Yankees trade Jose Pirela to Padres for Ron Herrera

The Yankees have made their first trade of the offseason, and it's quite the doozy. New York has sent infielder Jose Pirela to the Padres in return for minor league pitcher Ron Herrera, in a move that is likely designed to clear some space off the 40-man roster for what could end up being a busy offseason.

The initial reaction from many is going to be disappointment, especially for a return like Herrera, but even an optimist has to see that Jose Pirela was just never going to amount to much in pinstripes. The 25-year-old infielder was stuck in Double-A Trenton for three years before moving up the Scranton and was never expected to be much of a contributor. His right-handed bat made him intriguing to the Yankees and he was given a chance to hit against lefties in the big leagues, but he only contributed a .255/.275/.367 batting line over his two big league seasons and was never expected to get an regular playing time. Second base might be a question right now, but if Rob Refsndyer's defense isn't enough, Pirela's didn't stand a chance.

The return for Pirela is at least slightly intriguing as Herrera is a 20-year-old right-handed pitcher, who reached Double-A in 2015. San Diego acquired him in 2014 to complete the Kyle Blanks trade, and over the last two years Herrera has pitched 270+ innings to make him a much-needed depth option in the upper minors. He shows solid control without many strikeouts and has mediocre numbers overall, but he has a chance to develop as a longman/spot starter and maybe amount to something from there.

The Yankees aren't really going to miss Jose Pirela, but it's always disappointing to see a former prospect go for someone unexciting. Right now, the Yankees just need pitching depth more than they need another bat-first bench option. Hopefully, the Padres give him a real shot.

Actually, this sounds pretty legit:

Scout on RHP Ronald Herrera: "20 year old who was up to AA this year. Can command 3 pitches, potential for solid ML breaking ball. Up to 95"

— Lohud Yankees Blog (@LoHudYankees) November 11, 2015