In comes Gerrit Cole, out goes Chance Adams. It's a roster swap no Yankees fan will quarrel with.
But their once-top prospect will no longer wear pinstripes. The Yankees DFA'd Adams last Wednesday after they officially signed Gerrit Cole to a historic nine-year $324 million contract.
Now they've found a trade partner for the 25-year old pitcher, dealing Adams to the Kansas City Royals for infielder Cristian Perez.
Adams was a fifth-round draft pick by the Yankees in 2015. Posting dominant minor league numbers in 2016 and 2017, Adams quickly climbed the ladder as one of the top-pitching prospects in the Yankees farm system.
The starter posted a 2.33 ERA with 144 strikeouts over 127.1 innings in 2016, followed by a 2.45 ERA with 150 strikeouts for their Double-A and Triple-A squads in 2017.
Following the 2017 season, Adams had surgery to remove a bone spur in his elbow and the starting pitcher became less effective on the mound the next year.
He struggled in Triple-A and during short stints in the Majors over the last two seasons. Less than a year and a half after getting his first call up with the Yankees, Adams is now with the Royals. In 33 major league innings, Adams has an 8.18 ERA.
Their new infielder received in return for Adams, 21-year old Cristian Perez spent last season with Class A Wilmington for the Royals. The righthanded Perez mostly played shortstop in 2019, batting .252 without a homerun in 117 games.
