Prospects the Yankees Can Afford to Part With This Offseason

Dillon Tate

This 22-year-old right-hander was acquired as the centerpiece of a three-pitcher package in exchange for Carlos Beltran at the 2016 trade deadline. As recently as 2015, he was regarded as a potential number one overall pick in the June amateur draft, but he has yet to find consistent success in the minors.

Before he was acquired from the Rangers, Tate had seen a significant dip in his velocity when he was working primarily a starter, from the upper 90’s as a college arm to the high-80’s/low-90’s in Low-A ball in 2016. After coming to New York, he was moved to the bullpen so he could work on straightening out some mechanical issues.

In many other farm systems, Tate would almost definitely be a top-10 or top-5 prospect. According to MLB.com, he is #11 in the Yankees rankings.

While he certainly could develop into a top-tier starter or reliever, it wouldn’t hurt the Yankees if he were dealt. As it stands right now, Tate is simply a luxury in the system. He’s more of a project than someone they are counting on to be a building block long-term.

There’s no harm in trying to develop him, but it would be worth seeing what he could fetch in return now that he’s shown increased velocity during a successful stint in the Arizona Fall League.