Cubs Trade Mark Leiter Jr to Yankees for Two Prospects
As expected, the Cubs have parted ways with righty reliever Mark Leiter Jr. As first reported by Rob Zamparelli and subsequently fleshed out by Jeff Passan, Leiter is heading to the Yankees in exchange for minor leaguers Ben Cowles and Jack Neely. Cowles is a middle infielder currently at Double-A and Neely is a righty reliever pitching at Triple-A. Both were ranked among the Yankees’ top 30 prospects according to MLB Pipeline, with Neely at No. 22 and Cowles at 29.
Neely is definitely the most intriguing of the two as a 6-foot-8 hurler who sits mid-90s with a nasty slider that has led to huge strikeout numbers as a pro. And unlike a lot of young power pitchers, he’s not battling bloated walk numbers. Outside of a brief stint in Double-A at the end of last year, he’s also limited homers. Tilt and extension give him a little more perceived velocity and he’s a dude who could help the bullpen almost immediately.
Cowles is a utility type who played with Matt Shaw at Maryland in 2021 and with James Triantos and Kevin Alcántara last year in the Arizona Fall League. He hit 18 homers during his junior season in college but has tallied only 30 in nearly four minor-league seasons to this point. His walk rates have been in double digits all along and his strikeout rate dropped precipitously to 17.7% this season, so that’s good to see.
One added wrinkle here is that both Cowles and Neely will need to be added to the 40-man roster or risk being exposed to the Rule 5 Draft this winter. I don’t think that’s really much of an issue because Neely will likely be added and there’s not much fear of Cowles being plucked free.
Still, not a bad haul for a guy who was added on a minor league deal in 2022 and was then DFAd prior to re-signing on another minors deal prior to last season. Hoping it works out well for everyone involved. The reliever market has been very hot so far and the Cubs may still have some other moves on that front prior to the deadline, so expect more news this afternoon.