Luis Gil has been the Yankees’ greatest pitcher this season, with a 1.99 ERA in 11 starts and one of the best pitching months we’ve seen in a while. There is a lot of enthusiasm about his talent and potential, and while he has spent his whole Major League career with the Yankees, he did not start there. He signed as an international free agent from the Dominican Republic with the Minnesota Twins, where he would spend the first three years of his professional career.
The Yankees had to make a deal to obtain him, but the most astounding aspect is that it was a late signing in Spring Training to bring in Neil Walker that led to them acquiring one of the finest pitchers in the league.
Brian Cashman’s fleece job secured the Yankees. Luis Gil
On November 17th, 2017, the Yankees chose Jake Cave’s contract, placing him on their 40-man roster and protecting him from the Rule 5 Draft. After trading for Giancarlo Stanton to join Aaron Judge, Aaron Hicks, and Brett Gardner in the outfield, the Yankees faced a roster crunch. They’d need more depth in their infield, and a delayed free agency left a quality utility player available for the Yankees to sign at a modest cost.
On March 12th, 2018, the Yankees confirmed the official signing of Neil Walker, who had a poor season as a flexible bench piece for the Bronx Bombers. He had a.309 OBP and 82 wRC+ in 113 games while spending only one season in the Bronx, earning -0.6 fWAR. He also recorded an RBI in the postseason, when the Yankees came just short of winning Game 4 and extending the 2018 American League Division Series.
What is overlooked in his story is how his signing impacted the Yankees’ 40-man roster. The equivalent step was to designate Jake Cave for assignment, putting him on irrevocable waivers and making him available for any baseball team to claim. He wasn’t a scrub; he was a 25-year-old outfielder with a 156 wRC+ in Triple-A the previous year, and the Minnesota Twins thought he could be a valuable addition to their squad.
Instead of waiting for their turn on the waiver wire to claim him, they made a trade with the Yankees to get the left-handed hitting outfielder. In this transaction, they would send over Luis Gil, who had failed to pitch beyond Rookie Ball due to injuries and command concerns. For the first few years of this contract, the Twins reaped the advantages of a 111 wRC+ and 21 home runs in 162 games, as he appeared to be a dependable outfield option in Minnesota for years to come.
after then, Cave’s power has vanished, with a 68 wRC+ and.269 OBP in the five years after, despite playing for three different teams in the last three seasons. As for Luis Gil? He would have Tommy John surgery in 2022, but this season, he is squarely in the early Cy Young conversation. Over 11 starts, the right-hander has a 1.99 ERA and a 31.7% strikeout rate, indicating a potential breakthrough.
This season, Luis Gil (2.3) has more rWAR than Jake Cave (2.1) had in his entire Major League career, and while it’s unfair to blame the Twins for moving Gil away, the Yankees deserve a lot of credit. They selected a lower-level arm they believed had the potential to be outstanding and provided him with numerous opportunities to flourish in the Major Leagues. It’s a huge win for player development, and if Luis Gil can keep up his performance, the Yankees could have an ace.
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