In the offseason after the 2016 season, the New York Yankees were coming off an 88-75 season in which they won the AL Wild Card but were knocked out in the first round by King Felix and the Kansas City Royals. It was also a major changing of the guard as the Yankees, dominant in the AL East for 4 straight years coming into 2016 lost the division by 8.5 games to the Toronto Blue Jays. The Yankees were extremely talented as they boasted a loaded lineup lead by Ramon Uriadales, Logan Morrison, and Alan Bent. However, the real driving force behind the Yankees was their dominant rotation. Check out these 2016 stats:
Tim Lincecum 17-1 2.90 ERA, 226 IP, 222ks, .197 OBA, and 3 shutouts
Blake Beavan 10-4 2.56 ERA, 210 IP, 209ks, .233 OBA
Clayton Kershaw 8-8 4.27 ERA, 170IP, 201ks, .241 OBA
With star Pat Venditte hurt at the time and returning for 2017.
This group had the following records on it's resume already: 4 Cy Youngs, 9 All-star games, 2 World Championships.
They went on to boast combined: 4 Cy Youngs, 24 All-star games, 6 world tities, 4 gold gloves.
But the Yankees, upset by the takeover of the AL East....decided that wasn't enough. Welcome....Michael Stutes in November of 2016. Stutes had just completed his sixth year in the league and was already a 5 time NL All-Star with the Philadelphia Phillies. Fresh off of a 17-8, 2.60 ERA 224k stellar season the year before, then GM PR felt the need to move the ace at his peak value. Yankee GM Nick saw a pitching who was still in his prime, with 74 career wins, and a very successful record in a horrible park for pitchers. With how competitive the AL East had become, he decided to go all-in with this move. In so doing, he created the greatest rotation in FCM history. Clearly worthy of this list - Lincecum, Kershaw, Venditte, Stutes, and Beavan. As a GM in the AL East...I can tell you this move was a major game changer.
So what about the pieces moved? Well let's start with Stutes not being the only key player. Just months before this deal, Michael Saunders was part of the deal to acquire Logan Morrison along with Pascal Gallegos and Brett Samuel. Well, apparently, the Yankees wanted him back. So along with Michael Stutes the Yankees received Michael Saunders, Pascal Gallegos, and Antonio Bastardo. Bastardo was simply a facilitating piece for the deal and Gallegos a part-time player who managed to hit 31 home runs in 622 major-league at-bats, but merely a bench player.
The two main pieces in this deal for the Yankees were Saunders and Stutes. Saunders was never a great player, but he was a key part of the success the Yankees sustained in the years after this trade. In the years after his brief departure Saunders his 25+ homeruns and drove in 100 runs twice and contributed an .800+ OPS four times. He was a great fielder with a solid level of production that added tremendous depth to the Yankee lineup. Not an all-time great, but certainly a key contributor.
Michael Stutes helped the Yankees make the playoffs 5 of the next 6 seasons including a world title in 2020 and a Cy Young in 2019. Between 2017 and 2019 he posted a 48-16 record and was a dominant part of the Yankee rotation that was consistently a top 3 team in RA/G during his tenure. The five man rotation was held together for all four years until 2020 when the championship was won and was, unquestionably, the best FCM ever saw. They were deep, they were balanced, they were dominant, and they were extremely talented. Adding Stutes sent the message in the AL East...you have to match that group to have a chance.
The other half of this deal also has significant intrigue. The Phillies got 8 players in return, many of which contributed for years in FCM. The list? SP Jose Ulteras, OF Jose Dezgado, SP Alfredo Lopez, RP Sal Keyser, RP Allen Geddes, P Bob Maclean, SP James DeRose, and SS Eric Ressler.
Perhaps the top name on this list is Alfredo Lopez. We're familiar with the current Bostonian as a three time all-star and a former 20 game winner. He's been a pivotal part of two very good teams in recent memory - the White Sox and the Reds. His 112-48 record is outstanding, much like his 4-1 2.53 ERA in the playoffs. His heavy ground-ball has made him FCM's Derek Lowe - only better. He's been a clear top-end starter and shows a great eye by Philadelphia to identify this talent and land him. Unfortunately, his stay in Philly was short as he was flipped the very next season to the Chicago White Sox for Mike Leake.
Pitchers jose Ulteras, Sal Keyser, and Bob Maclean have all had minimal impact in the league and have been passed around in deal to deal with no significant impact to the league. Two of these players - Ulteras and MacLean - were dealth shortly after for Jason Heyward as the Phillys went from selling their ace to trying to compete. The strategy, as history shows us, was an utter failure.
Eric Ressler managed only 34 at-bats in the league and also flamed out, but the steady performer in this deal is James DeRose. A career 85-50 player, James has had moments of extreme success in the league. After being rescued from the San Diego bullpen, DeRose went 35-11 for the Toronto Blue Jays with an ERA under 3, a 2-0 playoff record (including a huge win in the 2018 WS), and a ring for his efforts. Though he's moved around a lot in the league, he's had an impact.
The last impact player in the deal left to discuss is current reliever Alan Geddes. As things go, he's come full circle pitching for the Yankees now after stops in Baltimore and Florida. Geddes never became an elite reliever, but he has been a reliable arm in a few bullpens over the years. He's a 1 time all-star with 15 career saves and 545 strikeouts in 607 innings. While nothing special, he was potentially a building block in a rebuild had Philadelphia held it's strategy.
So in this trade we had three prospects moved that had significant impacts in their careers, a very good complementary piece, and a Cy-Young stud moved in the same deal. One could argue this deal set the table for the 2020 WS championship for the Yankees. It upped the ante league-wide on what it would take to contend. It also exposed the good and bad of some GMs - a great eye for talent in a big deal, but lacking the fortitude to see it through. In the end...the Yankees got their fifth ace and likely set a standard for quality of a rotation that will never be matched. And a nightmare that other AL contenders are happy to see gone.
Next Up: Trade 18: Kittys, Killas, and Colleys....oh my!
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