*Photo from The Athletic*
The New York Yankees made another upgrade to their starting rotation. The Yankees have traded for RHP Jameson Taillon from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for prospects Miguel Yajure, Roansy Contreras, Canaan Smith, and Maikol Escotto, according to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Taillon reunites with former teammate and current Yankees ace Gerrit Cole in New York as a result of the trade. Both teams have confirmed the deal.
Taillon last pitched in 2019, going 2-3 with a 4.10 ERA, striking out 30 hitters in 37 1/3 innings pitched across 7 starts for the Pirates before he was shut down and underwent Tommy John surgery, which also held Taillon out of the 2020 season. In his 4 major league seasons, Taillon has a 29-24 record with a 3.67 ERA, throwing 466 innings in 82 starts for the Pirates.
Taillon talked about his recovery from Tommy John surgery recently, saying that "My stuff feels great, the delivery feels great. I feel like I’ve been blessed with another baseball life. I haven’t taken an Aleve or Advil or anything for my arm since surgery. I haven’t been sore one day. I haven’t been concerned about my arm one day. Fastball's there. Spin rate’s gone up. Curveball is sharp. Slider’s improved. None of that matters until I face hitters and go out and prove it, but I’m super-excited with where I’m at. I’m excited to jump on board with their staff and see what they can do to make me even better."
The Yankees are parting with Yajure, who is their 15th ranked prospect according to MLB pipeline, and who could be in line to compete for some major league innings, whether that be in the rotation or the bullpen, with the Pirates this year. Contreras is the 19th ranked prospect in the Yankees system, who will need a little more time in the minors before he can join the Yankees pitching staff. Smith was ranked 21st in the Yankees system, and will also need some time in the minors before he can get into the outfield picture in Pittsburgh. Escotto was ranked outside the top 30, but can still be a major league caliber shortstop when his time comes.
The Yankees rotation, if they didn't make any more moves, features Cole, Taillon, Corey Kluber, and Jordan Montgomery as entrenched pieces, with Domingo German and top prospects Deivi Garcia and Clarke Schmidt looking to compete for innings as well, in addition to Luis Severino, who is expected back from his Tommy John surgery recovery around midseason.
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