The New York Yankees boosted their bullpen hours before Tuesday’s 6 p.m. trade deadline.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported the Bronx Bombers have acquired right-handed reliever Mark Leiter Jr. from the Chicago Cubs. The Yankees sent infielder Benjamin Cowles and righty reliever Jack Neely to Wrigleyville in return.
Trade news: The New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs are in agreement on a trade that will send right-handed reliever Mark Leiter Jr. to the Yankees and infielder Ben Cowles and right-handed reliever Jack Neely to the Cubs, sources tell me and @kileymcd.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 30, 2024
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Leiter should immediately slot into a setup role with the Yankees. His ERA isn’t pretty at 4.21, but his FIP is a stellar 2.11. He throws a variety of breaking pitches, mostly sinkers and splitters, and also features a curveball and sweeper. This helps him induce plenty of grounders and miss even more bats. His whiff rate is 37% and he averages over 13 strikeouts per nine innings (K/9).
It’s a bit of a homecoming for Mark Leiter Jr., even though he’s never once been in the Yankees’ system. His father, Mark Sr., debuted in New York in 1990, and his uncle Al played two stints in the Bronx as well.
The younger Leiter can now look forward to, most likely, becoming the Yankees’ main setup man. All too often have they relied on Luke Weaver to work multiple innings, or for Clay Holmes to get more than three outs. It’s also worth noting that while the Yankees’ bullpen ranks sixth with a 3.63 ERA, it ranks 17th with 8.86 K/9.
Thus, expect Mark Leiter Jr. to be the Yankees’ automatic strikeout guy out of the bullpen. Odds are he’ll see most of his action in the seventh or eighth innings. If Holmes struggles his way out of the closer’s job, Leiter is probably most likely to take the ball in the ninth.
New York still needs plenty of pieces, namely a righty-hitting infielder and a back-end arm. Brian Cashman has four hours left. Let’s see him really get to work.
The Yankees sit a half-game behind the first-place Baltimore Orioles in the AL East.
FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: Yankees acquire RP Mark Leiter Jr. from Chicago Cubs | Elite Sports NY