The New York Yankees have made a trade, sending outfielder Estevan Florial to the Cleveland Guardians. In exchange, they’ve acquired right-hander Cody Morris.
Estevan Florial, 26, had been a top prospect for the Yankees, joining them in 2015. He was ranked as their top prospect by MLB.com in 2019 but saw his ranking drop to sixth in 2020, 10th in 2021, and 30th in 2022. Florial made his MLB debut in August 2020 but played in just 48 major league games over four seasons, with a batting average of .209, 1 home run, 11 RBIs, and 6 stolen bases. This year, he batted .230 with eight RBIs and three steals in 19 games for the Yankees, while excelling in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, hitting .284 with 28 homers, 79 RBIs, and 25 stolen bases in 101 games.
On the other side of the trade, Cody Morris, 27, made his MLB debut in September 2022 with the Guardians, where he had a 6.75 ERA in six appearances, striking out nine and walking six in eight innings. Morris is known for his fastball, averaging 95.2 mph in the majors, and he also employs a cutter, curveball, and changeup. In the minors this year, he posted a 3.23 ERA in four starts and 17 relief appearances between Triple-A Columbus and Double-A Akron, striking out 56 while walking 27 in 39 innings.
The Yankees had accumulated a surplus of outfielders recently, acquiring Juan Soto, Trent Grisham, and Alex Verdugo from other teams. This trade follows a previous deal with the San Diego Padres, where they sent several pitchers and catcher Kyle Higashioka in exchange for Juan Soto.