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The Cubs have made another trade of a relief pitcher, though probably not the one you were guessing:
The New York Yankees are finalizing a deal to acquire right-handed reliever Scott Effross from the Chicago Cubs, sources tell ESPN. Effross, 28, is a rookie with five more years of club control and has been fantastic this season. @JackCurryYES was on it.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 1, 2022
Here's the return:
Cubs acquiring RHP Hayden Wesneski for Effross, source tells @TheAthletic. Yankees’ No. 7 prospect, per @MLBPipeline.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) August 1, 2022
Hayden Wesneski was the Yankees' sixth-round pick out of Sam Houston State in Texas in 2019. This year he has a 3.51 ERA and 1.149 WHIP in 19 starts for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre with 83 strikeouts and 28 walks in 83⅔ innings. Also, this:
From the department of baseball connections, Hayden Wesneski, who @Ken_Rosenthal says the Yankees are sending to Chicago for Scott Effross, had Cubs assistant pitching coach Daniel Moskos as a pitching coach at Double A Somerset last year.
— Lindsey Adler (@lindseyadler) August 1, 2022
Right there is probably why the Cubs did this, on Daniel Moskos' recommendation.
Effross has had a fine year for the Cubs, posting a 2.66 ERA and 1.068 WHIP in 47 appearances (one start as an "opener") covering 44 nnings. He has walked just 12 of 236 batters he's faced in the major leagues. I'd have liked to see the Cubs keep him, but perhaps Weneski will be better long-term.
I'm also sad to see Effross go because I have a "six degrees" personal connection to him. A good college friend of mine is friends with Effross' mom, and I sent over some photos of Effross via the late John Arguello of Cubs Den when Effross was drafted, then later met her at a spring training game in 2018. I wish Scott well with the Yankees, as he's got a real chance for a World Series ring.
Poll
Scott Effross for Hayden Wesneski...
This poll is closed
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32%
Yea!
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37%
Nay!
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30%
Meh