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The 2021 MLB trade deadline has passed and it was more exciting than ever. Many top players found new homes and were tossed in the middle of the playoff races – well, not all of the big names (sorry, Trevor Story). The Yankees entered the cutoff day after scoring just 415 points in 101 games, which was the second-lowest total in the American League. Offense needed a boost, especially left-handed bats, and Brian Cashman got it.
Thursday afternoon, the Yankee officially announced which they traded for outfielder Joey Gallo of the Texas Rangers. The team wasn’t finished there, however. Later that same night, New York threw a Trade for Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo. Within hours, Cashman was able to get two powerful left-handed impact sticks and put them in the scratches.
Obviously, Gallo and Rizzo were the big fish the Bombers brought back, but they also made a few smaller moves. They traded relief pitcher Clay Holmes of the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for Hoy Park and Diego Castillo, gave Justin Wilson and Luis Cessa to the Cincinnati Reds for a PTBNL and acquired Andrew Heaney from the Angels just before the deadline. Let’s take a closer look at each transaction.
Yankees acquire Joey Gallo from Rangers
The Yankees’ biggest move has been to bring longtime Yankees fan Joey Gallo to the Bronx. His 3.4 fWAR is the 10th highest in the American League and is paired with an excellent 140 wRC +. Gallo is known for his power and ability to get on base, as he leads all the major leagues on walks. He won’t be hitting for the average, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing considering the game of baseball has moved away from that approach. Gallo not only brings a much-needed bat to the roster, he’s a superb defender in the outfield as well. He leads all MLB outfielders in defensive saves with 14 and sits in the 95th percentile for above-par strikeouts. To top it off, Gallo is in the squad’s control for the remainder of this season and into the next, providing the Yankees with a great player on the cheap in 2022 as well. The Rangers are also paying Gallo’s contract for the remainder of the season. With Gallo, left-handed reliever Joely Rodriguez will join the Yankees enclosure.
The Yankees sent a bunch of prospects to Texas. Right-hander Glenn Otto and infielders Ezequiel Duran, Trevor Hauver and Josh Smith headline for the Rangers. Four Minor Leaguers is a lot, but it was worth it for a player of Gallo’s caliber. As Josh Diemert noted, Ezequiel Duran and Josh Smith are Top 10 prospects by Baseball America standards, but even though they’re good, they’re disposable for a guy like Gallo.
Yankees acquire Anthony Rizzo from Cubs
The Yankees’ second big move was to pick up Rizzo from Chicago in exchange for right-handed minor league pitcher Alexander Vizcaíno and outfielder Kevin Alcántara. There hadn’t been any previous rumors about the Yankees’ interest in first baseman until the trade was announced, so that surprised many. Rizzo, like Gallo, not only brings a left-handed power bat to the Bronx’s short porch, but he also has an elite glove at the start. He has seven strikeouts above average and since 2017, Rizzo has led all MLB first baseman in DRS, OAA and scoops. This will especially help Gleyber Torres as he has nine errors this year, including seven pitching errors.
Rizzo received a resounding welcome to Yankees fans as he smashed a huge home run on his Friday night debut.
Alexander Vizcaino and Kevin Alcantara are now Cubs. Alcantara, who just turned 19, is 6 feet 6 inches tall and weighs 188 pounds with gross capacities. Vizcaino is 24 and has just 31.1 career innings over Low-A. The Cubs will look to accelerate its development over the next few seasons.
Yankees acquire Andrew Heaney from Angels
Minutes before Friday’s 4 p.m. deadline, the Yankees and Angels struck a deal that sent left-hander Andrew Heaney across the country to New York. Heaney hasn’t had a very good season, but he has a high fastball and curveball spin rate and forces hitters to chase often. However, he’s been hit hard and has a 5.27 ERA out of 18 starts this year. He has a three-pitch arsenal, throwing a fastball, a curveball and a change. His curve has been effective this year with opponents hitting just 0.179 against him this year. It will be interesting to see if Matt Blake can help Heaney improve.
Yankees buy out Clay Holmes from Pirates
Holmes is a relief pitcher who could eat innings for the Yanks. He throws on contact, hence his ball rate on the ground of 72.4 (min. 40 IP). He mainly throws a lead, but also has a slider and a curve ball in his arsenal. He’s wild at times and can lose the strike zone because his walk rate is in the 11th percentile. On the other hand, he is up to the league leaders in terms of percentage of barrels, hits expected and wOBACON expected. He throws a fast, hard pitch that the Yankees can work with. He probably won’t throw in high leverage situations, but he can be a nice play to potentially fill the void left by Luis Cessa.
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