MLB Trade Rumors: Yankees Get Brandon Drury, Diamondbacks Get Steven Souza In Three-Team Deal Per ‘AZ Central’
One of the latest MLB trade rumors to pop up Tuesday night from AZ Central indicates that the New York Yankees are part of a three-team deal. The Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Rays are also reportedly involved in the latest trade which has multiple players heading to new rosters. Several of those players address roster holes or depth issues while Tampa Bay added a few prospects to the mix. Here are the latest details on the three-team deal that is said to be going down.
A tweet from AZ Central‘s Nick Piecoro on Tuesday indicated that the Arizona Diamondbacks sent infielder Brandon Drury to the New York Yankees. Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Rays sent outfielder Steven Souza to the Diamondbacks. Piecoro noted in a later tweet that left-handed pitcher Anthony Banda will also be included in the deal as he’ll join the Tampa Bay Rays.
It was also reported by MLB Trade Rumors that right-handed pitching prospect Taylor Widener will head from the Yankees to the Rays. Prospect Nick Solak was also said to be moving from New York to Tampa Bay in the deal. That means several teams will have more new faces when the season arrives in just a few short months from now.
The #DBacks have acquired Steven Souza from the Rays and sent Brandon Drury to the Yankees, a source tells @nickpiecoro https://t.co/1UOG5Pek36
— azcentral sports (@azcsports) February 20, 2018
In particular, the New York Yankees have now added a low-cost player in Drury who could play at either second or third base. The Yankees apparently feel he has a high ceiling still in terms of talent and that he’ll be a good fit for them at the third base position. Drury has been in the league since 2015 with Arizona and put up his best numbers in 2016 with a.282 batting average, 130 hits, 53 RBI, and 16 home runs. In the past season, he hit.267 with 13 home runs and 63 RBI.
The Diamondbacks also picked up a great bat in Brandon Souza after recently losing J.D. Martinez to the Red Sox. The 29-year-old hit.239 with 21 doubles and 30 home runs last season. Souza isn’t expected to replace Martinez in terms of his skills but should be a great potential candidate for long-term status with the team.
#MLBTonight discusses the reported three-way trade. pic.twitter.com/9kYVIi4eNF
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) February 20, 2018
Basically, the Yankees made this deal out of a need to add some more depth to their roster. Not only can Drury play second or third, but he could also be considered as a backup for Greg Bird at first base. One can certainly say New York has been among the biggest movers in the offseason as they prime their roster for another big run this coming MLB season.
