After a month of looking quite beatable, the Yankees and general manager Brian Cashman overhauled their pitching staff on Monday, less than a day before MLB’s trade deadline.
They made a pair of transactions before Monday’s game against the Mariners in The Bronx, with right-hander Frankie Montas and reliever Lou Trivino coming over from the A’s in exchange for four minor leaguers — and Scott Effross coming over from the Cubs, with another minor league pitcher going to Chicago.
“There’s no question we added more in those specific positions, high-caliber players,’’ Aaron Boone said following the trades. “On paper, we’re better. But I will caution, that’s just on paper. We’ve got to go out and prove it.”
They mortgaged a considerable amount of their minor league pitching capital to do it, with highly-considered pitching prospects Ken Waldichuk (ranked fifth in the Yankees’ system by MLB Pipeline), Luis Medina (No. 10) and lefty JP Sears — as well as infielder Cooper Bowman (No. 20) — going to Oakland and Hayden Wesneski going to the Cubs. The Yankees have so far held on to their two top prospects, shortstops Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza.
But with a starting rotation showing signs of cracking behind Gerrit Cole and Nestor Cortes — and having lost out on their primary target, Luis Castillo — they made the move for Montas.
Castillo ended up going from Cincinnati to the Mariners and he’s scheduled to start against the Yankees in The Bronx on Wednesday against Cole.
Montas, 29, was forced from a July 3 start with right shoulder inflammation, but has pitched twice since returning and threw well.
“I think we’re comfortable with where he’s at shoulder-wise,’’ Boone said. “His level of talent, especially with how he’s pitched the last couple years, we’re just excited to get him in the mix. He’s got the full arsenal and stuff you look for in a top of the rotation guy. He’s gone out and proved the last couple years he is that kind of caliber pitcher.”
Boone said the addition of Montas gives the Yankees a rotation that can compete with anyone in the postseason.
Luis Severino, out with a strained lat, began a throwing program on Monday, but was also placed on the 60-day IL on Monday. He could still factor into the playoff rotation, along with Cortes, Jameson Taillon and Jordan Montgomery.
And with the Yankees’ bullpen weakened by the loss of Chad Green and Michael King — as well as the recent struggles of Clay Holmes — the Yankees brought in Effross from the Cubs and the struggling Trivino from Oakland.
Effross fits the Yankees’ current bullpen philosophy in that he has an excellent sinker — like Holmes — but also has a devastating slider and a good changeup. He’s in his second season in the majors and has a WHIP of 1.068, slightly higher than it was a year ago, but he is under team control until 2028.
“He can get guys out in any situation and fits what they like,’’ one AL scout said.
Lately, Effross has pitched in middle- to late-game situations and picked up his first save, so he could spell Holmes in the closer role, especially as Holmes has now blown three of his past nine chances entering Monday, including in Sunday’s loss to the Royals.
Trivino has been hit hard this season, with an unsightly 1.875 WHIP and 6.47 ERA, but his strikeout rate is still good.
“He’s having a little bit of a down year statistically, but we don’t think it lines up with what we’re seeing on some underlying things and who we think he is,’’ Boone said. “He’s been a very good reliever for them on some playoff-caliber teams.”
Trivino is arbitration-eligible next year.
“I haven’t liked what I’ve seen this year, but they’ve fixed guys like that before,” the AL scout said.
The Yankees’ bullpen, a strength throughout the first half, had Green and King go down with season-ending elbow injuries that required surgery. The struggling Miguel Castro remains on the IL with a strained right shoulder, although Aroldis Chapman and Jonathan Loaisiga have pitched better of late.
To make room on the roster for the new additions, the Yankees moved Castro to the 60-day IL and optioned Clarke Schmidt to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Schmidt has been solid as a long reliever after being called up from SWB, where he’d been stretched out to provide rotation depth.
Schmidt pitched three innings Saturday and would have been unavailable and was replaced by Carlos Espinal, who was brought up from SWB to fill out the pen, since none of the new arrivals are expected in The Bronx before Tuesday.