How are the Yankees’ erstwhile trade targets doing with their new teams?

The 2019 trade deadline is approaching its one-month anniversary, and while the Yankees’ starting rotation has looked better since July 31, it’s still a weakness. There’s no longer an August wavier trade deadline, so for the most part, every team has its final rosters. With that said, let’s check in on how the players who we thought could be in pinstripes are faring with their new teams.

Marcus Stroman

The cross-town rival Mets swooped in out of nowhere two days before the deadline to land the Long Island native. Stroman was rumored to have wanted to play in the Bronx. He was quoted saying, “I love it, New York’s like the Mecca of the world. I love excitement. I love bright lights. I love competition. I love pressure.” He did get his wish to pitch in New York, just not with the team everyone, including Stroman himself, presumed it would be for.

He’s been a decent addition to an already dominant starting rotation. In three starts for the Amazins’, Stroman has pitched to a 5.17 ERA, but that could be reflective of his .386 BABIP, which is getting unlucky. His ERA may not be impressive, but an xFIP of 4.30 makes him look a bit better. The “Stro Show” has still been able to live up to the hype for being able to induce a ton of groundballs, but he also has surrendered an unusual amount of free passes to batters. He currently has a walk rate of 12.3% with the Mets, which would be the highest of his career. If he can limit those walks and his BABIP lowers, he’d make the Mets staff markedly better.

Trevor Bauer

Bauer was involved in a crazy three-team trade between the Indians, Reds, and Padres that shipped him from Northern Ohio to Southern Ohio. Since joining the Reds, Bauer has hurled 23.0 innings with a 5.87 ERA. Like Stroman, we shouldn’t let the small-sample ERA deceive us, as he owns an xFIP of 4.08. Three out of his four starts have come against playoff contenders in the Braves, Cubs, and Nationals.

More impressively, he has 30 total strikeouts since the deadline, including 11 against Chicago and 11 against San Diego. One could argue the main reason the Indians decided to move on from such a talented pitcher like Bauer was because of the tantrums he’d throw, most notably the one in his last start in a Cleveland uniform. Terry Francona expressed his displeasure with his actions and said there would be consequences. Those consequences may have taken the form of his trade to Cincinnati and out of the playoff picture.

Tanner Roark

From one current Red, to a former one. The 32-year-old righty has had three starts in an A’s uniform, and all have been extremely impressive. He has an ERA of 2.55, with a 1.19 WHIP. Along with those superb numbers, he’s had two quality starts, one against the White Sox, and one against the Astros. Both of those outings were almost identical. He went at least six innings, allowing just two runs and six hits in both of the games. Roark may be getting pretty lucky, however, as his hard hit percentage is almost 50%, but his BABIP is .286. We’ll see if that catches up to him.

Shane Greene

The former Yankee had some rumors swirl that he could be on his way back to the Bronx, but the Braves scooped him up before Brian Cashman could get his hands on the reliever. Greene has primarily been the set-up man in the bullpen for Atlanta. He’s been called upon 10 times with his new team, but has been roughed up a bit, to the tune of 15 hits, seven earned runs, and two long balls in 8.1 innings. Batters have been getting some good wood on his pitches but he’s been able to miss bats as well. With 11 Ks and an xFIP of 2.97, Greene should be able to get back on track and help his new team throughout the season, and into October.

Zack Greinke

Yes, I know. Greinke had the Yankees on his no-trade list and the Yankees never showed much interest in him. Since the Bombers and the ‘Stros are fighting for the top seed in the playoffs, I figured I’d touch on him too.

As advertised, Greinke has been outstanding for Houston. So far, he’s made three starts, all of which were quality starts. Take a look at the numbers for yourself:

FanGraphs

Fans may go back-and-forth with each other on whether or not any of these players would have made a significant impact on the Yankees. All have been good in spurts and shaky in others with their new ballclubs. As the season continues to wind down to the final stretch, we’ll see how important these moves turn out to be.