Prospects Yankees traded for Mark Leiter Jr., Jazz Chisholm dominating in new homes

When Brian Cashman engineered the disastrous acquisition of Joey Gallo, the faintest praise you could've given the move was that the fleet of Rule 5 eligible players he surrendered in exchange for the slugger would've been gone regardless at the end of the season. Instead of sitting on his assets, he pushed several expiring chips in, and only Ezequiel Duran has come back to bite him in any way so far (and, even in that case, it was only temporary).

This summer, though, it seems Cashman may have pulled off a rare double whammy, sending away both the wrong Rule 5 eligible prospect and the wrong controllable pitcher.

Though trading for Jazz Chisholm represented a nice idea that may still bear fruit for the Yankees, it's worth noting that ballyhooed top prospect Agustin Ramirez might not even look like the headliner of that deal by September.

The diminutive Jared Serna, who the Yankees opted to trade away rather than protect this offseason, is hitting an ungodly .371 in his first 17 Double-A games in the Marlins' system. The Yankees, prior to the trade, had him stashed at High-A.

Former Yankees dealt away at MLB trade deadline dominating in new homes

The "Chisholm for Serna/Ramirez" swap has a chance to be a good old fashioned baseball trade. After all, it's not like Chisholm was bombing in New York; he drilled seven homers in 14 games while manning an unfamiliar position effectively. He's locked down for two more years. He's displayed both style and grace, poise and panache, and was the off-field star of the Little League Classic. Several good baseball players might've changed hands in one deal. That's not a bad thing. In fact, it might even encourage teams that have been shying away from Cashman's prospect hoarding to pick up the phone and engage again.

But ... what does sting a lot more is ... hmm, how you say .... "swapping a good reliever for a stinky one." The Yankees need more relievers. Giving up a streaking arm in exchange for someone who just might suck is bad business (of a familiar flavor).

On July 30, after the Yankees completed a swap sending Triple-A mustachioed gunslinger Jack Neely to the Cubs in exchange for Mark Leiter Jr., one of the nation's top baseball analysts tweeted, "I can confidently say Jack Neely is better than Mark Leiter Jr.?"

Oh, wait! That was me! Anyway, Neely hasn't allowed an earned run in 6.2 scoreless frames at Triple-A since, while Leiter Jr. has been largely tattooed after a few impressive early escapes.

My uneducated opinion prior to the trade was that Leiter Jr. relied on a less-than-impressive fastball, and on days where his splitter wasn't functional, wouldn't have much of a backup plan. Then, after parsing through the numbers, it was easier to see a pathway toward effectiveness here; the splitter had been so good, after all, and the Yankees were betting on experience.

Should've trusted my gut. Leiter Jr. has fallen apart, while Neely was promoted to Chicago on Tuesday, earning the big-league call-up the Yankees refused to give him.

[Ok, technically speaking, Neely allowed four earned runs in his first MLB inning. But that won't end his career. Probably.]

There's no shame in giving to get. That's the foundation successful trade deadlines are based upon. But Cashman deserves plenty of shaming for giving to give, and it seems Neely is doing Leiter Jr.'s job more effectively in his new home. Serna was always bound to walk, and Chisholm remains an entertaining return. But this relief swap looks like a predictable disaster, and the performances of both trade packages sting the eyes in their own unique ways.