Yankees Trade Outfielder Ben Gamel to Seattle Mariners

2016 International League MVP Winner Ben Gamel has been traded by the Yankees to the Seattle Mariners for a pair of lower level pitching prospects.

Well, that was surprising. Just a day after being named the MVP of the International League, Yankees Triple-A outfielder Ben Gamel will be heading to Seattle to suit up for the Mariners.

The 24-year-old prospect was never talked about much until his 2015 breakout season, and his incredible 2016 season put him over the top. Across 116 games with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this year, Gamel produced a slash line of .308/.365/.420. He also drove in 51 runs, and swiped 19 bases.

The problem was Gamel never had a real shot at being a starter for the Yankees, despite his fantastic numbers in the minors. With Aaron Judge clearly the future in right field, Jacoby Ellsbury in center, and Brett Gardner in left, there was just no room for Gamel. 

It was clear that his most likely role with the Yankees would have came as a bench player, especially with his ability to play all the outfield positions capably.

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However, the Yankees also had too many players similar to Gamel pushing for time in the big leagues, with Jake Cave, Mason Williams, Aaron Hicks, Rob Refsnyder, and Tyler Austin waiting in line behind the three current starters.

At the end of the day, it’s probably a good move for both Gamel and the Yankees. For Gamel, he’ll almost definitely be given sufficient playing time in the big leagues this year to see what he can do. As for the Yankees, they clear up their outfield logjam a little bit.

In return, the Yankees received a pair of teenage righties in Juan De Paula and Jio Orozco, who were both teammates on the Arizona League Mariners’ affiliate in 2016. The first thing that stands out is that both guys have racked up some serious Ks this year. De Paula has struck out 11.6 batters per nine in 41 IP, while Orozco struck out 11.7 per nine in 48.2 IP.

This was De Paula’s first year playing stateside. He spent 2015 in the Dominican Summer League after signing out of the Dominican Republic.

On the other hand, this was Orozco’s second go-round with the AZL Mariners. He was drafted by Seattle in the 14th round of the 2015 draft from Salpointe HS in Tucson, Arizona.

There is some potential there, but neither pitcher crack MLB Pipeline’s updated Top 30 list for New York following the trade. Gamel, on the other hand, is now ranked 15th in Seattle’s system.

Both guys are lottery ticket arms at this point, which does have some value. Maybe more importantly was clearing a spot on the 40 man roster with so many players in the organization needing protection from the Rule 5 draft this winter.

Next: Yankees Prospects Going to the AFL

Overall, turning someone who didn’t have much of a future with the team into two promising youngsters looks to be another solid move by GM Brian Cashman.