The New York Yankees have acquired outfielder Austin Slater from the Chicago White Sox for minor league pitcher Gage Ziehl, per YES Network’s Jack Curry.
Slater is the second right-handed bat the Yankees have acquired since star outfielder and team captain Aaron Judge hit the injured list with an elbow strain. Over the weekend, New York traded pitcher Clayton Beeter to the Nationals for Amed Rosario.
Slater, a nine-year veteran, has hit .236 with five homers, 11 RBI, and a .721 OPS in 51 games with the White Sox this year. Those numbers may seem pedestrian, but let’s also note that Slater is batting .261 with an .859 OPS against lefties this season. Slater has also hit .270 with a .798 OPS against southpaws for his career.
Additionally, Slater has played for the Giants, Orioles, and Reds.
In Slater, the Yankees get another right-handed bat who can rake left-handed pitching. It wouldn’t be at all surprising if Austin Slater became the new everyday left-fielder in these matchups. The switch-hitting Jasson Dominguez is only batting .207 versus lefties this season compared to .285 against right-handers. Dominguez, though improving, is also a liability with the glove this season, posting -6 defensive runs saved (DRS) in left with a -8 fielding run value (FRV).
Austin Slater isn’t much of a fielder himself, he only has a +1 DRS and FRV in left field this season. Yet, given the Yankees’ struggles swinging the bat for the past month-plus, general manager Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone are building a lineup to score runs early and by any means necessary. Home runs may be king, but they need baserunners too.
However, this also leaves the Yankees with a sudden glut of outfielders. Look at it this way. Even with Judge’s injury, the outfield is set from left to right: Dominguez, Trent Grisham, and Cody Bellinger. Adding Rosario also makes things tougher, even more so if regular DH Giancarlo Stanton takes the field while Judge is limited to DHing himself.
But wait, that’s not the only roster calculus that needs doing. Adding Austin Slater means freeing up an extra roster spot, so what’s next? Does Cashman gamble on Anthony Volpe’s glove at shortstop and finally cut Oswald Peraza? What about sending JC Escarra to the minors and making Ben Rice the official backup catcher?
Not to mention, this isn’t the end of the Yankees’ making trades by any stretch. The team desperately needs pitching both in the rotation and the bullpen. Trading for the Rockies’ Jake Bird would be both helpful and inexpensive. Rumor has it the Cardinals are also trying to unload closer Ryan Helsley. The Pirates are willing to move everyone except Paul Skenes, so maybe David Bednar and/or Mitch Keller could be Bronx-bound.
But for now, the Yankees trail the first-place Blue Jays by four games. They coughed up the AL East lead because they couldn’t score runs. Adding Austin Slater provides a livelier bat against lefties and hopefully boosts the offense while Judge is out.
Stay tuned to ESNY for more updates from the MLB trade deadline.
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