The New York Yankees completed a trifecta at the trade deadline, acquiring an outfielder, bullpen arm, and star starting pitcher. The Bombers landed Andrew Benintendi last week to take over in left field, decreasing Joey Gallo’s playing time.
On Monday afternoon, general manager Brian Cashman acquired rookie bullpen arm Scott Effross from the Chicago Cubs to smooth over the loss of Michael King with a fractured right elbow. At 28 years old, Effross has five more years of club control until he hits free agency in 2028.
This season, Effross features a 2.66 ERA over 44 innings, utilizing a primary sinker and slider. He has one of the most dangerous sliders in baseball, throwing it 40% of the time with a .157 batting average against and a .196 slugging percentage. He should help the bullpen significantly down the stretch, especially during the postseason.
Nonetheless, the biggest acquisition for the Yankees is none other than Oakland Athletics star Frankie Montas, their alternative target to Luis Castillo. The Yankees traded JP Sears, Ken Waldichuk, Luis Medina, and Cooper Bowman.
- Yankees claim veteran reliever off of waivers to boost bullpen depth
- Yankees have an overlooked infield prospect making exciting changes at the plate
- Yankees’ Brian Cashman points to major vulnerabilities on the roster
The Yankees still walk away with a top starter to aid the rotation:
Missing out on Castillo was a tough blow for Cashman, but Montas slots in right behind Gerrit Cole as the team’s No. 2 starter. At 29 years old, the Yankees will have him under contract until 2024, when hits free agency.
This season, Montas hosts a 3.18 ERA, 3.21 xFIP, 3.42 SIERA. This is the second time in his career he’s pitched over 100 innings, posting a 73.6% left on base rate and 46.1% ground ball rate. There is a minor concern that Montas gives up a few too many home runs with a 12.6% HR/FB ratio.
Montas utilizes a 4-seam fastball, split-finger fastball, slider, sinker, and cutter. His best pitch is a split-finger basketball, averaging out at 86.4 mph with a .180 batting average against and 33% WHIFF rate.
However, he gets great velocity on his 4-seam, averaging 96.2 mph with a .255 batting average and 28.4% WHIFF rate.
Walking away with Benintendi, Effross, and Montas at the deadline is a huge boost to the Yankees’ World Series aspirations, especially with fatigue settling in.