Yankees acquire Leiter Jr. from Cubs for 2 prospects
Bryan Hoch
PHILADELPHIA — Mark Leiter Jr. will become the third member of his family to pitch for the Yankees, as the right-handed reliever was acquired from the Cubs in exchange for two prospects in advance of Tuesday’s 6 p.m. ET Trade Deadline.
Leiter Jr. will follow his father, Mark Sr. (1990) and uncle Al (1987-89, 2005) in donning the pinstripes, counted upon to provide a swing-and-miss presence that the club’s bullpen has sorely lacked this season.
In exchange for the 33-year-old Leiter Jr., the Yankees swapped right-hander Jack Neely, who was the club’s No. 22 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, and infielder Ben Cowles, the club’s former No. 29 prospect.
Leiter Jr. had a 2-4 record and 4.21 ER in 39 appearances for the Cubs, striking out 53 batters in 36 1/3 innings — a 13.13 K/9.0 ratio that ranked as the fifth-highest among National League relievers and 10th highest among Major League relievers.
With a 34.9% strikeout rate (53 Ks / 152 batters faced), Leiter Jr. ranked fifth among NL relievers, while his 14.3 inherited runners scored percentage (3-of-21) was the NL’s best and the third-lowest in the Majors.
Since returning from the injured list on July 9, Leiter Jr. has retired each of his 23 batters faced over seven relief appearances, recording 14 strikeouts during that stretch (7.2 innings).
Opponents have especially struggled against Leiter Jr.’s splitter this season: 3-for-57 (.053), with no extra-base hits. He has also held left-handed batters to a .213 batting average and .657 OPS in his career.
With the bullpen, rotation and a corner infield bat thought to be on the Yankees’ wish list ahead of the Trade Deadline, the Yanks also reportedly tweaked their bullpen by trading left-hander Caleb Ferguson to the Astros for a prospect and international bonus pool money, according to the YES Network.
Tuesday’s trade for Leiter Jr. follows a move this past weekend to acquire infielder/outfielder Jazz Chisholm, Jr. from the Marlins in exchange for three Minor League prospects. After the Yanks’ 14-4 win over the Phillies on Monday, captain Aaron Judge said he is hoping to see the club do more.
“Other teams are making moves,” Judge said. “Hopefully we start making moves too. We’ll see.”
