The MLB Trade Deadline is July 31st, and Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has talked for weeks about being to determined to improve the roster. The pitching remains a question mark that will likely be at least partially addressed before 6pm ET tomorrow, but the Yankees have been vigilant about improving on the other side of the ball when the opportunity presents itself. That happened when they picked up third baseman Ryan McMahon from the Rockies and utilityman Amed Rosario from the Nationals.
Now, they’ve added a third position player: White Sox outfielder Austin Slater. The righty hitter is on his way to New York in exchange for pitcher Gage Ziehl, who was a 2024 fourth-round pick out of Miami and down in High-A. YES Network’s Jack Curry and ESPN’s Jeff Passan were the first to report news of the Yankees acquiring Slater, and the news of Ziehl’s inclusion came about a little later from multiple sources (including Joel Sherman of the New York Post).
Yankees are acquiring OF Austin Slater from the White Sox for pitching prospect Gage Ziehl
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) July 30, 2025
Slater is a 32-year-old who has been in the majors for nine years, primarily with the Giants. At his best, he was a nice player from 2020-23, batting .259/.352/.421 with 38 doubles, 29 homers, 37 stolen bases, a 117 wRC+, and 5.3 fWAR across 374 games from 2020-23. It gradually became clear in 2024 that Slater was no longer that guy though, and there was an adjustment period as he bounced around organizations trying to carve out his spot.
Signed by the rebuilding White Sox to a one-year, $1.75 million deal prior to 2025, Slater has been about as average as they come: .236/.299/.423 with 12 extra-base hits and a 99 wRC+ in 51 games. The reason why the Yankees acquired him though is his ability to smash left-handed pitchers, who have often flummoxed them. Slater has hit .261/.338/.522 with a 137 wRC+ in 42 games this year against southpaws. The platoon split carries over to his career numbers too, as he’s batted .270/.362/.436 with a 122 wRC+.
Slater has primarily been a right fielder across the past few years, and while he’s not Roberto Clemente out there, he does have a nice arm. He can also play other outfield spots, as well as first base, giving the Yankees some more depth option beyond just Paul Goldschmidt and Ben Rice. In the short term, Slater will likely see time in right field with Aaron Judge on the IL, particularly when there’s a lefty on the bump. The Yankees can be creative with their outfield alignments, as they now have Slater at their disposal in addition to Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham, and Jasson Domínguez.
Again, Slater will probably only start when a southpaw is on the bump for the other team, but even as a bench pinch-hit option, he’s a useful guy to have around — and certainly providing more off the bench than someone like Oswald Peraza, whose roster spot is probably on the chopping block. The writing was on the wall for him already when they acquired McMahon and especially Rosario.
As for Ziehl, we see the Yankees dealing from their minor-league pitching depth again. They have a lot of confidence in their ability to turn collegiate arms into big leaguers for either them or another team. Another 2024 draft pick, Griffin Herring, was just sent to Colorado in the McMahon deal (as was 2023 11th-rounder Josh Grosz), and bullpen prospect Clayton Beeter went to DC for Rosario. Ziehl’s in a similar mold as Herring, albeit while throwing from the right side rather than the left. He had just been promoted to High-A Hudson Valley and made his first start there after posting a 4.00 ERA in 74.1 innings (14 starts) at Low-A Tampa. Any pitching prospect has potential, but this was an area where New York could afford to deal from depth to get a big-league bench piece.
Welcome to the Bronx, Austin!
More from pinstripealley.com:
- Yankees acquire Amed Rosario from Nationals
- On the ranging impact of the Ryan McMahon trade
- Aaron Judge heading to the IL with a flexor strain
- Yankees Trade Deadline Coverage
- Yankees 2025 draft tracker: 18 of 19 draftees sign
- Pinstripe Alley’s Top 100 Yankees
- 2000 Yankees Diary: The 25th Anniversary of MLB’s Last Three-peat
