Kicking off a major day of decisions, the Yankees shipped out Jake Bauers on Friday.
A few hours before the non-tender deadline, Bauers was sent to the Brewers for a pair of young minor league outfielders in Jace Avina and Brian Sánchez.
The 28-year-old Bauers was a temporary find for the 2023 Yankees, hitting his way out of Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and performing well for a significant stretch for a big-league club that faced so many offensive injuries.
But Bauers’ bat cooled as the season went on and posted just a .495 OPS in 30 games in August and September.
A below-average corner outfielder and first baseman, he finished the season with 12 home runs but just a .202 average for a Yankees club that needs to hit for contact better.
The rebuilding Brewers, meanwhile, will roll the dice on a still-young slugger who is controllable for three more seasons.
In return, the Yankees received far-off prospects who do not yet have to be added to the 40-man roster.
According to MLB Pipeline, Avina was the Brewers’ 29th-ranked prospect.
The 20-year-old finished his 2023 campaign, in his first season at Low-A ball, with an .815 OPS that included 14 homers in 99 games.
The 19-year-old Sánchez made his pro debut this year and slashed .297/.414/.446 in the Dominican Summer League.
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