The New York Yankees are acquiring right-handed reliever Scott Effross from the Chicago Cubs, according to Jack Curry of YES Network. The Cubs will receive right-hander Hayden Wesneski in return, according to Ken Rosenthal.
Effross, 28 years old, has made 61 career appearances in the majors. Across those outings, he’s amassed a 2.91 ERA (146 ERA+) and a 5.67 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He’s technically still a rookie, meaning that the Yankees could theoretically retain his rights well into the future, through the 2027 season.
The Cubs have added enough veteran relievers this offseason that it might take some time before Effross gets a real look. That’s fine. He waited until he was nearly 28 years old to get his first big-league taste, and he responded by striking out 18 and walking one in 14 2/3 innings. Effross is a sidearmer with a release point that, height-wise anyway, is similar to the Rays‘ Ryan Thompson. His sinker checks in the low-90s and his slider is a sweeper that recorded a whiff rate north of 40 percent. There’s a useful middle reliever in here, and it’s a matter of time before that’s proved.
The Yankees could use the help given the number of injuries in their bullpen. Entering Monday, the Yankees were down five notable relievers: Michael King and Chad Green (both out for the season), Miguel Castro, Stephen Ridings, and Zack Britton, who is expected to make his return to a big-league mound later this month.
The Cubs, for their part, add the 24-year-old Wesneski. He’s spent the season in Triple-A, tallying a 3.51 ERA and a 2.96 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Baseball America recently ranked him as the No. 4 prospect in the system, noting that he needed to improve his command and control to reach his ceiling as a “No. 4 or 5 caliber starter.”
