Scott Effross trade details: Yankees get desperately-needed bullpen help, but at a cost

New York Yankees acquire Scott Effross from Chicago Cubs for a top-10 prospect. The Yanks got the bullpen help they needed.

The New York Yankees have had more bullpen issues than most other teams around the league this year. While Clay Holmes has emerged as a relief-ace, Aroldis Chapman has struggled mightily and each of Zack Britton, Chad Green and Michael King are out for the year.

Earlier Monday, the club announced that it has acquired sidearmer Scott Effross from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for No. 7 prospect Hayden Wesneski.

While dealing a top-10 prospect is never ideal, the Yankees received a 28-year-old reliever with plenty of contract control. That’s tough to come by in today’s game.

MLB Trade Deadline: Yankees acquire Scott Effross from Cubs

In Effross, the Yankees are bringing in a 28-year-old submarine pitcher that is in the middle of his rookie season in the big leagues. He has 47 games under his belt for the Cubs this year, posting a 2.66 ERA with an even more impressive 2.19 FIP. Effross has allowed just two home runs in 44 innings, striking out 50 batters and issuing only 11 walks.

Aside from his sidearm windup that has largely gone the way of the Dodo, there isn’t much flashy about Effross but he has been quietly dominant this year. His repertoire features a sweeping slider and two wipeout pitches in a heavy sinker and changeup that he relies on heavily. The slider has allowed just a .157 batting average this season and the changeup just .094.

One of the most important notes in the Yankees’ newest reliever is the fact that he is still under team control for five more seasons, not hitting free agency until 2028. If he is able to continue this early-career success, he will be one of the more valuable relief pitchers in the game in short order.

Wesneski’s inclusion in this trade is something of a surprise for sure. Wesneski was the No. 7 prospect in the Yankees system at the time of the trade’s announcement.

On the season, Wesneski has spent his time pitching out of the starting rotation for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, the Yankees Triple-A affiliate. In 19 starts on the season, he is 6-7 with a 3.51 ERA, striking out 83 and walking 28 in 89+ innings. His repertoire consists of a mid-to-high-90’s fastball, a high-80’s changeup and a wipeout slider/curveball that routinely sits around 80mph.

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The addition of Wesneski to the Cubs system is a big one for them, he could feasibly jump right on to the active roster once the deal is made official but will more likely head to Triple-A Iowa with his big league debut coming next season.