Yankees trade for RHP Effross from Cubs
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NEW YORK -- Scott Effross¡¯ name has been on the Yankees¡¯ radar for several months, with analysts and scouts watching intently as the sidearming right-hander carved up National League lineups in a Cubs uniform. The Bombers wanted him, and on Monday, they landed their target.
Effross was acquired from Chicago in exchange for right-hander Hayden Wesneski, who was the Yanks¡¯ No. 7 prospect according to MLB Pipeline. The move was a precursor to a headline-grabbing swap with the Athletics that landed right-handers Frankie Montas and Lou Trivino for four Minor Leaguers.
¡°I¡¯ve heard [Effross'] name a lot. I know our guys have liked him a lot,¡± said Yankees manager Aaron Boone. ¡°And then obviously he¡¯s had a really good season with the Cubs. We¡¯re getting a guy that we feel like gets both handed [hitters] out and is really having one of the better seasons of any reliever in the league.¡±
TRADE DETAILS
Yankees get: RHP Scott Effross
Cubs get: RHP Hayden Wesneski
The Yankees felt that bullpen help was necessary for their postseason drive, especially after season-ending injuries to right-handers Chad Green and Michael King, plus a lingering injury to righty Miguel Castro.
Effross¡¯ lethal sinker-slider combination can help in that regard. After a solid stint with Chicago last year, Effross was enjoying a breakout rookie year out of the Cubs' bullpen this season, posting a 2.66 ERA with 50 strikeouts over 44 innings.
His 47 appearances are tied for the second most in the Majors, and he's held opponents to a .220/.267/.299 (36-for-164) slash line this season, including a .132/.220/.245 (7-for-53) mark vs. left-handers.
Effross has stranded 24 of his 28 inherited runners this year (85.7%), the third-best mark in the NL. He has five more years of club control after 2022.
¡°We think it¡¯s a great addition,¡± Boone said. ¡°Obviously, that sidearm [motion] is a built-in advantage against righties and he¡¯s got that good slider to go with it. But you see against lefties, he¡¯s done even better to this point. He¡¯s got that ability to drive the ball up in the strike zone. He¡¯s got weapons.¡±
Boone said that he expects to use Effross ¡°in a lot of different spots,¡± likely in high-leverage situations from the fifth to seventh innings.
¡°I think Scott has a chance to come in and really complement some of the guys we have in our bullpen,¡± Boone said.
Wesneski, 24, went 6-7 with a 3.51 ERA in 19 starts with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season, and he becomes the No. 8 prospect in the Cubs' system, per MLB Pipeline.
Over three Minor League seasons in the Yankees¡¯ organization, the right-handed pitcher went 18-14 with a 3.52 ERA. He was selected in the sixth round (No. 195 overall) of the 2019 Draft out of Sam Houston State University.
¡°I wish all my pitchers could be like Scotty,¡± said Cubs assistant pitching coach Daniel Moskos, who was Wesneski¡¯s pitching coach last year with Double-A Somerset. ¡°But the fact that we're getting Hayden in return, I am really genuinely excited, not just because I know him, but because I know the caliber of pitcher that we're getting in return. It makes it feel worth it."