The Yankees’ trade deadline this year was a dud, no offense to Keynan Middleton.
Stuck between going for it and selling, the Yankees basically stood pat and then went 27-29 the rest of the way.
The good news? They did not go through another gutting of their upper-level starting-pitching depth to chase a short-term gain.
Since the 2021 trade deadline, the Yankees have shipped out arms including JP Sears, Ken Waldichuk and Luis Medina (the Frankie Montas trade); Glenn Otto (the Joey Gallo trade); Hayden Wesneski (the Scott Effross trade); and T.J. Sikkema and Beck Way (the Andrew Benintendi trade).
After only trading away High-A starter Juan Carela for Middleton at this year’s deadline, along with the development of some of the top younger arms in their system, the Yankees now have reset the quality of their upper-level pitching depth. It has them set up to better survive the inevitable run of injuries at the major league level next season — or to use that depth to cash in on a trade this offseason.
In case you have been living under a rock, the Padres appear headed for a Juan Soto trade. They just so happen to be starved for rotation help. The Yankees are starved for a left-handed bat such as Soto.
Even if that deal does not come to fruition, the Yankees could pursue other outfielders via the trade market and perhaps again deal from their upper-level pitching depth to get something done.
That depth begins with Clarke Schmidt and Michael King, both of whom currently project to be parts of next year’s rotation, unless the Yankees are able to land Yoshinobu Yamamoto and they become expendable.
King, of course, could always return to the bullpen, but his late-season jump to the rotation looked worthy of a longer look. His potential as a starter, along with Schmidt proving he could handle a steady workload, also could make them intriguing to opposing clubs who need controllable, relatively cheap arms.
The next tier includes four pitchers who already have made their MLB debuts: Randy Vasquez, Jhony Brito, Luis Gil and Yoendrys Gomez. Vasquez and Brito were forced into duty this year because of injuries to the Yankees’ rotation. They were both solid, if inconsistent.
Brito certainly looked like he found a home late as a multi-inning reliever when he stepped into King’s role. The Yankees aren’t going to close the door on Brito being a starter until they have to, but his future might be as a reliever.
Vasquez seemed to have a higher potential as a starter, though he is far from a finished product. Gil spent this year rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and should be ready to go for spring training. What kind of a pitcher he can get back to being remains to be seen. Gomez’s career has been set back by multiple injuries that may have him pegged as a future reliever.
The rest of the Yankees’ MLB-ready or near-ready pitching depth includes the reigning (Double-A) Eastern League Pitcher of the Year, an Eastern-League All-Star and the (High-A) South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Year, and that doesn’t even account for the prospect who might have the most helium out of all of them.
Here’s a closer look at that group:
Will Warren, RHP
2024 age (on Opening Day): 24
ETA: 2024
An eighth-round pick in 2021 out of Southeastern Louisiana, Warren has been on a bit of a fast track — similar to the next two pitchers on this list — since making his organizational debut. He split 2023 between Double-A Somerset (six starts, 2.45 ERA, 39 strikeouts in 29 ⅓ innings) and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (19 starts, 3.61 ERA, 110 strikeouts in 99 ⅔ innings). He is expected to make his MLB debut at some point next season, likely to be one of the first arms up when the Yankees need it.
Drew Thorpe, RHP
2024 age: 23
ETA: Late 2024/Early 2025
Twitter/@SOMPatriots
The Yankees drafted Thorpe in the second round in 2022 out of Cal Poly before sending him to High-A Hudson Valley to start this season for his affiliated debut. He immediately took off, posting a 2.81 ERA with 138 strikeouts in 109 innings at High-A — earning South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Year honors — before he finished the season by making five starts with Somerset, posting a 1.48 ERA with 44 strikeouts in 30 ⅓ innings. Known for a strong changeup, Thorpe’s stock rose plenty this year.
Chase Hampton, RHP
2024 age: 22
ETA: Late 2024/Early 2025
Another college pitcher who made his organizational debut this year and gained plenty of steam. A sixth-round pick out of Texas Tech in 2022, Hampton also split the year between Hudson Valley (nine starts, 2.68 ERA, 77 strikeouts in 47 innings) and Somerset (11 starts, 4.98 ERA, 68 strikeouts in 59 ⅔ innings). There are some who believe that Hampton has the highest ceiling of anyone on this list.
Clayton Beeter, RHP
2024 age: 25
ETA: 2024
The Yankees’ best chance at recouping some value from the Joey Gallo experiment. Beeter was acquired from the Dodgers when the Yankees finally cut their losses on Gallo at the 2022 trade deadline, and he took a step closer to helping them when he was added to the 40-man roster in November. Beeter got as close as Triple-A this year, posting a 4.94 ERA in 14 starts (89 strikeouts in 71 innings) after acing Double-A to start the year with a 2.08 ERA in 12 starts (76 strikeouts in 60 ⅔ innings).
Richard Fitts
2024 age: 24
ETA: 2024
Twitter/@SOMPatriots
Perhaps the most unheralded name on this list, Fitts is coming off a strong season in which he was named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Year for recording a 3.48 ERA and 163 strikeouts across 152 ⅔ innings — a hefty workload. Fitts fits the Yankees’ type: he was their sixth-round pick in 2021 out of Auburn and should begin 2024 at Triple-A.
Cleared for landing
The increasing talk about Soto possibly landing with the Yankees reminds me of the All-Star Game week in Los Angeles in 2022.
That was when news first broke about the Nationals likely trading Soto, and the media day at Dodger Stadium became a field day with Soto facing questions about his uncertain future and other players talking about potentially becoming his teammate.
We were there to ask Yankees and Mets players about that — of course, both teams lost out to the Padres in those sweepstakes — but Aaron Judge and Gerrit Cole didn’t exactly shy away from the idea.
“That’d be pretty special,” Judge said then of sharing an outfield with Soto. “He’s a generational talent, that’s for sure. Great left-handed bat that hits for average, hits for power, walks. He’s a competitor. He’s played in big games. That’d be pretty cool, but it’s tough to talk about hypotheticals.”
Cole added that day: “I would love to have him. You know where I really don’t want him going — I don’t want him going up to Boston. But if he’s going to go, I want him to come to us. He’s gonna be a generational great, so whatever organization gets him, if they do indeed trade him, is going to be in a good spot for the next — well, if they can keep him for the next 10 years.”
A good man about town
Here’s hoping Luis Severino will be as good for the Mets’ writers as he was for the Yankees beat.
Severino, who agreed to a one-year, $13 million deal with the Mets on Wednesday, was always an entertaining interview, especially in his last few seasons in The Bronx. Even during his brutal season this year, he never shied away from inquiring reporters, instead just becoming more self-deprecating even while maintaining his confidence.
Severino was also beloved inside the Yankees’ clubhouse, which helped him get through the year.
“We’re fortunate that we have such a good human being that’s able to absorb all those challenges and still be able to be present and involved in their team,” Cole told The Post in August. “He’s just a big part personality-wise in what we do around here.”
Read more
