Yankees give up on Clayton Beeter in trade for bench option they've long coveted

The New York Yankees saw a genuine potential relief weapon in Clayton Beeter three summers ago, when they somehow managed to flip Joey Gallo to the Dodgers in exchange for a warm body. Beeter's strikeout totals as a starter in the high minors were exceptional. His control? That was a work in progress. Still, the Yankees could see the vision, and after a hard-fought summer, the right-hander reached the big leagues to open the 2024 season.

Unfortunately, that's where the issues began to pile up. He was inexplicably demoted as the Yankees left Houston, and his shoulder began to gunk up as he attempted to forge a path back to the bigs. Beeter technically recovered from that injury, but every time the Yankees tried him from that point forward, he seemed diminished, riding the Scranton Shuttle alongside pitchers with far less talent.

It should come as no surprise that the Yankees dealt him on Saturday night in an effort to clear a 40-man spot, even with Allan Winans headed back to Triple-A and New York in need of hurlers. It should also come as no surprise who the Yankees targeted in return: Amed Rosario, a strong-hitting righty infielder who could be a solid caddy for Ryan McMahon.

This is far from the first time they've attempted to acquire Rosario, who was in their sights last offseason and last deadline.

Yankees acquire infielder Amed Rosario in exchange for Clayton Beeter

Rosario is a piece who'll help flesh out the Yankees' bench, can hit left-handers well, and will be able to play the "backup shortstop" role behind Anthony Volpe. Unless something drastic occurs, Oswald Peraza's DFA will be the corresponding move here, with Volpe remaining safely on the roster.

Unless, of course, the Yankees feel wedded to Peraza and they use Aaron Judge's IL stint as an opportunity to keep everyone around? They wouldn't. Right?

Rosario chose the Rays over the Yankees during the 2023-24 offseason and hit .307 in 76 games before being dealt to the Dodgers for the second summer in a row - though this time he was quickly DFA'd after five games in a bout of trade deadline weirdness. His name was raised on Friday afternoon when Andy Martino tried to predict the Yankees' next steps after the Ryan McMahon deal; he foresaw an infielder from the Rosario/Willi Castro/Isiah Kiner-Falefa group joining the roster.

He was 100% correct, and Beeter and his stalled trajectory was the unfortunate victim.