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The Yankees made a big trade for starting pitcher Jameson Taillon on Sunday, bolstering their rotation. In addition to adding an arm, the Yankees were also looking to balance their 40-man roster to make room for recent signings from free agent DJ LeMahieu and Corey Kluber. The Yankees traded four players, including two who were on the 40-man roster, to Miguel Yajure, Canaan Smith, Roansy Contreras and Maikol Escotto. Let’s take a look at the players the Yankees ditched in the deal and their impact on the Yankees minor league system.
Miguel Yajure is the prospect of the deal most familiar to Yankees fans after making his major league debut in 2020. Previously, he was the organization’s minor league pitcher of the year in 2019, when he averaged 2.14 with a 1.9 BB / 9 while pitching for High-A Tampa and Double-A Trenton. Scouts noticed a significant improvement in his gear over the year, and his effective pitching allowed him to accumulate 138.2 IP.
As a result of this campaign, he was added to the list of 40 and invited to the alternative site last summer. While the Yankees’ pitching depth was tested due to injuries and inconsistent performance, Yajure got his call to the majors and turned out to be a pleasant surprise to many fans.
Coming in the seventh inning down 5-0 against the Tampa Bay Rays, Yajure pitched three innings without a hitting to end the game. A Yankees comeback was unsuccessful as they lost 5-3, but he was able to save the relievers’ pen from later use and served his purpose. A few trips on the Scranton shuttle followed and Yajure finished his season with seven innings pitched and a 1.29 ERA.
Yajure’s place with the Yankees this coming season is uncertain. He went through the minors as a starter and would likely have been behind Deivi García and Clarke Schmidt on the depth board for a starting role this season. Other players such as Luis Gil and Luis Medina have also reportedly challenged him for major league playing time this coming year. Yajure only has 18 innings in Double-A and more, so it’s likely he would have worked in Triple-A for most of the season.
The Yankees parted ways with another arm from their 40-man roster at Roansy Contreras. Originally signed by the Yankees as an international free agent in 2016, Contreras has progressed steadily through the system, kicking off the full season for Low-A Charleston at 19 in 2019. He really turned it on at halfway. of the season and became the staff ace after promoting several other high powered weapons. In his last 11 starts as a Yankees prospect, Contreras threw a 1.80 ERA and a WHIP of 0.77. After that season, Baseball America ranked him as the 12e best prospect of the South Atlantic League.
Contreras was not invited to the alternative training site last season, making it uncertain if he would be able to bridge the gap between Low-A and contribute in the major leagues anytime soon. Although considered by many to be a future major league arm, he is generally not considered to have the same cap as other Yankees pitchers like Luis Gil, Luis Medina and Alexander Vizcaino.
Outfielder Canaan Smith played alongside Contreras with Low-A Charleston in 2019. Smith was the only player in position taken by the Yankees in their first 11 picks in the 2017 Draft. The Yankees caught Smith in the fourth round and the have signed away from his engagement at the University of Arkansas. He made headlines during his senior year in high school, when at one point he was on the verge of breaking the national single-season walking record.
Once he joined the organization, he excelled in his first season playing in the Gulf Coast League, but also struggled the following season with the short season A Staten Island. Going into 2019, Smith had fallen off the prospect radar for many, but his bat showed up in a big way for Low-A Charleston. Smith hit .307 / .405 / .465 with 11 homers and 16 stolen bases, finishing third in the South Atlantic League overall. He was one of 15 players in the minors set with 15 homers, 30 doubles and 15 stolen bases. Baseball America recently ranked him as the top hitter for the middle discipline and hitting zone in the Yankees’ system.
Smith is not considered a defenseman anymore, and he played alongside two outstanding defensemen at Brandon Lockridge and Josh Stowers during his time in Charleston. Beyond that, players such as Everson Pereira, Kevin Alcantara, Ryder Green and Jake Sanford are seen as strong outfield prospects, and of course Jasson Dominguez will be playing in the United States this summer. The Yankees have invested in the depth of the outfield and can absorb the loss of a quality prospect.
Maikol Escotto exploded in the Dominican Summer League in 2019, reaching .315 / .429 / .552 and finishing eighth in the league in OPS. There were some concerns about his strikeout rate as he was breathing 26% of the time against DSL throws. These concerns were countered by exit speed readings of around 106 mph as a teenager.
The Yankees have a number of middle prospects in their system, so Escotto was traded from a position of strength by the Yankees. Oswald Peraza, Ezequiel Duran, Josh Smith, Anthony Volpe, Alexander Vargas and Trevor Hauver are just a few of the names the Yankees have in the system that should play in the middle.
The Yankees moved four players to bring in a necessary piece for their rotation. All of them were strong prospects with a chance to contribute to the big leagues. More importantly, none of the players traded by the Yankees are seen as a back-break for an organization looking to win in 2021.
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