The New York Yankees have been active on Tuesday, working to strengthen their pitching staff. They added Mark Leiter Jr. to the bullpen, a high-upside arm, in exchange for several prospects.
Yankees’ Active Trade Day
However, the Yankees made another move about 30 minutes later, sending lefty bullpen arm Caleb Ferguson to the Houston Astros in exchange for a minor-league prospect and international pool money, per Jack Curry of the YES Network.
Assessing Ferguson’s Performance
Ferguson, 28, who was recently acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers this past off-season, has struggled with the Yankees this year. Over 33.1 innings, Ferguson recorded a 5.13 ERA, including 11.07 strikeouts per nine innings, 4.32 walks per nine innings, a 62.2% left-on-base rate, and a 45.8% ground ball rate.
In other words, Ferguson was extremely ineffective, and the Yankees needed to move on, opting to trade him to one of their rivals. The international money could prove valuable, especially if they aim to tap into the Central American talent pool again.
Strategic Advantages of the Trade
The Yankees have been extremely effective at finding quality pieces to develop in their farm system, so acquiring additional funds to support that is a prudent move.
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Anticipation of Further Activity
The Yankees are still expected to make another significant trade ahead of the 6 PM deadline, but activity is intensifying as we approach that deadline.