Yankees and Braves trade relievers

In the very first trade of 2015 the Yankees sent lefthander Manny Banuelos in exchange for David Carpenter and Chasen Shreve.

Banuelos once was regarded one of the Yankees’ main prospects but he never lived up to the expectations. He never got a shot in the Majors. The highest level that he reached was AAA with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.

David Carpenter, 29 years old, has spent four years in the Majors since 2011. In those four years he was a journey man who played for Houston, Toronto and Atlanta. His best season so far was 2013 when he posted a 1.78 ERA and a 4-1 record for Atlanta in 57 appearences. Last season Carpenter had a 3.54 ERA and six victories over four losses.

Chasen Shreve is a 24-year old rookie who broke into the Majors in 2014. In fifteen appearances he posted a 0.73 ERA and kept his opponents on a .215 batting average. Apparently the Braves had a lot of faith in him since he moved through the top layers of the minors in 2014. At AA Mississippi, he pitched 54.1 innings and had a 2.48 ERA. At AAA Gwinnett he posted a 3.72 ERA in only 9.2 innings.

Chasen Shreve, here with the Mississippi Braves

Once again I think this is a good move. Manuelos probably never made the bigs with the Yankees, so it is not a loss. The Yankees added some youth in Shreve and some experience in Carpenter. I realize that we have to wait how Shreve will pan out since he hasn’t pitched a full season in the majors yet. And of course the ever demanding Yankee fans and NY press may have a different outcome on the kid than we all hope.