The New York Yankees have completed a trade with the Chicago Cubs according to Jeff Passan, and it involved right-handed reliever Mark Leiter Jr. While his 4.21 ERA isn’t pretty, the 33-year-old right-hander is under control for two more seasons after this one, and every underlying metric suggests he’s due for positive regression. He’s struck out 34.9% of batters faced over 39 appearances, bringing a swing-and-miss arm to a bullpen that sorely needs it. He’s spent most of his Major League career with the Chicago Cubs, where he’s enjoyed plenty of success in late-game situations.
In return, the Yankees are dealing RHP Jack Neely and infielder Benjamin Cowles, both of whom were ranked in the top 30 for the organization by MLB.com.
Mark Leiter Jr. Joins the Yankees’ Depleted Bullpen In Savvy Deal
A groundball pitcher who can miss bats, Mark Leiter Jr. is a perfect fit for this bullpen and team, and his sinker-splitter combination poses a serious threat to opposing batters. Used at roughly the same rate, these two pitches serve distinctly different purposes, with the sinker generating soft contact and sitting between 91-92 MPH where the splitter is around 84-85 MPH with sharp drop and a Whiff Rate above 62%.
His curveball and sweeper are whiff machines as well, and perhaps they could get better with the Yankees as they’re severely underperforming their expected results. The same could be said about his ERA, with a 4.21 ERA but a 2.61 Expected ERA alongside it, and considering the fact that he has a +0.74 Win Probability Added, it means that he has provided positive value to the Cubs when you account for the leverage and situation.
Given the Yankees’ bullpen struggles, this is an excellent get for this roster.
The bullpen was atrocious on their road trip to Fenway Park, and while the offense came through, it exposed an obvious flaw with their pitching staff. Unlike other bullpens we’ve seen the Yankees throw out in recent seasons, this year’s unit has struggled to miss bats, and Mark Leiter Jr. should help remedy that. His stuff is strong, the movement is deceptive, and with multiple years of control, he should be a contributor for the foreseeable future.
It’s a savvy move to get an arm whose ERA doesn’t reflect their actual talent level, but they’ll be parting ways with two prospects who have performed admirably this season. Infielder Ben Cowles has risen to become a legitimate bat in their farm system, decreasing his strikeout rate while having excellent gap-to-gap power, while reliever Jack Neely has shown off an excellent fastball-slider combination and could be MLB-ready this season.
It’s a price worth paying though, especially for a team in desperate need of reliable bullpen arms right now.