Yankees trade for intriguing Brewers lefty after placing Scott Effross on 60-Day IL

Welcome, new member of the Yankees' Scranton Shuttle! Here's your membership badge, your commemorative jacket, and your pine-scented UberX.

New York's spring training began with a bang on Wednesday, as one new arrival (Lou Trivino, in agreement with the team after being non-tendered) and one unexpected departure (Scott Effross, back surgery) filled in the proceedings with entirely opposing colors, creating to a mushy gray blotch.

Effross was quickly placed on the 60-Day IL, and will reportedly be available in the nebulous "summer," leaving Aaron Boone's already-thinner-than-normal bullpen without a key piece for several months.

Enter ex-Brewers lefty Clayton Andrews, who wasn't a corresponding move for Effross in the technical sense, but did represent an immediate attempt to add to the group competing for his innings. Andrews was dealt to the Yankees on Wednesday afternoon in exchange for righty Joshua Quezada, a 19-year-old pitcher who was signed as an amateur free agent and spent 2023 in the Dominican Summer League.

Yankees acquire lefty Clayton Andrews in exchange for Joshua Quezada

Andrews debuted with three distinct bangs in 2023, allowing a trio of homers in 3 1/3 innings, helping to place 10 earned runs onto his ledger. His fate was decidedly less bleak at Triple-A Nashville, though, where he struck out 74 men and allowed 39 hits in 57 innings, good for a 2.53 ERA.

He's a classic Yankees left-hander, adept at inducing grounders (45.7% rate) and swings-and-misses (31.1% strikeout rate at Triple-A), but missed Matt Blake's memo about limiting walks, allowing 31 free passes and a hit batter last season.

New York now has Andrews in Matt Gage's place as the 40-man roster's fringe lefty, as well as Caleb Ferguson and Victor González, freshly of the Dodgers, who'll likely occupy 26-man roster roles as long as they're physically able to.

Given the Yankees' track record, that probably won't be very long. Effross was expected to be a core piece after he was acquired at the 2022 trade deadline, and his torn UCL diagnosis just before the postseason was one of several gutting injuries down the stretch (Ron Marinaccio's shin, RIP).

The familiar blow of expecting Effross' triumphant return and not receiving it went down like a fart in St. Patrick's Cathedral on Wednesday morning, but hopefully Andrews' arrival helps light a candle.