The New York Yankees acquired outfielder Cam Eden of the Toronto Blue Jays in return for some cash considerations as announced by the team earlier today. A 26-year-old outfielder with excellent speed but a poor bat, he should come in and provide their Triple-A affiliate in Scranton with some much-needed outfield depth. There isn’t much contact or power to speak of here, but perhaps the Yankees see something we don’t in the blazing-fast outfielder on the offensive side of the ball.
A right-handed hitter and thrower, Eden made his Major League debut last season, recording his first hit and run with Toronto.
Cam Eden Acquired By Yankees From Blue Jays
While he only posted an 81 wRC+ in Triple-A last season, Cam Eden swiped 53 bases in just 131 games, getting caught just four times in the process. Eden is a speedy outfielder who can create havoc on the basepaths and play all three outfield positions, but unfortunately, there isn’t much of a bat to speak of here.
The contact tool is below-average, striking out over 27% of the time this season, and there’s not much power to speak of either. This season, Eden has regressed even more at the plate, posting a 62 wRC+ with a .299 OBP in the run-heavy International League.
His 26 steals in 33 attempts are also a step back from last season, and this seems more like a depth move than anything with serious Major League impact.
Outfielders like Brandon Lockridge were dealt at the deadline and Everson Pereira will miss the rest of the season with a UCL injury, so getting depth at the position for the AAA team makes sense.
With some experience in the infield, he could be a gadget player who the Yankees try to get around the baseball diamond, but the lack of any offensive success in the upper Minors isn’t very encouraging.
There’s always a need for speed however, especially in an organization like the Yankees where they have a lot of slower players at the Major League level.