The New York Yankees made a trade to acquire Austin Slater on Wednesday. The corresponding move was the team optioning J.C. Escarra to Triple-A.
Escarra could end up being traded in the next 24 hours. He has played in just 39 games this year, but he has plenty of upside as a defensive catcher. Teams could be interested in him. A change of scenery could lead to him getting more at-bats.
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As for Slater, he gives the team another option while Aaron Judge is on the injured list. However, his biggest role on the team may come against left-handed pitching. He has an .859 OPS against left-handed pitching this season. Slater is in his ninth season and will be a free agent after the season.
The Yankees gave up Gage Ziehl in return for Slater. Ziehl has a 4.15 ERA in 16 appearances in the minor leagues this season. For the Yankees, it’s a small price to pay for a rental bat. Slater goes from the Chicago White Sox to a team with winning aspirations. He noted he was not super shocked by the trade.
“At this point, we’re a little more prepared than we were last year,” Slater said, per ESPN’s Jorge Castillo. “It was something, there was always writing on the wall that it could happen. That maybe helped us mentally prepare a little bit more this year.”
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With Judge out, Slater could make an impact right away. When Judge is back in the lineup, he figures to be the DH for a while. If Giancarlo Stanton does indeed play in the outfield, Slater would be a valuable bat off the bench for Aaron Boone.
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