The New York Yankees' trade deadline was incredibly active. The Yankees made five major deals that strengthened their starting rotation, bullpen, and defense. New York fans are thrilled that Brian Cashman finally shipped Joey Gallo out of town, but the deals that make the New York Yankees World Series favorites, (now +330 on FanDuel), are all about the players coming in.
Here are four reasons these players will help propel the Bronx Bombers to the franchise’s 28th World Series trophy.
New York Yankees trade deadline moves make them World Series favorites
4. The Bullpen
If recent history has taught us anything, having a deep and reliable bullpen is crucial for teams to make a World Series run.
The New York Yankees trade deadline deals included adding two bullpen arms that could help in both the short and long-term.
Scott Effross is a 28-year-old rookie coming over from the Chicago Cubs. The sidearm slinger has 50 strikeouts in 44 innings pitched this year with a 2.66 ERA, 158 ERA+, and 1.068 WHIP. As a first-year player, he’s also under a controllable contract for the next six seasons.
Former Oakland A’s reliever Lou Trivino has struggled this season with a 6.47 ERA, 59 ERA+, and 1.875 WHIP in 32 innings. However, he was the lesser of the players in the deal with Oakland and is only earning $3 million this year. He’s also arbitration-eligible for the next two, so he’s a low-risk, high-reward pickup for the Yankees.
Adding Effross and Trivino to the mix of Aroldis Chapman and Jonathan Loaisiga in front of Clay Holmes gives the New York Yankees World Series-level depth in the bullpen now and gives Aaron Boone a lot of options to choose from.
3. The Starters
The New York Yankees gave up one middling starter and brought in a better one at the 2022 MLB trade deadline.
The Yankees sent out 29-year-old lefty Jordan Montgomery (114.2 IP, 3.69 ERA, 104 ERA+, 1.099 WHIP) to the St. Louis Cardinals in the Harrison Bader deal (more on that below) and got back 22-year-old right-hander Frankie Montas (104.2 IP, 3.18 ERA, 118 ERA+, 1.137 WHIP) from the Oakland A’s.
Montas is an upgrade over Montgomery both now and for the future. In the near term, he’ll slot right into the Yankees rotation alongside Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes, Jameson Taillon, and Luis Severino (when healthy) come playoff time.
The rotation has been a Yankees strength all year, but with Severino out and Taillon and Cortes not looking as good of late (save for Tallion’s last start against the Royals), adding a No. 2 starter in Montas was big for Brian Cashman.
2. The Defense
There’s an old baseball adage that says pitching and defense win championships. Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone didn’t just heed the first part of that cliché at the trade deadline. They addressed the second part, too.
The Yankees added two 2021 Gold Glove-winning outfielders at the deadline, picking up Andrew Benintendi from the Kansas City Royals and Harrison Bader from the St. Louis Cardinals.
A playoff outfield of Benintendi, Bader, and Aaron Judge will be one of the best defensive units in baseball. Adding these two high-caliber players to the OF rotation also gives the Yankees one of the deepest outfields in the league.
High-quality depth is always nice to have, but with the injury history of Judge and Giancarlo Stanton (who’s currently out with an Achilles injury), it’s crucial for New York.
This all hinges on Bader (out since late June with plantar fasciitis) coming back healthy. If he does, though, the speedy centerfielder could make a huge impact in the playoffs. And, as an added bonus, the 28-year-old will instantly be a fan favorite having grown up in nearby Bronxville, NY.
1. The Pinstripes
There are plenty of solid, fact-based arguments to make as to why the New York Yankees trade deadline moves make them the World Series favorite. That said, there is one more reason: Because it’s the New York Yankees!
The new Yankee Stadium may not be the “House That Ruth Built” anymore. However, no one will be surprised if E 161st St in the Bronx still has that October/November magic.
Sure, the Bombers have only won one World Series this century (assuming you start the century in 2001), but when was the last time the franchise had a pitching staff this deep, a hitter chasing baseball history, and as capable of a defense as this?
When the Yankees are this stacked, they usually win it all. That’s how Major League Baseball has worked since the 1920s. And, chances are, that’s how it will go in 2022.
*Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference
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