The New York Yankees announced on Thursday that they traded veteran catcher Brian McCann and cash considerations to the Houston Astros for right-handed pitching prospects Albert Abreu and Jorge Guzman.
While McCann is the big name in the deal, given his seven All-Star appearances, the Astros gave up two young arms who could one day contribute to the Yankees’ pitching staff.
Prior to the trade, Abreu was the Astros’ No. 7-ranked prospect and slots in at No. 10 in the Yankees’ system, according to MLB.com, after spending the 2016 season in Single-A ball.
His 3-8 record and 3.72 ERA might not suggest much success, but the 21-year-old has shown flashes of developing into a reliable starter down the road, although he has a long way to go.
Abreu’s fastball has topped out at 99 mph, which is a noticeable jump from the 87 to 91 mph he was throwing when he first signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2013:
However, he needs to work on secondary pitches, as his slider and changeup require plenty of polishing. Once he is able to consistently get those pitches over the plate, Yankees fans will likely see Abreu climb up the ranks within the minors.
Guzman, on the other hand, can unleash a quicker fastball, per JJ Cooper of Baseball America:
He hasn’t found much success as a starter, though, with a 4.63 ERA in the minor leagues.
However, the 20-year-old has developed into a high-strikeout arm, averaging over 11.5 punchouts per nine innings in 2016, per FanGraphs.
His ability to cut down on walks has been more promising. After walking 30 batters in 55.1 innings in 2015, Guzman gave up 10 free passes in 17.1 innings with the Gulf Coast League Astros to start the 2016 season. Upon his arrival with the Greeneville Astros of the Appalachian League, he walked just seven in 22.2 innings.
If he can improve on that and hone his control, Guzman could develop into a nice bullpen option in a few years.
Stats courtesy of MiLB.com.
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