The New York Yankees have executed two infrequent trades over the last few days, connecting with the crosstown rival Mets and division rival Tampa Bay Rays.
Interestingly, general manager Brian Cashman had his eyes on two pitchers, acquiring Miguel Castro from the Mets and recently David McKay from Tampa Bay. Castro is known for his awesome velocity, featuring a fastball that averages 98 mph. If Castro can gain more control, he could be a phenomenal addition to the bullpen at just 27 years old.
On the other hand, McKay made his last appearance in 2020 with the Detroit Tigers, pitching just 0.1 innings. In 2019, he spent time with Detroit and Seattle, recording a 5.47 ERA with 11.62 strikeouts per 9.
The Yankees scooped up McKay due to a clause in his contract, allowing him to change teams if Tampa Bay wasn’t going to activate him for the opening day roster. The Bombers traded cash considerations away for McKay’s services, despite being activated for the opening day roster unlikely.
The more probable scenario is that McKay starts in Triple-A with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he can tailor his game to the Yankees’ mold. Looking at McKay’s pitch repertoire, he features a fastball and curveball, throwing it at an average of 93.8 mph.
The former Ray isn’t known for his ability to create ground balls, but he doesn’t give him any home runs either, which is notable. Given McKay is just 27, the Bombers have a bit of time to help him develop appropriately and potentially tweak his fundamentals to get the most value out of him. Clearly, they saw something intriguing in the former 14th round draft pick back in 2016.