The New York Yankees and Pittsburgh Pirates have hooked up for yet another trade. On Sunday the Pirates acquired lefty Manny Bañuelos from the Yankees in a minor cash trade, the two teams announced. New York designated Bañuelos for assignment Tuesday and had a week to trade him, release him, or place him on waivers.
Bañuelos, 31, was a top prospect with the Yankees in the early 2010s who was eventually traded away and never did show staying power in the big leagues. He posted to a 6.31 ERA in 77 innings with the Atlanta Braves and Chicago White Sox from 2015-19, then pitched in Mexico and Taiwan before returning to the Yankees on a minor-league deal this spring.
Called up on May 26, Bañuelos allowed two runs in 8 1/3 innings as a mop up reliever with the Yankees before being dropped from the roster. "It's huge for me ... I never gave up. This is my dream, (not only) pitching in the big leagues but with the Yankees," Bañuelos told the New York Post after being called up. His fastball sat 93.9 mph in those 8 1/3 innings, up significantly from his prior MLB stints.
For the Pirates, this is simply a matter of adding pitching depth with some semblance upside. Lefties with good velocity are always in demand and Bañuelos missed bats with both his slider and curveball with the Yankees. The Pirates have enough of a need that he could land in their rotation. At a minimum, Bañuelos can give Pittsburgh multiple innings out of the bullpen.
This is the seventh trade the Pirates and Yankees have made since 2016. Most recently, they hooked up for the Jameson Taillon and Clay Holmes trades last year.