With the 6 PM trade deadline passing, the Yankees did not make any substantial moves beyond acquiring Mark Leiter Jr. from the Chicago Cubs.
Yankees’ Modest Moves at the Trade Deadline
The Yankees’ only other move was adding Enyel De Los Santos from the San Diego Padres just moments before the deadline, via Jack Curry of the YES Network. De Los Santos is a 28-year-old right-handed relief pitcher under team control until the 2027 free agent class.
This season, he has posted a 4.46 ERA, 10.71 strikeouts per nine, an 85.1% left-on-base rate, and a 34.6% ground-ball rate over 40.1 innings. Despite these questionable numbers, De Los Santos is coming off a solid 2023 season with Cleveland, where he recorded a 3.29 ERA over 65.2 innings.
Seeking Impact in the Bullpen
Most importantly, the Yankees were looking for more bullpen arms capable of generating swings and misses. De Los Santos ranks in the 92nd percentile for strikeout rate, although he does give up damaging contact when opposing batters catch up to him.
He features a four-seam fastball, slider, and change-up. His fastball averages 95.5 mph, producing a .329 batting average but a .270 expected batting average. It’s not his best pitch, but his slider is lethal, accumulating 28 strikeouts over 66 at-bats. Batters are hitting just .167 against it, with a .379 slugging rate and a 46% whiff rate.
Potential for Improvement
If the Yankees can enhance his fastball usage effectively, he may be able to return to his previous form, leveraging his elite slider.
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The Yankees desperately needed more relief support at the deadline, and they managed to add two new arms to their bullpen. They also anticipate the return of Scott Effross and Ian Hamilton in the coming weeks, not to mention Clarke Schmidt and Cody Poteet as well.