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One of Brian Cashman’s first trades before the deadline wasn’t one that many Yankees fans saw coming. On Wednesday he acquired speedy outfielder Terrance Gore, from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for cash considerations.
Gore, 28, has been in the big leagues since 2014, but has only recorded 68 at-bats. His career slash-line stands at .224/.325/.284. No, those numbers are not impressive, but they don’t necessarily need to be. He’s not here to hit bombs or hit gap-to-gap, he’s here for one thing: to run.
This season, Gore has stolen 13 bags in 37 games, and is 40-for-49 in his career. His sprint speed is 29.9 ft/sec per Statcast, which is good for seventh fastest in the league. Here’s a wild stat: he’s one of two players in MLB history to have more than 40 stolen bases, but have fewer than 20 career hits!
With that said, the Yankees will continue to use Gore just as he’s always been used—as a pinch-runner. We likely won’t see him in the majors until September/playoff time, however, as he has reported to the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. While his bat may not be a game-changer, his ridiculous speed is.
The Yankees have acquired Terrance Gore from the Kansas City Royals. In his six seasons, he has been used mainly as a pinch runner, which could certainly help New York in late innings during the postseason. Here's an example of how his speed can completely change a baseball game: pic.twitter.com/9WgmOvMOUg
— Jake Montgomery (@JakeM0NTGOMERY) July 17, 2019
You may be wondering how Tyler Wade ties into all this. Well, Wade was often used as New York’s pinch-runner before the acquisition of Gore. With Gleyber Torres holding down second, Didi Gregorius at short, and DJ LeMahieu rotating around the diamond, it’s hard to see where Wade fits in with the Yankees. He may never put the pinstripes on again.
The 24-year-old middle infielder has played in just 20 major-league games this year, though he has produced in the minors. He’s hitting .307/.356/.447 with an OPS of .804 over 60 minor-league games in 2019. He is also top-five on the team in hits (70), doubles (15), and stolen bases (10).
His Triple-A success, however, haven’t translated to the majors. In 172 career at-bats, he owns a .173/.247/.237 line with a garish OPS of .484. He also hasn’t swiped as many bags in the big leagues, with just seven steals with the Yankees. His glove hasn’t flashed either, at least in a small sample. In his three years in the Bronx, his UZR/150 is -4.9 at second base, and -9.9 at shortstop. Small-sample defensive stats shouldn’t be taken as gospel, but it’s not a good sign that Wade has fared poorly so far wherever he’s been in the field.
Wade could have a decent career in the majors, but it might not be with Yankees. That’s not a knock on him, but there’s just too much talent in front of him. For example, when Gregorius, Troy Tulowitzki, and Miguel Andujar were all on the injured list, Thairo Estrada was the one called up to be a replacement, not Wade. With the trade deadline approaching, Wade could find himself in a different uniform, and it could be the best for him.
With Cashman appearing to choose Gore as the team’s pinch-runner, Wade finds himself without use to the big league squad. For the better of both parties, the Yankees should find a different landing spot for the young infielder come July 31. By trading for Gore, they could be hinting that a move is soon to come.