A look at the prospects the Yankees have traded/lost over the last several years. This list is comprehensive (in my opinion) but not complete.
The Jameson Taillon deal:
RHP Roansy Contreras – The “big fish” in the deal for Pittsburgh, Contreras struggled to the point where the Pirates designated him for assignment, eventually trading him to the Angels for cash. So far in Los Angeles, he owns a 4.66 ERA in 7 games. While still only 24, he is reaching that “crossroads” point in his career.
RHP Miguel Yajure – Yajure compiled an 8.69 ERA in 39.1 innings for the Pirates before moving to the Giants’ organization. Last year, he pitched at three levels, compiling a 6.07 ERA in 65.2 innings. He elected free agency at the end of the campaign and signed with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. In 11 games (67.1 innings), he is 4-5 with a 3.07 ERA and 43/23 K/BB.
OF Canaan Smith-Njigba – Still a member of the Pirates organization, Smith-Njigba is hitting .224/.354/.347 in 51 games for Triple-A Indianapolis.
IF Maikol Escotto – The lottery ticket in the deal has thus far not matched any numbers in the Powerball drawing. He is in High-A Greensboro for the second year in a row, hitting .216/.255/.373 in 31 games.
While Taillon didn’t stand out (he had his moments), the Yankees aren’t regretting this trade.
The Joey Gallo deal:
RHP Glenn Otto – Now a member of the Padres organization, the 28-year-old Otto is on a rehab assignment in the ACL (the West Coast’s equivalent to the FCL).
UTIL Ezequiel Duran – Duran has played in 52 games for the Rangers this season, hitting .258/.297/.326 with a pair of homers. After an impressive first half in 2023 (.308/.344/.526), it appears the league adjusted and Duran hasn’t been able to change back.
UTIL Josh H. Smith – Smith was a multi-position player without any hint of offense for the 2023 championship club. Times have changed, as Smith is enjoying a .294/.384/.436 (136 OPS+) breakout in 2024. While he can still move around the field, third base has become his primary residence. A high-contact hitter who is enjoying the fruits of a .358 BABIP, one would expect Smith’s numbers to “normalize,” but he is one of the surprise 2024 stories.
UTIL Trevor Hauver – Hauver’s bat hasn’t developed. In 2024, he is hitting .209/.325/.313 in 161 plate appearances for Triple-A Round Rock in the PCL. Furthermore, he no longer plays the infield and is stationed in LF/RF. A corner outfielder with little pop and speed isn’t valuable.
The Rangers are likely happy with the Duran/Smith pieces to the trade. The Yankees could probably use Smith in 2024, but let’s be realistic: He looked like Tyler Wade without the speed in 2023.
The Anthony Rizzo deal:
RHP Alexander Vizcaino – After failing to report to the Cubs last year, Vizcaino resurfaced in the Dominican Winter League, where he pitched to a 2.70 ERA in five games. I have no idea what his plans are.
OF Kevin Alcantara – Now 21, Alcantara is steadily climbing in the Cubs’ organization. So far, he is performing adequately as he tries to clear the Double-A hurdle, hitting .261/.305/.388 with 54 strikeouts in 200 PA (27%). He had a blistering stretch at the end of May but cooled off in June. Baseball America left him off their preseason Top 100, but MLB Pipeline (65th) and Baseball Prospectus (80th) continued to show him some love.
The Andrew Heaney deal:
RHP Janson Junk – Junk has since moved on to the Brewers, where he is a shuttle guy. In five games (five innings) with the big club, he has allowed five runs on 13 hits.
RHP Elvis Peguero – Peguero has developed into a solid bullpen arm for the Brewers, compiling a 2.89 ERA (3.40 FIP) in 27 games (28 innings) this season. He relies heavily on keeping the ball on the ground (51.9% GB) and in the ballpark (0.8% HR).
The Yankees traded a pair of spare parts for Heaney, both of whom were traded as a package (again) to the Brewers. I don’t think the Yankees regret is, regardless of Heaney’s performance.
The Clay Holmes deal:
UTIL Hoy Park – Now with Oakland, Park had a strong spring training but didn’t make the squad. In Triple-A, he is hitting .286/.401/.429 in 57 games. Hitting well in Triple-A made him desirable to the Pirates in the Holmes transaction, so this is hardly a surprise.
UTIL Diego Castillo – Castillo bounced around waivers during the spring, even landing with the Yankees at one point. Eventually secured by the Orioles, he was traded to the Twins for cash. He is hitting .289/.395/.406 in 215 Triple-A plate appearances.
This trade didn’t look like much, but the Yankees struck gold.
The Jose Trevino deal:
LHP Robby Ahlstrom – Ahlstrom, who never pitched an inning for the Yankees organization, owns a 2.17 ERA in 29 innings for the Rangers’ Double-A club in Frisco.He turns 25 this week.
The Andrew Benintendi deal:
RHP Beck Way – Way is no longer starting. The 24-year-old is pitching well for Kansas City’s Double-A affiliate in Northwest Arkansas. He owns a 2.54 ERA in 23 games with a 31/15 K/BB and 47.1% GB over 28.1 innings.
RHP Chandler Champlain – The 6’5″ Champlain is now in Triple-A, where he owns a 4.73 ERA in five starts for Omaha. While he impressed with a 48/7 K/BB in 36 Double-A innings, the numbers have fallen to 18/14 in 26.2 Triple-A innings.
LHP T.J. Sikkema – While Way tries to gain traction as a reliever and Champlain finds himself a step away from MLB, Sikkema has struggled. Now with the Reds organization (chosen in the minor league phase of the Rule 5), Sikkema has a 5.95 ERA in 19.2 innings for High-A Dayton. He has spent time on the injured list due to rotator cuff soreness.
The Royals are trying to squeeze some juice out of Way/Champlain. Both still have MLB potential.
The Scott Effross deal:
RHP Hayden Wesneski – Is the 26-year-old coming into his own? He owns a 2.84 ERA in 18 games (3 starts) for the Cubs with a 34/9 K/BB over 38 innings. While that is impressive, the Cubs haven’t worked him much. Perhaps they are doing a permanent bullpen conversion and taking it slowly.
The bullpen is likely where Wesneski belongs. The Cubs must be happy with their return.
The Frankie Montas deal:
LHP Ken Waldichuk – Waldichuk is out for the season. He won’t appear in any games at any level in 2024. Here’s hoping for a full recovery.
RHP Luis Medina – Medina missed a good chunk of the early season due to injury. Since returning for Oakland, he owns a 5.87 ERA in three starts (15.1 IP) with a 10/8 K/BB. So much still needs to go right for Medina to become a productive MLB pitcher.
LHP JP Sears – Sears continues to eat innings in the Oakland rotation. He leads MLB with 15 starts, covering 82.2 innings. He owns a 4.25 ERA (4.75 FIP) in those innings with a 15.8% K/8.1% BB/37.1% GB. He is serving his purpose in Oakland, though the reduction in his K rate (21.9% in 2023) is cause for concern.
IF Cooper Bowman – Bowman is at Double-A Midland, hitting .266/.360/.429 with 25 stolen bases in 28 attempts. Dating back to last season, he has appeared in 127 Double-A games, so a promotion is due.
Oakland received four decent prospects for Montas. I don’t think they are complaining.
The Greg Allen deal:
RHP Diego Hernandez – Hernandez missed all of 2023. In 2024, he has appeared in four FCL games, allowing 3 runs on 3 hits and 10 walks. As of now, the Yankees don’t have to worry about this being the steal of the century.
The Keynan Middleton deal:
RHP Juan Carela – Carela remains in High-A, where he owns a 3.48 ERA in 10 starts (44 IP) with a 39/24 K/BB. He is only 22, but spending parts of three seasons at one level raises a red flag or two. Hopefully, he gets to Double-A in 2024.
Carela isn’t an upside pitcher, but the White Sox did fine in acquiring him for a rental reliever.
The Alex Verdugo deal:
RHP Richard Fitts – Fitts has pitched OK in Triple-A Worcester, where he owns a 4.20 ERA (4.02 FIP) in 55.2 IP with a 50/23 K/BB. When he was with the Yankees, I considered him a safe bet to make it to MLB. I remain confident in that.
RHP Nicholas Judice – The 23-year-old made his professional debut recently in the FCL. So far, his career consists of two games, so not much I can say about that.
RHP Greg Weissert – Weissert is in the Red Sox bullpen, where he has performed well. The 29-year-old owns a 2.87 ERA in 31 games (31.1 innings) with a 35/8 K/BB. If he can keep the walks in check, he has a chance to become a medium-to-high-leverage pitcher. At 29, the window isn’t a big one.
The Juan Soto deal:
RHP Drew Thorpe – Thorpe was moved to the White Sox, where he recently made his MLB debut. His first two starts haven’t stood out (8.1 IP, 9 H, 10 R, 8 ER, 1 HR, 7 BB, 4 K) as evaluators watch to see if his changeup (which devastated minor league hitters) can translate in MLB.
RHP Jhony Brito – Brito has received steady work in the Padres’ bullpen, compiling a 3.62 ERA in 22 games (37.1 IP). He isn’t striking anybody out (14.2%) but he has done a nice job of keeping the ball in the ballpark. His 48.4% GB is above MLB average.
RHP Randy Vasquez – Vasquez has made 8 starts for the Padres, going 1-3 with a 4.93 ERA (5.21 FIP) over 38.1 innings. Like Brito, missing bats is an issue (15.4%) though he somewhat makes up for that with impeccable control (4.1% BB). I like a good, old-fashioned command/control type, but does Vasquez have enough of an arsenal to get away with that?
RHP Michael King – King is 5-4 with a 3.58 ERA (4.16 FIP) over 83 innings. While he doesn’t allow many hits (68), his 13 HR allowed leads the National League. The good news is that he continues to miss bats (27.1% K). King has been a solid pickup for the Padres and has been red-hot as of late (7 runs allowed in 28.2 IP over his last five starts with a 34/8 K/BB. The Yankees knew what they were giving up. They just couldn’t justify haggling when the return was Juan Soto.
The Victor Gonzalez/Jorbit Vivas deal:
SS Trey Sweeney – Sweeney is hitting .238/.327/.419 in 303 PA in the PCL. In that juiced-up league, that is good for an 83 wRC+. While he has played 2 games at third base, the Dodgers have followed the Yankees’ lead of playing him at shortstop. Unlike other prospects, the Yankees never played Sweeney at any other position.
The Caleb Ferguson deal:
RHP Christian Zazueta – Only 19, Zazueta has earned his way to Low-A, where he owns a 3.52 ERA in only 7.2 innings. His K/BB is an impressive 11/1 in that small sample size.
The Jon Berti deal:
OF John Cruz – The Marlins aggressively moved the 18-year-old to Low-A, where he has been overmatched (.160/.254/.211 in 225 PA). Some prospects learn from aggressive placement. Others lose confidence and die on the vine. We’ll see what happens.
The Clayton Andrews deal:
RHP Joshua Quezada – The 20-year-old has made two DSL starts, covering only 8.1 innings.
The Cody Morris deal:
OF Estevan Florial – Florial flopped for Cleveland, hitting .173/.264/.367 in 111 plate appearances. After being designated for assignment, he went unclaimed and outrighted to Cleveland’s Triple-A affiliate. He is 0-for-12 since joining the squad.
Others:
RHP Mitch Spence – Chosen in the Rule 5 by Oakland, Spence is not coming back. He owns a 3.95 ERA (3.34 FIP) in 57 innings with a 18.8% K and 6.1% BB. His 49.1% GB rate is solid. A good job by Oakland securing him.
RHP Matt Sauer – Sauer was chosen by the Royals in the Rule 5, but has since been returned. The Royals’ surprising start likely made it harder for them to justify keeping Sauer at the bottom of the bullpen barrel.
RHP Carson Coleman – Coleman, chosen in the Rule 5 by the Rangers, hasn’t taken the hill since 2022. Once an intriguing relief prospect in the Yankees organization, it is hard to know exactly where his career goes from here.
LHP Matt Krook – Krook is on Baltimore’s 40-man roster but hasn’t appeared for them this year. In Triple-A Norfolk, he owns a 3.00 ERA over 24 innings with a 28/13 K/BB. As always, the GB% is strong (58.9%).
UTIL Oliver Dunn – Dunn is living the dream in Milwaukee, hitting .221/.282/.316 in 104 plate appearances. The Brewers have used him primarily at third base (1 inning at first base, 2 innings at second base).
1B Eric Wagaman – Wagaman is in Double-A Rocket City (Angels), where he is hitting .264/.329/.452 in 228 plate appearances.
C/1B Mickey Gasper – Taken by the Red Sox in the minor league phase, the 28-year-old has split time in Double-A/Triple-A, hitting .305/.429/.500 in 205 plate appearances. He’s an older prospect but one can see him making MLB.
RHP Michael Gomez – Taken by the Rays in the minor league phase, Gomez has struggled at their Triple-A affiliate (5.63 ERA in 24 innings)
3B Marcos Cabrera – Taken by the Pirates in the minor league phase, Cabrera was released by the organization on April 25th and hasn’t appeared anywhere else.
1B/3B Andres Chaparro – Lost to minor league free agency, Chaparro landed in Arizona, where he is hitting .301/.384/.530 (125 wRC+) over 284 PA for their Triple-A affiliate.. Hitting has never been an issue for Chaparro in the minors, but he has yet to make his MLB debut. He recently turned 25.