A look at the prospects the Yankees have dealt away over the past few years.
The Jameson Taillon deal:
RHP Roansy Contreras – Contreras has settled into the Pirates’ rotation. In nine starts this season, he boasts a 4.50 ERA (4.63 FIP) over 50 innings with a 16.4% K, 10.8% BB, and 35.1% GB. Suffice it to say, it isn’t easy for a pitcher to survive with both a low K% and GB%. It will be hard for Contreras to ascend to the upper part of a rotation without improvement in those areas.
RHP Miguel Yajure – In two years with the Pirates, Yajure tossed 39.1 innings of 8.69 ERA ball. Claimed by the San Francisco Giants off of waivers this winter, Yajure recently started a rehab assignment.
OF Canaan Smith-Njigba – Smith was optioned back to Triple-A in late April after a 4-for-32 start. In 14 games for Triple-A Indianapolis, he is hitting .220/.339/.440.
IF Maikol Escotto – About to turn 21, Escotto is in High-A Greensboro, where he is hitting .229/.273/.339 in 128 plate appearances. He has split time between second base and shortstop. The Pirates targeted him as a teenage lottery ticket coming off of a .315/.429/.553 season in 2019.
Overall, the Pirates made out OK with this deal but nobody has emerged to make it a slam dunk winning package.
The Joey Gallo deal:
RHP Glenn Otto – Otto has yet to make his 2023 debut as he is coming back from a sprained shoulder capsule and lat injuries. Last season, he pitched to a 4.64 ERA over 135.2 innings with an 18.2% K and 10.6% BB.
UTIL Ezequiel Duran – Duran’s rookie season was more “get your feet wet” than it was productive, as he hit .236/.277/.365 in 208 plate appearances. That experience seems to have helped him in 2023, as he is off to an impressive .308/.348/.526 start over 141 plate appearances. One of the fears early in his journey was that he had a hard time recognizing breaking pitches. That doesn’t seem to be much of a problem anymore, as his 22.7% K rate is around league average. You aren’t looking at a kid who is ever going to draw many walks, so keeping the average up with solid power will be how he makes the big bucks down the road.
UTIL Josh H. Smith – So far, Smith is all about drawing walks, as evidenced by his 11.3% BB rate in 345 career plate appearances. He plays several different positions, so he will have value even with a below-average bat (we are not yet at the point to say his bat is below average, as his OPS+ is an encouraging 116 this season).
1B/OF Trevor Hauver – Hauver is now in Double-A, where he is hitting .231/.359/.337 in 128 plate appearances. He is Rule 5 eligible this coming winter, so the clock is ticking for him to start making an impression.
Overall, the Rangers have to be ecstatic with this return – especially if Duran continues to rake.
The Anthony Rizzo deal:
RHP Alexander Vizcaino – He is currently a free agent. Last year, he essentially failed to report to the Cubs and didn’t pitch at all. Once considered an intriguing prospect to follow, it appears his career may just be over after making only six appearances with the Cubs’ organization after the deal.
OF Kevin Alcantara – Alcantara started appearing on Top 100 lists this season, but he isn’t yet backing it up with good play. Thus far, the 20-year-old is hitting only .225/.262/.362 (75 wRC+) in 149 plate appearances for the Cubs’ High-A affiliate in South Bend. His BB% has crashed while his power has disappeared, but the fact remains that he is only 20 and trying this level for the first time. We’ll have to revisit him later this season.
The Andrew Heaney deal:
RHP Janson Junk – Junk is now in Milwaukee, where he pitches for their Triple-A club in Nashville. He made one start for the Brewers earlier this year (4.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 HR, 2 BB, 2 K).
RHP Elvis Peguero – Peguero has also made his move to Milwaukee (funny how Junk and Peguero have been packaged together twice in trades). In 12.2 innings for the big club, he boasts a 1.42 ERA (3.15 FIP) with a 50% GB rate. He will have to induce those ground balls, because he doesn’t do enough in the strikeout department.
The Angels didn’t expect much for the struggling Heaney. Their received two nearly-ready MLB arms who haven’t done much with their MLB chances to date (though Peguero is taking advantage of his opportunity thus far this year)
The Clay Holmes deal:
UTIL Hoy Park – One thing that Park can boast about is that he is one of only a few bonus babies from that famed Yankees class several years ago to make it to the big leagues. This season, he was traded to the Braves, where he is hitting .267/.405/.389 in 30 games for their Triple-A affiliate. Hitting in the minors has never been much of an issue. The issue is the .201/.291/.346 MLB triple slash over 68 games.
UTIL Diego Castillo – Castillo made his MLB debut in 2022, where he hit .206/.251/.382 in 283 plate appearances for the Pirates. He did reach double digits in home runs (11). He is now a member of the Diamondbacks organization, where he is hitting .341/.429/.428 in 38 games for their Triple-A affiliate in hitter-friendly Reno.
The Pirates weren’t getting much out of Holmes, so they converted him into a couple of utility types. They have since traded both of them.
The Jose Trevino deal:
LHP Robby Ahlstrom – Already 24, Ahlstrom is pitching for the Rangers’ High-A affiliate. In 9 games (12.1 innings), he owns an 8.76 ERA with a 16/13 K/BB ratio. If his name doesn’t sound familiar at all, it is because Ahlstrom was traded away before he made one appearance for the Yankees’ organization.
The Andrew Benintendi deal:
RHP Beck Way – Now 23, Way has ascended to Double-A. That’s the good news. The bad news? He currently owns a 12.18 ERA in 17 innings. He threw well for their High-A affiliate in 2022 (just as he did for the Yankees’ in High-A), but can’t yet get his footing at perhaps the most important of all levels. He was ranked 12th on the Royals’ preseason prospect list (MLBPipeline).
RHP Chandler Champlain – Champlain is pitching well in his second taste of High-A ball, pitching to a 2.56 ERA over 38.2 IP with a 40/10 K/BB ratio. This is after posting a 9.84 ERA at the same level after the trade. Champlain, who came in at #26 on the Royals’ list, has enough tools in the shed to reach his potential as a back-end starter or multi-innings reliever.
LHP T.J. Sikkema – While Way had his share of buzz and Champlain was always seen as a “safe” prospect, it was Sikkema who had the most prospect credibility at the time of the trade. He is currently ranked below Way (23rd in the organization) and his time at Double-A has been a mixed bag in 2023 (4.94 ERA in 23.2 IP with a 30/15 K/BB). If he can iron things out around the edges and stay off the IL, I see the potential in him as a multi-innings reliever over a starter.
The Royals traded a rental OF for three arms with legitimate MLB potential, even if none of them seem to have an extraordinarily high ceiling. I think they are more than happy netting three of their Top 30 prospects, though that is graded on a curve. The Royals have one of the least respected farm systems in the game.
The Scott Effross deal:
RHP Hayden Wesneski – Wesneski made the Cubs’ rotation right out of spring training but struggled. He owns a 5.03 ERA (6.19 FIP) with an astronomical 2.29 HR/9 rate. Couple that with a 19.1% K rate, and you can see why the Cubs sent him back to the minors to get himself straightened out. He tossed five hitless innings in his first (thus far, only) Triple-A start, though he did walk four.
Instead of quantity, the Cubs are trying to hit a home run with one kid. Wesneski has legitimate middle-of-the-rotation upside but showed that he wasn’t yet ready for the spotlight.
The Frankie Montas deal:
LHP Ken Waldichuk – Waldichuk is having a tough time getting going in 2023. Thus far, he has posted a 6.85 ERA (6.27 FIP) over 46 innings with a 17.7% K and 12.7% BB, That depressed K% is glaring – and nearly 5% off from last year, when Oakland gave him seven MLB starts. Is his future that of a two-pitch reliever? Oakland has the benefit of plenty of time to figure that out.
RHP Luis Medina – One of the biggest arms in the entire system during his time with the Yankees, Medina simply was never able to harness it. The Athletics, desperate to lose as many games as possible, have him starting MLB games. In three starts, he owns a 6.88 ERA over 17 innings with a 20.6% K and 6.9% BB (if he can keep the BB% at that level long-term, there is certainly something to tap into here). I will note that he has back-to-back quality starts (6 IP, 3 R) after a rough debut. It is hard to believe he will keep the BB% at 6.9, but player development is always filled with twists and turns.
LHP JP Sears – The Yankees likely sold a bit high on Sears with this deal, but he is doing an OK enough job for Oakland. Thus far, he is pitching to a 4.99 ERA (5.00 FIP) over 48.2 IP with solid K (25.1%) and BB (4.9%) rates. The big issue is the long ball (11 HR/2.0 HR/9). Sears recently put together a strong effort against the Astros (6 IP, 2 R, 7 K).
IF Cooper Bowman – The 23-year-old is going through his first season at Double-A, where he is hitting .214/.338/.376 (95 wRC+) with a perfect 18-for-18 SB rate (he was a perfect 12-for-12 after being acquired, as well). His K% has dipped while his BB% is remaining strong. He is a legitimate MLB prospect, though perhaps not a long-term starter.
If you are Oakland, how can you be disappointed? All three pitchers are in their rotation and the infielder is making strides. You just have to remember that Waldichuk/Sears/Medina wouldn’t be 3/5 of probably every other rotation in baseball.