Yankees trade outfielder to Pirates, sign reliever to minor-league deal

Less than one week after signing a minor-league deal to return to the Yankees, outfielder Billy McKinney is headed to the Pirates.

The Yankees traded McKinney to Pittsburgh in exchange for international signing pool money late Thursday night, per Jack Curry of YES Network.

McKinney had a solid season with the Yankees, appearing in 48 games and hitting .226 with a .726 OPS and four home runs. He was called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in June to replace Aaron Judge after his injury.

During his first few weeks with the team, McKinney was outstanding on offense, boasting a 1.006 OPS, four homers, and a .320 batting average in his first 15 games. He consistently reached base in each contest.

However, McKinney’s performance declined after that. He struggled, hitting only .167 with two extra base hits over the next two months. Unfortunately, his season came to an end in late August due to a left lower back spasm.

Despite his regression, McKinney’s 101 wRC+ was the highest among left-handed hitters on the Yankees who had more than 35 plate appearances in 2023. This explains why the Yankees made an effort to acquire lefty bats during the offseason, as players like Juan Soto, Alex Verdugo, and Trent Grisham will now be getting playing time in the outfield next year.

In addition to McKinney, the Yankees also signed ex-Pirates right-hander Duane Underwood Jr. to a minor-league deal. Underwood Jr., 29, will be entering his seventh big-league season if he gets promoted in 2024. He made 20 appearances out of Pittsburgh’s bullpen this year, recording a 5.18 ERA. Throughout his career, he has a 4.63 ERA over 144 games and was a former second-round pick for the Cubs. After spending his first three MLB seasons in Chicago, he was designated for assignment and traded to the Pirates.

Although Underwood Jr.’s numbers may not seem impressive, the Yankees have a history of bringing out the best in all types of pitchers. So, it would be a mistake to completely overlook this non-roster signing.

Underwood Jr. relies on a cutter, sinker and changeup, a pitch mix that the Yankees have an affinity for. His cutter could be a real weapon with a few tweaks and more usage — opposing hitters were 0-for-16 against it this year. Underwood Jr. is also only one season removed from producing some eye-catching metrics when it comes to quality of contact. His pitches were barreled up only 3.5 percent of the time in 2022, one of the lowest barrel rates in all of baseball that season.