Yankees add bullpen depth and sweet swing music at 2024 trade deadline

The MLB Trade Deadline has officially passed, and after a few hours (and a rather exciting Yankees game to watch) to digest everything that went on, the baseball media and fan sphere reached a general conclusion that suggested it was one of the rarer deadlines on which the selling teams benefitted more than the buying teams.

The Yankees made their fair share of moves, trying to shore up some of their bigger weaknesses, like the left side of the infield at third base and the bullpen, which worked. However, there were many fans wanting more in terms of pitching or infield help that the Yankees, for one reason or another, did not end up with.

The first move that general manager Brian Cashman made was well in advance of the 6 p.m. ET deadline on July 30th, acquiring Jazz Chisholm Jr. from the Miami Marlins in exchange for three prospects: catcher Agustin Ramirez and infielders Jared Serna and Abrahan Rodriguez.

Chisholm has been simply fantastic since arriving in the Yankees clubhouse. Despite his first game with the club not going as well as he may have wanted it (even though he still registered his first hit as a Yankee, stole a base, and scored a run), it has been the last two games against the Phillies in which he has showcased his capabilities, all while juggling the burdens of learning a new position: third base. He has hit two home runs in both games against the Phillies, including a massive one to put the Yankees on top in the second game of the series.

Oh, and while the sample size is small, he certainly seems to be embracing his new role on the hot corner, making some fantastic plays since being placed there:

Obviously, regression will do its thing, and the Yankees lineup will have to supplement Jazz’s four home runs in the last three games with offense in other areas, but as far as making a first impression goes, you can’t get much better than that.

Speaking of first impressions, the Yankees also made a deal with the Chicago Cubs to acquire Mark Leiter Jr., the first of two deals for relief pitchers made before the deadline (avoiding some of the high prospect costs around the game). The Yankees sent shortstop Ben Cowles and pitcher Jack Neely to Chicago for the bullpen help, and after flying to Philadelphia on the same day, Leiter made his first appearance in a Yankee uniform in extra innings, where he showcased his arsenal and proved why he was worth the move working his way out of a bases-loaded jam.

Finally, the Yankees acquired another reliever, Enyel De Los Santos, from the San Diego Padres. He’ll be activated today, though it’s unknown if he’ll debut tonight, or if New York will wait until after the offday to see what he’s got on Friday against the Toronto Blue Jays. De Los Santos has struggled with San Diego this season, posting a 4.46 ERA with a 4.41 xERA, 5.36 FIP, and 3.86 xFIP in tow. His main issue has been the home run, sitting with the highest HR/9 of his career in any season he’s pitched more than 35 innings. However, his strikeouts per nine innings are also the highest of his career, so there are some positives, along with his three-pitch mix (fastball, slider, changeup), for Matt Blake and the coaching staff to work with.

The Yankees' biggest miss of the day was Jack Flaherty, who was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers from the Detroit Tigers instead. Flaherty has had a very strong year in Detroit, and the Yankees could have used him in their starting rotation. However, during the game against the Phillies, Ken Rosenthal reported that the Yankees had a “preliminary deal” in place, but they backed out due to medical concerns for the 28-year-old righty.

There was also the miss on Rays third baseman Yandy Díaz, who was rumored to be heading to either the Yankees or the Houston Astros. However, the fact that he wasn’t dealt at all helps cure the sting a little bit in contrast to if he was moved to one of the Yankees' biggest rivals, if not the biggest.

So, all in all, this is what came out of the 2024 trade deadline for the Yankees:

In: IF/OF Jazz Chisholm Jr. (Marlins), RHP Mark Leiter Jr. (Cubs), RHP Enyel De Los Santos (Padres), RHP Thomas Balboni Jr. (Astros)

Out: C Agustin Ramirez, IF Jared Serna, and IF Abrahan Rodriguez (Marlins); LHP Caleb Ferguson (Astros); SS Ben Cowles and RHP Jack Neely (Cubs); Brandon Lockridge (Padres)

While some of the big names that were on trade boards aren’t on their way to join the Yankees, there are still some positives to take out of the deadline overall. Could the Yankees have made an extra move or two, like taking the risk on Flaherty’s injury history? Sure. But, if the move doesn’t work out in their favor and Flaherty ends up like Frankie Montas, then it would be a “Why did you even trade for this guy?” type of situation for Cashman.

Chisholm is the big-name acquisition for the deadline, and how many fans will look at everything will likely depend on how he’s playing at any given moment. But it doesn’t feel as if this was either a particularly stellar deadline or a particularly poor one.