The Yankees acquired third base prospect James Nelson and $50,000 payable from the Miami Marlins in exchange for left-handed pitcher Stephen Tarpley.
The New York Yankees announced today that they have acquired minor league 3B James Nelson and cash considerations from the Miami Marlins in exchange for LHP Stephen Tarpley.
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) January 15, 2020
Stephen Tarpley, 26, was designated for assignment by the Yankees on Saturday to clear a roster spot once Brett Gardner was re-signed. In 2019, Tarpley was 1-0 with two saves and had a 5.88 ERA in 30 relief appearances and one start. Tarpley was acquired by the Yankees in the package they received when sending right-handed pitcher Ivan Nova to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2016.
In all 328 minor league games, he’s played,
Now, these are not the prettiest numbers, but Cashman has surprised by his trades before.
Two players the Yankees recently traded for did not have great numbers before they came to the Yankees, but that quickly changed once they were able to work with the Yankees, and these players that stand out are Mike Tauchman and Luke Voit.
Mike Tauchman, in 52 major league games from 2017 and 2018, Tauchman had a slash of .153/.265/.203. He had two RBIs, no home runs, and an OPS+ of 20. Not so great.
But once the Yankees acquired him before the 2019 season, he turned it on and took his new opportunity by storm.
In 87 games in 2019, Tauchman slashed a line of .277/.361/.504, hit 13 home runs, had 47 RBIs, and a 128 OPS+. Everyone loves Tauchman now, even though his numbers before did not seem all that great.
I LOVE MIKE TAUCHMAN! EVERY YANKEE FAN DOES! pic.twitter.com/RLXdyqRguY
— Kyle ⚾️ (@KyleNYY) August 4, 2019
Luke Voit, like Tauchman, did not have the best major league experience before coming to the Yankees. In 62 games in 2017, he slashed a line of .246/.306/.430. He hit four home runs and had 18 RBIs, and had an OPS+ of 92.
Voit was acquired mid-season 2018 and was an absolute monster with the Yankees to finish off the 2018 season. He hit 14 home runs, drove in 33 RBIs, had a 91 OPS+, and slashed a line of .333/.405/.689. In 2019, Voit was still great. He hit 21 home runs, drove in 62 RBIs, had an OPS+ of 124, and slashed a line of .263/.378/.464. And again, like Tauchman, Yankees fans now love him.
I LOVE LUKE VOIT
— Eric Hubbs (@BarstoolHubbs) April 13, 2019
Although James Nelson’s numbers do not look the best, there is confidence in Brian Cashman’s ability to find players that have that something that other teams cannot see.
Hopefully, Nelson turns out the way Voit and Tauchman did, and becomes a fan favorite Yankee later on in his career and plays well in pinstripes.
Featured Image: Mike Janes/Associated Press
