Brian Cashman hooked up with the Twins organization to acquire outfielder Aaron Hicks, a once promising young talent who has recently struggled at the Major League level.In exchange, backup catcher John Ryan Murphy heads over to back up Kurt Suzuki.
Both team, in my opinion, did well in this trade. Each filled a need by dealing from a surplus. The Twins had a log jam in the outfield and the Yanks have two other options (Gary Sanchez, Austin Romine) to handle the catching duties if Brian McCann needs a day off.
The Hicks deal all but ends Chris Young's tenure with the Yankees. It may also be a precursor to another deal involving Brett Gardner or Carlos Beltran.
Gardner has the most trade value of the two. He's younger and comes quite cheap for a dependable player who can kickstart the top of your lineup. Beltran is a tad more expensive, but could be a good fit for someone looking to add a little pop to their lineup (Angels...)
Adding Hicks to the lineup could have a lot of upside. He's much younger, cost controlled for a couple more years, and started showing signs of improvement in the second half of the 2015 season.
Hicks finished last season batting .256 with 11 home runs and 33 RBIs. Leaving cavernous Target Field for the friendly short porch in right field might increase his power output a tick. He's a plus defender who can play all three outfield positions, but would likely take over in centerfield.
John Ryan Murphy helps the Twins fill a void behind the plate. Despite a solid 2014 campaign, Suzuki struggled in 2015 and the Twins didn't have a productive backup to spell Suzuki.
The Yanks also made a minor move today, shipping infielder Jose Pirela to the Padres for minor league pitcher Ronald Herrera.
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