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Post by Rockaway Park on Jul 30, 2024 13:56:00 GMT -5
Jazz and Leiter won't get it done, Yankees. 3 hours to go.
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Post by fwclipper51 on Jul 30, 2024 13:56:08 GMT -5
Yanks traded for an OK reliever in the Cubs' Mark Leiter. He's not a closer or the Cubs, who have gone through multiple options at that spot recently, would've given him a longer look. He has pitched much better than his ERA, which is one of the things analysts look for, and while his strand rate is very low this year, a red flag for pitching in high leverage, his rate of inherited runners scoring is also very low, just 3 of 21, 14%, well below the MLB average of 33% this season. The ERA simulators think his ERA should be 1-2 runs lower than the current 4.21. He was hit hard in June, basically ruining his season's numbers, giving up 8 earned runs over 4 consecutive appearances and 3 1/3 innings the last two weekes that month. but he's been almost literally perfect in 7 games since then: 7 games, 7 2/3 innings, 0 hits, 0 runs, 0 BB and 14 K's. I hope he can stay hot with the Yanks. The trade should help the pen, but I don't think he's the closer they're looking for. Stranger things have happened. Infielder Ben Cowles and right-handed pitcher Jack Neely were the prospects sent to the Cubs. Cowles is a 24 year old middle infielder having a very good year in AA, plays 2nd and SS, batting .294 with medium power and a good walk rate, but also a pretty high K rate. He wasn't in the Yanks top 37 prospects on The Board at Fangraphs. Neely is a 24 year old right handed reliever who pitched well at AA and AAA this year, the Cubs might call him up to replace Leiter later this season. He was not in the top 37 either, but was mentioned in last year's prospects with as "depth reliever" and Longerhagen said at the time: "Neely has a plus slider and sits 93-94; that’s a little less velo than is ideal given his lack of command.". HIs K rates in the minors have always been huge, but his BB rates have been somewhat high as well. Apparently, the slider is a wipeout slider, but I haven't seen him pitch, maybe someone who has can add some detail. Both players were 2024 MLB Rule 5 Draft available players, so the Yankees traded them for something of value, that could be use for today. |
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Post by fwclipper51 on Jul 30, 2024 14:04:00 GMT -5
From MLB Rumors Full Report on Trade
Yankees Acquire Mark Leiter Jr.
By Darragh McDonald | July 30, 2024 at 1:20pm CDT
The Yankees announced that they have acquired right-hander Mark Leiter Jr. from the Cubs. In return, the Cubs will receive INFr Ben Cowles and right-hander Jack Neely. The Yankees had an open 40-man spot but that roster is now full, while the Cubs drop down to 38.
Leiter, now 33, has been great for the Cubs over the past few years after a late-bloomer trajectory. The son of Mark Leiter and nephew of Al Leiter, the younger Mark made it to the big leagues by 2017 but didn’t impress in his first tastes of the show. By the end of 2018, he had a 5.53 earned run average in 114 big league innings. He then required Tommy John surgery early in 2019 and was on the shelf for an extended period of time. He signed a minor league deal with the Tigers in 2021 but didn’t get a call to the show.
A minor league deal with the Cubs going into 2022 turned into the opportunity he needed. He was selected to the big league roster by mid-April that year and eventually tossed 65 2/3 innings for the Cubs with a 3.99 ERA. He struck out 25.9% of batters faced while giving out walks at an 8.9% clip and kept the ball on the ground at a 48.9% rate.
Despite that generally strong work, he was nudged off the club’s roster in January of 2023. He had exhausted his final option year and so the Cubs designated him for assignment, with all 29 clubs passing on the chance to grab him off waivers. He elected free agency but re-signed with the Cubs on a minor league deal prior to the next season.
He was added back to the roster for Opening Day and has been a key part of the Chicago bullpen since then. Going back to the start of 2023, he has a 3.75 ERA in 100 2/3 innings. His strikeout rate is up to 30.9% in that time while he still has decent walk and ground ball rates of 8.8% and 47.1% respectively.
This year’s 4.21 ERA doesn’t look pretty but that’s mostly due to a tiny strand rate of 55%, well below the 71.9% league average. Since he’s striking out 34.9% of batters faced and also getting grounders at a 50.6% clip, his 2.11 FIP and 2.42 SIERA suggest he’s been about two runs better than his ERA would have you believe.
The Cubs have been balancing present and future needs at this deadline. Just over a week ago, president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said that the club would be prioritizing “2025 and beyond” in their transactions. That didn’t necessarily point to a deadline selloff, as the club then went out and acquired Isaac Paredes from the Rays and Nate Pearson from the Blue Jays, with both of those players having multiple years of control.
But there were also some rumors that they might make some pitching available and there’s a logic to Leiter being moved out. Due to his unusual trajectory, Leiter still has a couple of years of club control remaining after this one. But given his age, the Cubs probably didn’t consider him a core piece of their future-focused agenda and made him available.
Those circumstances are likely also why the win-now Yankees wanted to get him. He only just qualified for arbitration for the 1st time coming into this season and is making $1.5MM, not much above this year’s $740K league minimum. The Yankees are slated to pay the competitive balance tax for a 3d straight year and finish well above the top tier. That means they face a 110% tax rate for any new spending, so Leiter’s minimal salary fits in nicely for them, and they can keep him around for 2 more years beyond this one.
While Leiter is cheap in terms of dollars, the Yankees have paid the price of 2 prospects to get him. Neely, 24, was an 11th-round pick in the 2021 draft. He’s been exclusively a reliever in his professional career, racking up significant strikeout totals. In 160 1/3 minor league innings overall, he has a 2.75 ERA, 38.8% strikeout rate and 9.4% walk rate. That includes 41 2/3 innings this year between Double-A and Triple-A with a 2.81 ERA, 36% strikeout rate and 9.1% walk rate. Baseball America currently lists him as the #20 prospect in the Yankees’ system.
Cowles, 24, was a 10th-round pick in 2021 and has played in 88 AA games this year. His .294/.376/.472 batting line leads to a strong 141 wRC+, indicating he’s been 41% better than league average. His .340 batting average on balls in play is high but he’s also got strong walk and strikeout rates of 10.3% and 17.7%, respectively. He also has 14 steals and has lined up at the three infield spots to the left of first base.
Both Neely and Cowles are MLB Rule 5 Player Draft eligible this winter, so the Yankees would have been facing a decision about whether or not to add them to their 40-man roster. Instead, they have cashed them in for an immediate bullpen upgrade, meaning those decisions will now transfer to Chicago.
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Post by Max on Jul 30, 2024 14:10:30 GMT -5
Ferguson traded to the Astros for a prospect and international bonus money. Does this mean that the Yankees are going to trade for Scott?
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Post by Max on Jul 30, 2024 14:16:44 GMT -5
In my opinion, the Orioles traded too much (Norby) for Rogers.
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Post by chiyankee on Jul 30, 2024 14:17:49 GMT -5
Ferguson traded to the Astros for a prospect and international bonus money. Does this mean that the Yankees are going to trade for Scott? Or Diaz. Either way it clears up a 40 man roster spot. |
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Post by Max on Jul 30, 2024 14:19:26 GMT -5
So far, the Yankees don't have a lefty in the bullpen.
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Post by fwclipper51 on Jul 30, 2024 14:20:16 GMT -5
From MLB Rumors
Yankees To Trade Caleb Ferguson To Astros
By Anthony Franco | July 30, 2024 at 2:02pm CDT
The Astros are acquiring lefty reliever Caleb Ferguson from the Yankees for a prospect and international signing bonus space, reports Jack Curry of the YES Network (X link).New York had acquired Ferguson from the Dodgers over the offseason. He has had a difficult season, pitching to a 5.13 ERA over 42 appearances. That’s in part because of poor sequencing, as he has only stranded 62.2% of baserunners. Yet Ferguson has also been somewhat HR prone and is issuing walks at an elevated 10.3% clip. Ferguson is still missing a decent number of bats. He’s striking out 26.5% of opponents behind an 11.5% swinging strike rate. Those are each in line with his career marks, although his 93.7 MPH average fastball speed is a bit below the 95-96 MPH range he’d posted over the previous 2 seasons.
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Post by chiyankee on Jul 30, 2024 14:27:46 GMT -5
So far, the Yankees don't have a lefty in the bullpen. Hill is a lefty, although he isn't the dominate hard throwing lefty that teams dream about having in the pen. |
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Post by fwclipper51 on Jul 30, 2024 14:41:45 GMT -5
What Yanks might do next after Leiter deal
Por MLB.com Staff
MLB.com is keeping track of all the latest Yankees-related free agent and trade rumors right here. The 2024 MLB Trade Deadline is Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET.
July 30: What Yanks might do next after Leiter deal
The Yankees made a move to address their bullpen by trading for Cubs reliever Mark Leiter Jr. on Tuesday, as a source confirmed to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. Here's what might still be on their radar before the 6 p.m. Trade Deadline hits.
MLB Network insider Joel Sherman thinks the Yankees might not be done yet after their trades for Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Leiter. He writes that New York could make its Trade Deadline even better by adding another reliever with strikeout stuff -- preferably a lefty -- as well as a starting pitcher and a supplementary bat.
On the hitting front, the Yankees could be targeting an infielder like the Rays' Yandy Díaz or the Angels' Luis Rengifo, whom MLB Network insider Jon Heyman reported them to be interested in on Tuesday.
As for pitchers, many of the top starters and relievers remain on the market. The Yankees have been linked to essentially all the top arms, from Blake Snell to Garrett Crochet to Tarik Skubal to Jack Flaherty, although the asking price for starters seems to be very high. Heyman reported Tuesday afternoon that the Yankees are still interested in Flaherty -- but so are the Dodgers and Red Sox (per Heyman), as well as the Padres (per MLB Network insider Jon Paul Morosi).
July 30: Where Yanks' search for a SP stands on Deadline day
It's no secret that the Yankees are looking for a difference-making starting pitcher at the Trade Deadline. Still, it might be difficult for New York to swing a deal for one of the top arms on the market.
MLB Network insider Jon Heyman reported on the state of the Yankees' starting pitching negotiations as of Tuesday morning. Here's a rundown of the various pitchers involved:
Blake Snell -- New York is "one of a half-dozen teams" in on Snell, per Heyman, but the price would be high, and the Orioles seem like the favorites to get him from the Giants ... if Snell is dealt at all
Garrett Crochet -- Heyman reports that the Yankees were told they "don't match up" for the White Sox star left-hander
Tarik Skubal -- The Yankees are interested in the AL Cy Young Award frontrunner, but according to Heyman, they don't believe the Tigers want to trade their ace
Jack Flaherty -- Flaherty was connected to the Yankees on Monday, with reports New York was in talks with Detroit about a potential deal, but Heyman reports that "things didn't look overwhelmingly positive on that front"
The cost of adding a marquee starter looks to be very high this Trade Deadline, but Heyman still thinks the Yankees might find a way to get a deal done -- the question is, for whom?
July 29: Yankees interested in Rays 1B Díaz (report)
First base has been a problematic position for the Yankees throughout the 2024 season. Their 1st basemen entered Monday night with a .635 OPS, 4th-worst in baseball.
Perhaps the Bronx Bombers can fill that need with a trade within the AL East. According to Brendan Kuty of The Athletic (subscription required), the Yankees continue to be interested in Rays 1st baseman and 2023 American League batting champion Yandy Díaz. Jack Curry of the YES Network previously reported that the Yankees have had conversations with the Rays regarding many of their players, including Díaz.
The 32-year-old is under contract through 2025 and carries a $12 million club option for 2026. After batting .330 with 22 HRs last season, Díaz got off to a very slow start this year. However, he has a .304/.337/.468 slash line since the beginning of June. He isn't hitting for as much power this year, with just 9 HRs in 97 games. But Díaz shows good plate discipline, has a 14.9% career strikeout rate and has consistently posts high hard-hit rates.
The Rays have made a lot of deals recently, unloading OF Randy Arozarena to the Mariners, starting pitcher Zach Eflin to the Orioles, reliever Jason Adam to the Padres, INF/OF Amed Rosario to the Dodgers, and 3rd baseman Isaac Paredes, whom the Yankees also had interest in before he was traded to the Cubs.
Díaz could become the next Tampa Bay player headed out, and the Yankees make for a good fit.
July 29: Could a Flaherty trade lead Yanks to deal Nestor?
According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, the Yankees are in "extensive talks" with Detroit to acquire right-handed starter Jack Flaherty. SNY's Andy Martino and MLB Network insider Joel Sherman have linked the Yanks with Flaherty in recent days, so a match there wouldn't be too surprising at this point.
However, Nightengale adds that if there is a match between the Yanks and Tigers for Flaherty, the Yankees then plan to trade starting pitcher Nestor Cortes.
Earlier on Monday, MLB Network insider Jon Heyman said, “Cortes is a name that’s definitely out there.”
Cortes has struggled lately, posting a 10.13 ERA over his past 3 starts, but he had a 3.41 ERA and a 3.59 FIP over his 1st 19 starts this season. He’s controllable through 2025.
Besides shopping in the starting pitching market, the Yankees are due to get back Clarke Schmidt from a right lat strain in August. So perhaps they feel that Cortes would be expendable if/when they make an addition to their rotation. With the demand high and the supply low for starters leading up to the Trade Deadline, the Yankees could use Cortes as a trade chip in order to address more glaring needs on their roster.
July 29: What’s next for Yankees after Jazz addition?
The Yankees “remain active in trade conversations on multiple fronts” following the addition of Jazz Chisholm Jr. on Saturday, according to SNY’s Andy Martino.
Although the Yankees may add another hitter after landing Chisholm, they figure to prioritize addressing their pitching staff.
Their list of reported targets could include Giants left-hander Blake Snell -- MLB Network insider Jon Heyman hears that the Bronx Bombers are 1 of at least 6 teams showing interest in the 2-time Cy Young Award winner. MLB Network insider Joel Sherman reports in an article for the New York Post that they’ve also inquired about Tigers right-hander Jack Flaherty.
On the reliever front, the Yankees reportedly have been involved in trade talks with the Marlins about closer Tanner Scott, and The Athletic's Jim Bowden hears that New York has emerged as one of the favorites to land the lefty as of Monday afternoon.
Scott is drawing widespread interest and will likely fetch a substantial package despite being a rental. He is just one of many bullpen arms whom the Yanks are reportedly eyeing. To land one, however, New York may have to include a promising prospect such as 1st baseman Ben Rice, according to Sherman. Per Martino, the Yankees had scouts present at Friday's and Saturday's Reds-Rays games at Tropicana Field. The Bronx Bombers have discussed Reds 2nd baseman Jonathan India and were also in on Rays 3rd baseman Isaac Paredes before Paredes was traded to the Cubs on Sunday.
Jack Curry of the YES Network reported Saturday that the Yankees have had "numerous conversations" with the Rays. Although Paredes is now off the board, Curry mentioned 1st baseman Yandy Díaz and closer Pete Fairbanks as potential targets for the Yankees.
The Yanks were also linked to Cardinals switch-hitter Tommy Edman, but Edman is going to Los Angeles in a 3-team trade involving the Dodgers, Cardinals and White Sox.
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Post by qwik3457bb on Jul 30, 2024 14:47:57 GMT -5
Yanks traded for an OK reliever in the Cubs' Mark Leiter. He's not a closer or the Cubs, who have gone through multiple options at that spot recently, would've given him a longer look. He has pitched much better than his ERA, which is one of the things analysts look for, and while his strand rate is very low this year, a red flag for pitching in high leverage, his rate of inherited runners scoring is also very low, just 3 of 21, 14%, well below the MLB average of 33% this season. The ERA simulators think his ERA should be 1-2 runs lower than the current 4.21. He was hit hard in June, basically ruining his season's numbers, giving up 8 earned runs over 4 consecutive appearances and 3 1/3 innings the last two weekes that month. but he's been almost literally perfect in 7 games since then: 7 games, 7 2/3 innings, 0 hits, 0 runs, 0 BB and 14 K's. I hope he can stay hot with the Yanks. The trade should help the pen, but I don't think he's the closer they're looking for. Stranger things have happened. Infielder Ben Cowles and right-handed pitcher Jack Neely were the prospects sent to the Cubs. Cowles is a 24 year old middle infielder having a very good year in AA, plays 2nd and SS, batting .294 with medium power and a good walk rate, but also a pretty high K rate. He wasn't in the Yanks top 37 prospects on The Board at Fangraphs. Neely is a 24 year old right handed reliever who pitched well at AA and AAA this year, the Cubs might call him up to replace Leiter later this season. He was not in the top 37 either, but was mentioned in last year's prospects with as "depth reliever" and Longerhagen said at the time: "Neely has a plus slider and sits 93-94; that’s a little less velo than is ideal given his lack of command.". HIs K rates in the minors have always been huge, but his BB rates have been somewhat high as well. Apparently, the slider is a wipeout slider, but I haven't seen him pitch, maybe someone who has can add some detail. Both players were 2024 MLB Rule 5 Draft available players, so the Yankees traded them for something of value, that could be use for today. Right; I mentioned that in the Leiter trade thread but not here. Good pickup, clipper. |
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Post by qwik3457bb on Jul 30, 2024 14:49:01 GMT -5
So far, the Yankees don't have a lefty in the bullpen. Hill is a lefty, although he isn't the dominate hard throwing lefty that teams dream about having in the pen. Are they going to sell of Dominguez and others for Scott? I hope not... |
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Post by donniebaseball23 on Jul 30, 2024 14:50:02 GMT -5
From MLB Rumors
Yankees To Trade Caleb Ferguson To Astros
By Anthony Franco | July 30, 2024 at 2:02pm CDT
The Astros are acquiring lefty reliever Caleb Ferguson from the Yankees for a prospect and international signing bonus space, reports Jack Curry of the YES Network (X link).New York had acquired Ferguson from the Dodgers over the offseason. He has had a difficult season, pitching to a 5.13 ERA over 42 appearances. That’s in part because of poor sequencing, as he has only stranded 62.2% of baserunners. Yet Ferguson has also been somewhat HR prone and is issuing walks at an elevated 10.3% clip. Ferguson is still missing a decent number of bats. He’s striking out 26.5% of opponents behind an 11.5% swinging strike rate. Those are each in line with his career marks, although his 93.7 MPH average fastball speed is a bit below the 95-96 MPH range he’d posted over the previous 2 seasons. He was a gas can. Addition by subtraction. |
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Post by chiyankee on Jul 30, 2024 14:52:43 GMT -5
Hill is a lefty, although he isn't the dominate hard throwing lefty that teams dream about having in the pen. Are they going to sell of Dominguez and others for Scott? I hope not... Good lord, I hope not. |
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Post by qimqam on Jul 30, 2024 14:56:04 GMT -5
Monty had another bad start yesterday. I don't like trading pitching for position players, even for Juan Soto. The problem is finding good, healthy ptichers is a gamble. And Soto's are a dime a dozen |
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