OAKLAND, California – The Yankees sacrificed part of their future to address their present when they sent prospects to the Cubs and Rangers to acquire Anthony Rizzo and Joey Gallo.
Rizzo and Gallo’s returns will be determined as the Yankees move forward this October.
And the Rangers will be ready to see for the first time one of the key arms they recovered from the Yankees for Gallo and left-hander Joely Rodriguez, when Glenn Otto makes his MLB debut Friday in Texas.
The 25-year-old right-hander was called in part because of the Rangers dealing with COVID-19 cases. Before the trade, Otto pitched well at Double-A Somerset and made two starts at Triple-A Scranton / Wilkes-Barre, where he gave up five runs on 10 innings, but also scored 12.
He was better after the deal with Triple-A Round Rock, racking up an ERA of 2.70 on 20 innings in four outings.
The Yankees retired Otto from Rice University in the fifth round in 2017.
The other three prospects traded by the Yankees, Ezequiel Duran, Trevor Hauer and Josh Smith, remain the minors.
While the Yankees aren’t shy about switching to minor leagues to get major league talent (and it’s usually worth it), they remembered the danger on Thursday, when they faced James Kaprielian of Oakland. .
Kaprielian was a first-round selection of the Yankees, and a key piece for the trade that brought Sonny Gray from Oakland to the Bronx.
Gray was in poor condition and was sent to Cincinnati after an unsuccessful season and a half with the Yankees.
The right-hander regained his All-Star form with the Reds and Kaprielian has overcome injury problems to become a solid starter for the A’s, although the Yankees hit him hard in Thursday’s win at Oakland.
If Gallo puts aside his slow start since reaching the Yankees (he achieved a Homer triumph on Thursday), Otto’s future and the rest of the prospects won’t weigh heavily on the Yankees ’minds.
But they will soon find out what they gave up.