Not long ago, the Pirates expected Gerrit Cole and Jameson Taillon to bring a championship to Pittsburgh. Now the two righties will get together and try to bring a championship to the Bronx. The Yankees acquired Taillon in a five-player exchange on Sunday, the teams announced.
“It’s exciting for me,” Taillon told Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic. “I was the last to resist that 2010 recruiting class. This organization has become a family. Super excited to go to the Yankees, but it is still difficult.”
After staying on the sidelines for much of the off-season, the Yankees have already made three significant additions in January. New York again signed DJ LeMahieu with a six-year contract worth $ 90 million two weeks ago, and also added Corey Kluber in a $ 11 million one-year deal. Taillon joins Kluber on a spin with many questions behind Cole. The rotation depth graph:
- RHP Gerrit Cole (amazing)
- RHP Luis Severino (expected back from Tommy John’s surgery mid-season)
- RHP Corey Kluber (limited to 36 2/3 innings for 2019-20 injuries)
- RHP Jameson Taillon (not presented since May 2019)
- LHP Jordan Montgomery (5.11 ERA in 2020)
- RHP Domingo German (fulfilled suspension of domestic violence in 2020)
- RHP Deivi Garcia (probably at a workload limit in 2021)
- RHP Clarke Schmidt (probably at a 2021 workload limit)
There is a huge risk in this rotation. There are also many advantages. Kluber, Severino and Taillon have great skill when healthy, and the Yankees have already taken three bites of the apple. If the three remain healthy and contribute in 2021, great. If two remain healthy, this is also a good thing. And if only one remains healthy, they will accept it. The Yankees now have three bullish options.
Taillon, 29, is currently recovering from his second surgery in Tommy John’s career and should be ready for Opening Day. In 2018, his last healthy season, Taillon played 191 entries with an ERA of 3.20 and a 3.89 K / BB. He faced hitters in mock games as part of his rehabilitation last September, and recently started bullpening as part of his preparation for 2021.
“I understand the people who had two Tommy Johns and their story. There is not a big success rate … but there is also a ton of data,” Taillon told Mackey in September. “I feel legitimately healthier than ever in professional football now. So what if my problem is solved, my mechanics are much better and now I’m destined to be a beginner? I think we will see.”
Taillon fits the typical Yankees’ profile as a powerful pitcher with very good rotation rates. He is also well versed in analysis, and according to ESPN Buster Olney, Cole “strongly endorsed” the trade and gave Taillon “strong criticism” when consulted by the Yankees. Cole and Taillon were teammates for the 2016-17 Pirates and also spent time together on the minors.
Before the negotiation, the Yankees had about $ 6 million in space to breathe below the $ 210 million luxury tax limit. Taillon will earn $ 2.25 million in 2021, so he fits his payroll well, although the Yankees have to set aside some money for calls during the season and the negotiation deadline. Taillon will remain under the team’s control as a player eligible for refereeing in 2022.
Pirates will receive four potential customers in exchange, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan: RHP Roansy Contreras, IF Maikol Escotto, OF Canaan Smith and RHP Miguel Yajure. MLB.com ranks Yajure, Contreras and Smith in 15, 19 and 21 prospects in the New York farming system, respectively. Escotto is not classified, but is considered a sleeper with considerable advantages.
Yajure, 22, is the only one of four potential clients with experience in MLB. He allowed a race in seven entries with the Yankees in 2020. Contreras, 21, played 132 1/3 entries with an ERA of 3.33 in Class A low in 2019, while Smith, 21, reached 0.307 / 0.405 / 0.465 with 11 homers in 124 games at the same level. Escotto, 18, reached 0.315 / .429 / .552 in the Dominican Summer League in 2019.
The Pirates embarked on a large-scale reconstruction under the new GM Ben Cherington. Since taking over last year, Cherington has traded Josh Bell, Starling Mars, Joe Musgrove and now Taillon. Pittsburgh also turned down Trevor Williams and turned down his club option to Chris Archer earlier this season. Adam Frazier, Colin Moran and Gregory Polanco may be the next to go.
Taillon was chosen with choice # 2 in the 2010 draft, sandwiched between Bryce Harper and Manny Machado. He had his first Tommy John surgery in 2014 and also had surgery to treat testicular cancer in 2017.