New York Yankees Trade Brian McCann To Houston Astros

The New York Yankees continued their youth movement trading Brian McCann to the Houston Astros for two pitching prospects.

The New York Yankees traded away plenty of veterans during the 2016 season. Carlos Beltran, Aroldis Chapman, and Andrew Miller were all traded away in an effort to restock the Yankees farm system. There were plenty of rumors floating around that the Yankees weren’t done trading, as Brett Gardner and Brian McCann have also been the center of trade discussions. It was also reported this week that the Yankees are willing to trade away third baseman Chase Headley.

One of those rumors has come to fruition, as the Yankees have traded McCann. The Yankees agreed to trade McCann to the Houston Astros according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network and Fox Sports.

Morosi adds that the Yankees will pay a chunk of McCann’s contract, as they are sending cash to the Astros as well. McCann also had to waive his no-trade clause to make a deal happen. In exchange for McCann, the Yankees are receiving two right-handed pitching prospects; Albert Abreu and Jorge Guzman.

The Yankees once again did a solid job of flipping a veteran into pieces that can help them in the future and bolster their farm system. Abreu was the seventh-rated prospect in the Astros farm system. While Guzman was not ranked, he is only 20-years old and has plenty of time to develop into a useful player for the Yankees.

More from New York Yankees

• Last Chance Caesars Promo: Claim $1,250 Bonus for ANY MLB Bet!
• Caesars New York Promo Code Gives TWO Chances to Win Betting on Your Yankees!
• PointsBet New York Promo: FIVE $100 Bonus Bets to Back the Yankees or Mets!
• Caesars NY Promo: $1,250 Bonus to Celebrate the Return of Judge!
• Get $500 in Bonus Bets to Back Yankees or Mets With PointsBet New York Promo

In Abreu the Yankees get a player that is a potential front line starter. He has a fastball that touches 99 miles per hour with two power breaking balls and a changeup. There is some debate about which secondary pitch is currently Abreu’s best, but there is little disagreement about the work that he needs to put in.

While the talent is there, Abreu is far from a finished product. MLB Prospect Pipeline says that Abreu needs to work on repeating his delivery, along with improving command and control. He is only 21-years old and was signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2013.

In his career Abreu is 8-13 with a 3.16 ERA and 1.21 WHIP, appearing in 51 games and starting 37. He has 220 strikeouts in 216 1/3 innings pitched.

Guzman is 6-8 in his minor league career with a 4.63 ERA and 1.46 WHIP. He had 83 strikeouts in 95 1/3 innings pitched. Guzman was not among the Astros top 30 prospects.

Next: Twitter Reaction To Brian McCann Trade

As for the Astros, they are getting a veteran that can replace Jason Castro at catcher. McCann should split his time behind the plate and at DH, probably with Evan Gattis. He provides another middle of the order bat and run producer for the Astros and should fit into their lineup seamlessly. He should also help bring along the pitching staff that regressed in 2016 from 2015.