The New York Yankees are shopping in the bargain section.
According to MLB insider Jeff Passan, they traded for an old friend on Thursday morning.
“The New York Yankees are acquiring utilityman Tyler Wade in a trade with the Los Angeles Angels, a source familiar with the deal tells ESPN. The Angels DFA’d Wade earlier this month. And now he heads back to the team that drafted him and where he spent his first five seasons,” Passan tweeted.
The New York Yankees are acquiring utilityman Tyler Wade in a trade with the Los Angeles Angels, a source familiar with the deal tells ESPN.
The Angels DFA'd Wade earlier this month. And now he heads back to the team that drafted him and where he spent his first five seasons.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 14, 2022
To complete the trade, the Yanks are sending the Angels a player to be named later or cash considerations.
Immediately upon acquiring Wade, the Bombers optioned him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Once viewed as a potential starting option at second base a few years ago, Wade’s bat failed to develop like his defense or base running.
Wade Is Returning To The Only Organization He Knows Besides The Angels
As Passan stated, the Angels had designated Wade for assignment earlier this month, and will now return to the organization that originally drafted him out of high school in 2013.
He will be organizational depth for the Yankees, who will probably have new hitting coach Dillon Lawson work with him to see if he has another gear to unlock with the bat.
Wade is hitting .218 with a .544 OPS through 67 games (163 plate appearances) in 2022.
He hasn’t been much better for his career, as he has a .214/.291/.298 slash line in 331 games, most of them with the Yankees.
His versatility probably lured the Yankees into bringing him back on the cheap, as he can play all around the diamond.
His ability to earn playing time in the Bronx, however, will likely depend on his bat, almost exclusively.
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