2 The Bigs

By Chris Corso: Dec 28, 2023

The big trade of the off-season so far has come from the Yankees. However, everybody knows the talent and potential of the centerpiece of that deal. Instead, we’re going to look at the trade after THE trade.

After acquiring one of the best players in the MLB Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres, the Yankees made a prospect trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers. While the first trade was a no-brainer win for the Yankees that consisted of many already established players in the MLB to get one of the best young players in the game, I want to break down the second trade with the Dodgers which featured two middle infielder prospects in our latest Pick Two.

The Yankees traded former first-round pick Trey Sweeney to the Dodgers and acquired a 28-year-old pitcher Victor Gonzales along with the second infielder Jorbit Vivas. For full transparency on the overall value of the trade, Gonzales will be a valuable arm in the bullpen for the Yanks. He posted a 4.01 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP while holding opponents to a .223/.296/.331 slash line and scoreless in 27 out of 34 appearances last season in Los Angeles.

Which Prospect would you take? I lean Prospect 2. He’s younger, he’s hitting at a higher level, he strikes out almost half the time and hit’s for a tad more power. Which team received which player? Let’s take a look.

Prospect 1: Trey Sweeney (Acquired by the Dodgers)

The Yankee brass previously thought of Sweeney as a middle infielder of the future for New York. He was a stud at Eastern Illinois in college and hit .382 with 14 homers and 58 RBI in his last season in the NCAA before being drafted by the Yankees in the first round of the 2021 MLB Draft.

A few years later he is now 23-years-old and is sitting behind shortstop of the future Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza at his position. Over three seasons in the minors with the Yankees, he hit .248 with 36 homers and 119 RBI. That’s through 244 games and 1,117 at-bats from A-Ball to Double-A.

I don’t see much upside in Sweeney’s game, and I believe the Yankees front office thought it was time to move on to acquire a veteran pitcher and to get another middle infield prospect in the fold. Sweeney at-best projects to have the career of a Stephen Drew-type player and I don’t even think he will reach that status at the pro-level. I don’t understand the thought process of the Yankees drafting this kid a year after Anthony Volpe, but who really understands a majority of Brian Cashman’s selections over the past 15 years.

Prospect 2: Jorbit Vivas (Acquired by the Yankees)

Vivas instantly becomes the Yankees’ No. 10 prospect (MLB.com). A 22-year-old who has played second base and third base in his pro career, Vivas batted .269 with 13 homers, 25 steals, and a .788 OPS over 135 games between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City in 2023.

Cashman sees something in Vivas here, and I think I do as well. A much more reliable MLB-ready utility player that can fill the void-off an Isiah Kiner Falefa in the near future (who has now moved on to the Blue Jays). Vivas has a .281 average over his minor league career in 1,700-plus at-bats. That’s an impressive average in today’s day and age.

One number that stands out in Vivas had 25 stolen bases across the minors last year. He has some clear speed at the middle infield position, which before Anthony Volpe the Yankees really lacked. His 11% strikeout-rate this past season across Double and Triple-A is even more impressive for a young hitter in today’s minor league baseball.

I don’t believe Vivas has too high a ceiling in the MLB, but let’s say his floor is much higher than Sweeney’s. I will compare Vivas to a player Yankee fans know well…Enrique Wilson of the 2000s. I expect Vivas to be a contributor at some point this year and a player who will be on the pinstripes 40-man roster.