The first trade domino has fallen for the White Sox. On Wednesday morning, the White Sox finalized a deal sending outfielder Austin Slater to the New York Yankees in exchange for minor league right-hander Gage Zeihl.
Slater, who hit the White Sox’s first home run of the season, provides the Yankees’ lefty-heavy lineup with a reliable right-handed platoon option against southpaws. While Slater is slashing just .236/.299/.243 with five homers and 11 RBIs across 51 games on the season, he owns a .860 OPS against left-handed pitching.
Slater has spent most of his career as a fourth outfielder in a platoon role, making him a natural fit for a similar role with the Yankees.
Signing Slater in free agency was one of Chris Getz’s first moves of the offseason. The White Sox were drawn to his ability to get on base and hit left-handed pitching. Even at the time of the signing, he looked like a potential trade chip at the deadline.
While his overall numbers look pedestrian, Slater has consistently drawn hard contact this season, with a 92.2 mph average exit velocity and .570 expected slugging percentage that both rank above the MLB average. This allowed Getz to get something of value despite Slater serving as a short-term rental.
Zeihl was the Yankees’ No. 18 prospect in a farm system that was ranked 24th in baseball by MLB.com heading into the season. He is now ranked as the No. 14 prospect in the White Sox system.
The Cubs originally selected Zeihl in the 11th round of the 2021 draft, but he opted to forgo signing and instead pitched for the University of Miami. He made a team-high 30 appearances during his freshman year, posting a 4.04 ERA with one save across 35.2 innings.
He emerged as the Hurricanes’ most reliable starter in his sophomore year, making a team-high 16 starts. Zeihl finished the year leading the team in wins, innings pitched, and strikeouts after going 8-4 with a 4.30 ERA and 100 punchouts over 92 innings.
The Yankees selected Zeihl in the fourth round of last year’s draft, and in his first professional season, he has already climbed through three levels before reaching Double-A. In 82.1 innings this season, he owns a 4.15 ERA with opponents batting .272 against him. However, that sample size only includes four innings of Double-A action.
Zeihl has a fastball that sits in the mid-90s, topping out at around 96 mph. While it isn’t considered an overpowering fastball, the 22-year-old has impressed scouts with his command of it. He also features an 80 mph changeup he uses as his wipeout pitch and a mid-80s changeup.
Zeihl only has 14 walks on the season and seems to have good command of the strike zone. While he is projected to be a back-of-the-rotation starter if he reaches the MLB, he is an intriguing arm. Standing at 6’0 223 pounds, he is also durable, with the ability to log heavy innings throughout the season.
It’s a solid return for Slater, who was never a part of the White Sox long-term plans.
