Every New York Yankees fan keeps waiting for the team to take a big swing ahead of Thursday's trade deadline, the huge acquitision that will reverse this midsummer swoon and put a season on the brink back on the right track. Instead, Brian Cashman just keeps on tinkering at the margins: First he passed on Eugenio Suarez in favor of Ryan McMahon, then he added utility man Amed Rosario from the Washington Nationals, and now he's reportedly acquired veteran outfielder Austin Slater from the Chicago White Sox.
The New York Yankees have acquired outfielder Austin Slater in a trade with the Chicago White Sox, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 30, 2025
The YES Network's Jack Curry reports that New York will be sending righty High-A Gage Ziehl, their No. 18 prospect per MLB Pipeline, to Chicago in return.
No, this isn't the splash everyone's been waiting for. And if this is the sum total of Cashman's deadline haul when the dust settles, there will be a lot of explaining to do. But the reality is that New York had several holes on this roster, more than could be plugged in one deal, and there are still more than 24 hours to go for the team to keep on adding talent. Slater isn't a star by any means, but it's easy to see why Cashman wanted to bring him aboard.
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MLB trade grades: Yankees find another bench bat who can help
The Yankees needed to lengthen their bench, and they especially needed to add pieces they could plug into the lineup against left-handed pitching. It's been a bugaboo for this team all year, and it looms even larger with Aaron Judge on the IL; both Jasson Dominguez and Trent Grisham have struggled against lefties, leaving New York short on answers.
And if there's one thing Slater is good for, it's mashing southpaws. He has a .798 OPS against lefties in his career, and he's slashed .261/.338/.522 off of them so far in 2025. He's not someone you want to be an everyday player, but he has a long track record of doing real damage in the right spots. The Yankees can put him in those spots consistently, with Dominguez, Grisham and Cody Bellinger manning the grass against righties and Slater only swapping in against left-handers. And he's a perfectly solid defender in either corner spot, too.
Again, Cashman still needs to take some big swings, particularly in the bullpen, if he wants to make something of this season. But those deals will likely come all the way down to the wire; in the meantime, Slater provides a meaningful upgrade to what had been a weakness for this team, and he didn't cost all that much to acquire.
Yankees trade grade: B
A fourth-round pick out of Miami in last year's draft, Ziehl just made his High-A debut last week, allowing one run on three hits over four innings of work. The Yankees are still letting him start for now, but his lack of a consistent third pitch suggests that his ultimate home in the Majors might be as a reliever.
To be clear, he could be a very good one, with a big, bending sweeper that's become a Yankees speciality in recent years complimenting his mid-90s fastball. There could be 7th-inning profile here, and if he's able to make some gains with his changeup, his above-average command could allow him to stick in the back end of Chicago's rotation. He's an expendable piece for New York, but for two months of a veteran who didn't figure into the White Sox' long-term plans, this is good value.