The MLB trade deadline has passed. Just days before Tuesday's 6pm deadline, the New York Yankees hadn't made any moves, and the question was were they going to make any moves before the deadline? Eventually they made some moves in the hope that they will improve the team and get them to the World Series and hopefully a championship.
Let's grade the moves that the Yankees made and see just how well they did.
Jazz Chisholm: Acquiring Jazz Chisholm from the Miami Marlins was the highlight of the Yankees deadline day trades. He is very versatile as he can play anywhere in the outfield and in the infield. Already he has provided a spark to the Yankees offense and has played third base. In his first game at third base Chisholm looked fine as he made a diving stop during that game.
The Yankees needed to fix their struggling infield and Chisholm does that immediately. Gleyber Torres is a free agent at the end of the year, and we don't know if he'll stay or test the market. If Torres does leave in free agency, then Chisholm would be a viable replacement. While he'll need more time at third base, Chisholm could fill in at third if Oswaldo Cabrera, who should replace at DJ LeMahieu at third, gets injured or struggles. I give this move a B because because Chisholm helps the infield and he's 26 years old and won't be a free agent until 2027, meaning he'll be able to help the Yankees beyond this year and make them better and stronger.
Mark Leiter Jr.: Besides needing help in the infield, the Yankees needed some pitching help. After failing to get Detroit Tigers starter Jack Flaherty, who was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, they were able to get reliever Mark Leiter Jr. from the Chicago Cubs. Leiter is the third member of his family to pitch for the Yankees, joining his father Mark Sr.(1990) and Uncle Al (1987-89, 2005). He is 2-4 with a 4.21 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 39 appearances with the Cubs. Leiter's strikeout rate of 34.9 percent puts him fifth amongst National League relievers and 12th amongst MLB relievers.
Leiter gives the Yankees bullpen some help and gives them some depth. He will also take pressure off of Clay Holmes who is struggling, as he has a 6.08 ERA and has allowed runs in six of last 13 outings. The Yankees bullpen started the season strong but has struggled recently as they rank 22nd in ERA since June 1. I give this move an A because Leiter is a great addition, and the bullpen gets some much-needed help.
Enyel De Los Santos: Leiter wasn't the only reliever the Yankees got as they sent outfielder Brandon Lockridge to the San Diego Padres for reliever Enyel De Los Santos. Santos is 1-2 with a 4.46 ERA with 48 strikeouts and has walked 13 batters in addition to allowing 11 home runs. While Santos can strikeout batters, he isn't having that great of a season. His 10.7 strikeout-per-nine ratio is tied for 22nd best amongst all relievers who have pitched more than 40 innings this season. I don't see what adding Santos does for the Yankees, given that Santos is struggling across the board. Santos won't have a positive impact on the bullpen since he isn't performing and could cost the Yankees some wins. The Yankees need to have closers that can get the job done and right now that's not Santos. I give this trade a D because this is a trade that the Yankees shouldn't have made.
Kelly Austin: In the only trade that the Yankees made, New York sent pitcher Caleb Ferguson to the Houston Astros for pitching prospect Kelly Austin and international pool money. Ferguson was acquired by the Yankees last winter but is having the worst year of his career this year. In 42 games he has a 5.13 ERA and has allowed 4.3 walks and 1.4 homeruns per nine innings.
Austin has shown some promise in the minor leagues. In 26 appearances this year he has three saves and a 2.21 ERA. Austin should be a decent addition to the Yankees. He will give the Yankees depth and if he gets called up to the majors, then he could be a big help to the Yankees. I give this trade a C because there were better pitchers than Austin that the Yankees could have gotten.
Overall Grade: Even though the Yankees didn't make a lot of moves, they did address their biggest needs. The additions of Chisholm and Leiter were good and they will improve the team greatly. However I would have liked to see them add another infielder because Chisholm might not be enough to fix their infield problems. Overall I give the Yankees trades a grade of B because this team is better now than they were before and the moves that they made should help them make a deep playoff run if they can perform like they did in the first part of the season.
Comments