Yankees MILB 9/8: A Fresh Look at the Trade Deadline
As both the Yankees and the minor league system have the night off, here’s a refreshed look at the deadline deals:
The David Bednar Trade:
Bednar quickly took over as the Yankees’ closer and hasn’t disappointed, posting a 2.70 ERA and 36.8% strikeout rate over 16.2 innings. While he is only 5-for-8 (62.5%) in the saves department, I can’t imagine anyone feels uncomfortable when he enters a game.
To the Pirates:
C/1B Rafael Flores continues his offensive ways, hitting .306/.385/.495 with five home runs and 23 RBI in 30 games for Triple-A Indianapolis.
C Edgleen Perez continues to take his walks, though the rest of his offensive game remains a work in progress. For Low-A Bradenton, he hit .182/.361/.218 in 72 plate appearances with more walks (15) than strikeouts (10). Combined with his time with Low-A Tampa, he has a 1/1 ratio (84 walks/84 strikeouts).
OF Brian Sanchez was on the injured list at the time of the trade and never made an appearance in Pittsburgh’s system.
Bottom Line:
Flores may be a viable MLB hitter, while the other two are too far away to know anything. I can’t complain about acquiring a controllable arm like Bednar’s. The price was worth it.
Grade: A-
The Camilo Doval Trade:
Doval, who has the stuff to be a closer (he’s done it before), has struggled since joining the Yankees. A .350 BABIP indicates some bad luck, but his worst trait is the walks. He has walked nine batters (14.1%) since his acquisition, while his strikeout rate has fallen (20.3%). That said, the Yankees must love the volume of ground balls (61%).
Doval hasn’t been as reliable as you would like. The stuff is there, and there is room for him to be an October Surprise if the Yankees carry him.
To the Giants:
C/3B Jesus Rodriguez has, like most hitters, taken kindly to the PCL. He is hitting .354/.438/.434 with three doubles and a pair of homers in 130 plate appearances.
1B/3B Parks Harber continued to mash in High-A after being acquired, hitting to a .333/.454/.644 triple slash with seven homers and 24 RBI in 108 plate appearances.
RHP Trystan Vrieling has struggled for Double-A Richmond, compiling a 6.26 ERA (4.87 FIP) in six starts (23 innings) with a 21/10 K/BB.
LHP Carlos De La Rosa was able to get into three games for the Giants’ DSL squad, compiling a 3.48 ERA and 15/5 K/BB over 10.1 innings.
Bottom Line:
Doval remains in the Yankees’ late-inning setup mix, but other options are ahead of him (Luke Weaver, Fernando Cruz, Devin Williams). The stuff is tantalizing, but consistency is key. He can be a high-octane strikeout/ground ball reliever, but he hasn’t shown us that yet. Can he still be a contributor this year? We’ve seen things “click” in the past. However, the Yankees have many options, which could limit his chances.
As for the prospects, the bats have shown life. Would I call this a dud based on that? No. We witnessed Rodriguez hit for average and Harber, as an undrafted college bat, destroying Low-A and High-A. Let’s not get carried away.
Grade: C
The Jake Bird trade:
Bird didn’t last long with the Yankees, as his July struggles with the Rockies carried over. He is in Triple-A, where the Yankees are likely working with him to get back into form. It wouldn’t be shocking if part of that change involves his pitch mix. Hopefully, he bounces back next spring.
To the Rockies:
2B Roc Riggio – A fun prospect with the pull power that made Yankees’ farm followers drool, Riggio has performed reasonably well for Double-A Hartford (.253/.337/.413 with a pair of home runs). The biggest issue for Riggio is his lack of versatility. Does he have enough bat to be an everyday second baseman?
LHP Ben Shields – The 26-year-old has made four starts for Hartford (only 18.1 innings), compiling a 1.96 ERA and 23/4 K/BB.
Bottom Line:
Bird was supposed to be in the mid-to-late-inning mix but didn’t perform. The Rockies extracted an interesting second base prospect + a pitcher who has done nothing wrong in the minors. While I have my share of skepticism over the prospects given up, the Yankees are still not getting what they paid for. Hopefully, the grade improves in the future.
Grade: D-
The Ryan McMahon trade:
I get it – McMahon strikes out a lot. If that shocks you, it shouldn’t. He has struck out in 31.9% of his Yankees’ plate appearances after striking out 31.7% of the time for the Rockies. He’s a defense-first third baseman with enough offense (mostly from home runs) to support that. His 96 OPS+ since his acquisition isn’t horrible, and he has been worth 1.0 bWAR/0.6 fWAR for the Yankees. He has stabilized a position that needed stabilizing, and I don’t have many complaints.
To the Rockies:
RHP Josh Grosz – The 22-year-old struggled for High-A Spokane, pitching to a 5.87 ERA in 38.1 innings with a 41/20 K/BB and nine home runs allowed (2.1/9).
LHP Griffin Herring – Also pitching for Spokane, Herring has continued his season of strong pitching. He owns a 2.40 ERA (2.25 FIP) with a crazy 40.5% strikeout rate (it was 23.9% for High-A Hudson Valley). His flyball percentage has spiked while his groundball percentage has tanked, suggesting that the Rockies have revamped his pitch mix (or at least how he uses it). It’s an interesting in-season transformation.
Bottom Line:
Herring continues to impress on the hill, and Grosz shouldn’t be tossed to the side. However, the Yankees were desperate for third base help and acquired one who has helped the team win. We all know Oswald Peraza wasn’t getting the job done.
Grade: B
The Amed Rosario trade:
A freak injury in right field landed Rosario on the injured list, and he has only had 18 plate appearances since the trade. He has made the most of those appearances (7-for-18 with a pair of doubles). The Yankees haven’t faced many left-handed starters recently, but he remains a fine right-handed bench bat/platoon partner for McMahon.
To the Nationals:
RHP Clayton Beeter – The Nationals had a lane for Beeter, and he is taking advantage of it thus far (2.40 ERA (3.27 FIP) over 15 innings with a 19/9 K/BB). The walks remain a problem, but the Nationals are in all-out “scouting” mode and Beeter could be a key cog to their plans for 2026 and beyond.
OF Browm Martinez – When you make a trade, always try to get a lottery ticket included. That’s Martinez, who was 23-for-57 (.404/.507/.632) for one of the Yankees’ DSL squads at the time of the trade. However, he was dealing with an injury and never appeared in a game in the Nationals’ system. He turns 19 in November.
Bottom Line:
This is the type of trade the Nationals should make as they rebuild their roster: Take a veteran with MLB value and convert him into something. Beeter has always had the arm to be an effective pitcher, but walks and injuries haven’t helped his progression. As for Martinez, I never worry about lottery tickets, even if some can turn into Powerball winners.
This is as traditional as a “rent-a-player” trade can be.
Grade: B-
The Austin Slater trade:
The Yankees had a plan at the deadline: Find some right-handed bench options. Like Rosario, Slater has solid splits against left-handed pitchers. Also like Rosario, Slater was injured early in his Yankees tenure. Unlike Rosario, there isn’t an obvious role for Slater with Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton around. Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham are hitting too well to push into platoon roles, and Jasson Dominguez needs his playing time as well.
Slater has played in only three games, going 0-for-7. He has yet to appear since coming off the injured list. The Yankees will likely find some at-bats for him over the last few weeks of the season, but his overall value is limited as long as the rest of the outfield stays healthy.
To the White Sox:
RHP Gage Ziehl – The University of Miami product produced a 4.01 ERA in 24.2 innings for High-A Winston-Salem, striking out 20 while walking five. This mimics what he was doing for the Yankees, where his ability to control the strike zone appears to be his best attribute.
Bottom Line:
There isn’t much to see here. Like with Rosario, it was smart for the White Sox to get what they can for a rent-a-player.
This is as middle-of-the-road as you will find. Slater had value to the Yankees at the time of the deal, as Judge was out, limiting their right-handed outfield options. His injury was untimely, and now he has a tough-to-define role.
Grade: C-
The Jose Caballero trade:
Talk about becoming a fan favorite in a hurry (even after he made a key error in his Yankees’ debut!). A combination of Anthony Volpe‘s poor play and Caballero’s unique profile is the perfect storm for fan love. And, in my opinion, it is deserved.
While I think he is best off in a multi-position role (which is likely the Yankees’ vision as well), that should not deter the Yankees from doing what is best for the team in 2025. As of this moment, the best option is Cabellero getting the majority of the playing time at shortstop. As of September 8th, 2025, he has more useful tools than Volpe does. If you deny that, you aren’t watching. I say that while recognizing his limitations.
To the Rays:
OF Everson Pereira – A member of the Rays’ roster, Pereira hit his first MLB home run on August 29th. Beyond that, his contact skills have been an issue (.152/.245/.239 with a 41.5% K in 53 plate appearances). Pereira has the power to tap into. The rest of his offensive game will likely determine his future role. If given 600 plate appearances, I can see a 25-home run outfielder. But is that all he is?
Future Considerations – The Rays also received “future considerations,” which have yet to be defined.
Bottom Line:
The Yankees have been looking for a multi-position asset for years. They tried to do it with Tyler Wade. They signed Marwin Gonzalez. Oswaldo Cabrera could still have potential in that role, but he is injured. Before trading him, they were working out Oswald Peraza in the outfield.
Caballero can finally be that guy. For now, they need to consider him for the shortstop job.
As for the Rays, they needed some power, and Pereira has potential. I don’t worry about losing him from a Yankees’ perspective.
Grade: B+
The Oswald Peraza trade:
The Angels have started to give Peraza more playing time, and he hasn’t responded. In 21 games (52 plate appearances), he is hitting .213/.269/.298 with a home run and three stolen bases. Interestingly (shockingly), Peraza has played 11 games at first base in addition to time at third base (7 games) and shortstop (3 games). I don’t know how you maximize Peraza’s value at first base, even with Nolan Schanuel‘s injury, but these are the Angels.
The Yankees acquired OF Wilberson De Pena in the trade. He went 4-for-28 for one of the Yankees’ DSL squads. The Yankees also acquired international bonus pool money, which should never be discounted.
Bottom Line:
The Yankees needed to make room for their acquisitions, and Peraza was out of options. They traded him for whatever they could get, with the money likely the most important piece to the deal.
Grade: C