Cuban Righty Yankees Added Using Bonus Money From Luke Voit Trade Has Dominant Debut
By Brendan Azoff
When the Yankees acquired Luke Voit from the Cardinals in exchange for left-handed reliever Chasen Shreve, they were given international bonus pool money on top of the powerful first baseman. That money was used to sign an impressive young pitcher from the Dominican Republic, and that youngster just had a remarkable debut in the Dominican Summer League.
Pro debut for 17-year-old #Yankees prospect Osiel Rodriguez in the DSL:
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 17, 2019
2 IP
0 R
2 H
0 BB
3 K
The @Yankees used international bonus pool money acquired from the #STLCards in the Luke Voit deal to sign Rodriguez, the 13th-ranked international prospect: https://t.co/26Wj2mMDO0 pic.twitter.com/mNZbfThYAL
Osiel Rodriguez is only 17, but in his first professional start, he was able to go two innings and rack up three strikeouts, while only allowing two hits. It was an impressive outing for Rodriguez, who will be facing some of the most elite international talent in this summer league.
Rodriguez has plenty of talent, and at such a young age the Yankees hope that he can develop nicely into an effective big league pitcher in the not too distant future.
Guys, I think the Luke Voit trade is working out OK. https://t.co/a42ddSSdNz
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) June 17, 2019
If Rodriguez pans out, this Yankees haul could go down as one of the most underrated and lopsided trades in recent years. It looks like Brian Cashman may have just found another gem.