paredes a few days ago, Jed Hoyer is staying busy with another trade on deadline day. A little after noon central time, the Cubs sent top-reliever Mark Leiter Jr. to the Yankees for INF Ben Cowles and RHP Jack Neely. The Cubs are still sticking to their plan of making moves that will help the team this season and in years to come. Even though the Cubs aren't labeled as actual "sellers," this trade does carry that label.
Farwell Mark
Mark Leiter has arguably been the most consistent arm in the Cubs bullpen for the last few years. Leiter became a Cub in 2022 and wasted no time becoming a dominant pitcher. The Cubs started him out in the rotation and quickly moved him into the bullpen, where he found more success. 2023 saw Leiter succeed out of the bullpen, where he posted a 3.50 ERA in 69 games. Into this season, Leiter started right where he left off in 2023, as he didn't give up an earned run until his 12th appearance. Leiter did run into a struggle before hitting the IL on June 20th. Coming back off the IL, Leiter got back to the pitcher he was as he has yet to give up an earned since coming off the IL. In his last seven games, Leiter has a 0.00 ERA, 14 strikeouts, and has yet to give up a walk or a hit. The Yankees are getting an elite reliever who is dominant against left-handed batters with his wipeout forkball. Best of luck to Leiter with the Yankees, and thank you for a few good years of dominance out of the 'pen.
The Return
As mentioned, the Cubs are getting two Yankee prospects, Ben Cowles and Jack Neely. Cowles was drafted in 2021 in the 10th round. The 24-year-old right-handed batter has a slash line of .294/.376/.848, nine home runs, 51 RBIs, and 14 stolen bases. Cowles has experience all over the infield but has mostly appeared at SS for the Yankees AA organization, where he has a .960 FD percentage. Cowles is the Yankees' 29th-ranked prospect.
Jack Neely, a 6'8'' 245-pound reliever, was also drafted in the 2021 draft in the 11th round. He is currently in AAA, where he has posted a 3.38 ERA, 12 strikeouts, and a 1.31 WHIP in 10.2 innings. Neely has also pitched in AA, appearing in 22 games and holding a 2.61 ERA. The right-handed pitcher has a wicked slider and a nice fastball to complement that. Neely is the Yankees' 22nd-ranked prospect labeled "MLB Ready."
It's hard to tell who won or lost this trade when trading for prospects, but when you can get two top-30-ranked prospects for just one reliever, that is something to be proud of. With the deadline just hours out, the Cubs could more than likely have more trades to come. Be sure to check out TDT for other trade deadline moves!
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