The New York Yankees made a somewhat surprising trade on Wednesday, flipping left-handed reliever James Reeves in exchange for outfielder Greg Allen. Both players are 27 years old, but the hurler hasn’t yet pitched past Double-A while Allen has four years in the bigs.
The transaction is somewhat surprising because the Yankees are actually needing some reliable bullpen arms. Now, Reeves hasn’t even sniffed MLB yet, but given his minor league numbers, he has plenty of potential to have a successful career in the bigs. San Diego had designated Allen for assignment a few days ago, so the fact that they were able to net a promising lefty was very good for them.
The Yankees are getting a career .239/.298/.343 hitter at the major league level in Allen. He has eight home runs and 32 stolen bases in 221 games. He is known for his legs (92nd percentile in sprint speed) and is a good defender in the corners. He can also play some center in a pinch.
His offensive profile, however, is middling at best. His career xwOBA is less than .300, at .296, and his wRC+ is a very poor 69. To get him, the Yankees had to deal the talented Reeves, who may be old for Double-A, but he is skilled.
The former Yankees reliever could be a gem
In 293 1/3 career minor league innings, the southpaw has a 2.30 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and 350 strikeouts. He could be a nice pickup for a surging Padres team that is apparently going all-in this season.
The New York Yankees took Reeves in the 2015 June Amateur Draft, specifically in round 10, with the 303rd overall pick.
For the Yankees, Allen provides depth in the position and insurance in case Brett Gardner doesn’t come back for the 2021 campaign. The team still needs at least a couple of starters and relievers, though, so the work during the offseason is far from over.