Criticizing trades and free agent signings (or lack there of) goes hand in hand with being a Yankees fan. No matter what the trade, who the player, and how impressive the stats, we all have an opinion about it. Let’s take a look at where some former Yankees of recent memory are now and what they are doing for their clubs. No Robinson Cano’s or Ichiro Suzuki’s on this list, just a random group of guys that popped into my head. Why? Because what else do I have to do with my time with the Yankees sitting at 16-22?
Martin Prado – traded to the Marlins for Nathan Eovaldi, Garrett Jones and Domingo German. Prado was fun to watch in his brief Yankee career, and if you ask me should still be playing third base in the Bronx. In 35 games for Miami this season, he is hitting a solid .374/.411/.446. He is one year younger than Chase Headley, who is hitting .196/.287/.262 in 34 games. So there’s that.
David Phelps – traded to the Marlins with Prado. In his first year with Miami, he went 4-8 with a 4.50 ERA. So far this season, however, he’s been impressive. Out of the pen, he’s 2-2 with a 1.50 ERA and 28 K’s in 21 games. Miami can use him as a long man or for just a few batters, he’s been pretty versatile for them. Good for “Phelpsy.”
Yangervis Solarte – traded to the Padres for Chase Headley. Another third baseman that could/should have stayed with the club instead of the 52 million dollar man. He’s only played in five games for San Diego this year due to a hamstring strain, but he should be returning to the lineup soon. He’s hit .375 with three doubles, four RBIs and three walks in those five starts. Pretty impressive for such a small sample. In his three years with the club, he has a .271/.328/.410 line with 18 homers and 84 RBIs. When you compare those numbers to Headley’s during his three years with the Yanks (.252/.330/.362 19 homers and 88 RBIs) it might look like a wash. But Headley’s making $13 million this year, Solarte is making $525,000…
Mark Reynolds – signed with the Brewers, now with the Rockies. Yet ANOTHER third baseman that could/should have stayed in the Bronx for way less than $52 million. He signed a minor league contract with Milwaukee in 2014, and made the Opening Day roster out of camp. He hit just .196 in his one year there, but he did have 22 homers in 130 games. He signed with St. Louis for 2015, seeing his average go up to .230 in 10 more games, but had 13 homers. This year with the Rockies seems to be off to a good start. In 33 games, he’s hitting .314/.381/.457 with 2 homers. Oh and he’s making just $2.6 million.
Francisco Cervelli – traded to the Pirates for Justin Wilson. Cervelli signed a three year, $31M extension with the Pirates yesterday to keep him in the Steel City through 2019. He’s stayed healthy while in Pittsburgh, playing in a career high 130 games in 2015 and hitting .295/.370./.401 in the process. He’s played in 34 games so far this year and is batting .289. Good for you Cervelli.
Chris Stewart – traded to the Pirates for cash or player to be named later. Stewart also signed an extension with the Pirates this year. His deal was for two years and a club option third worth $3M. He is Cervelli’s primary backup in Pittsburgh, having played in 10 games with a .241 average, one homer and four RBIs this year.
Justin Wilson – traded to the Tigers for Chad Green and Luis Cessa. Wilson was huge for the Yankees in 2015 and many were sad/mad seeing him go. In 19 relief appearances this year in Detroit, he is 0-1 with a 3.94 ERA and 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings. This one still stings a little.
Adam Warren – traded to the Cubs with Brendan Ryan for Starlin Castro. Warren is living it up in Bean Town with the league leading 27-10 Cubs. He is 3-0 with a 1.84 ERA in 14 relief appearances for the Cubbies. This man just might win a World Series ring this year, knock on wood.
Shawn Kelley – traded to the Padres for Johnny Barbato, now with the Nationals. Kelley did alright with the Padres in 2015, going 2-2 with a 2.45 ERA in 53 appearances. Now in the nation’s capital, he is 1-0 with a non-existent 0.00 ERA in 17 games. This one stings a little still, too.
Shane Greene – traded to the Tigers for Didi Gregorius in three team trade with Arizona. This one actually went in the Yankees favor. In 2015, he went 4-8 with a 6.88 ERA in 18 games (16 starts.) Over the course of the season he would: be demoted to the Minors, lose his spot in the rotation, and go down with an injury that ended his year in August. 2016 isn’t looking too much better for the 27 year old. He’s made four appearances for the Tigers (three starts) and is 1-2 with a 6.28 ERA. Ouch. Sorry bud.
Vidal Nuno – traded to the Diamondbacks for Brandon McCarthy, now with the Mariners. Bet you forgot the name Vidal Nuno, huh? In 2014, he was with the Yanks and Diamondbacks. In 2015, he was with the Diamondbacks and Mariners where he now pitches. So far this season in Seattle, he’s 0-0 with a 1.42 ERA in 15 relief appearances. Not too shabby.
Stephen Drew – nobody cares.
So there you go. This is what you get with the Yankees sitting in the basement of the AL East. For the love of god, somebody give me something to talk about.
