Yankees' first trade of 2015

Yankee fans woke up to some surprising news this morning. Manny Banuelos, long considered the team's best minor league pitching prospect, was sent to the Braves last night for a pair of middle relievers. Seen here in Spring Training 2011, when he looked almost ready to make the majors (and was given the James Dawson Award as the organization's most impressive rookie), Banuelos' star dimmed right after. A lackluster 2011 season in the minors, a pair of injuries that led to Tommy John surgery the following year and inconsistent work once healthy in '14, clearly changed some minds in the organization.
In exchange, the Yank receive Atlanta relievers David Carpenter (a righty catcher Brian McCann is said to have recommended) and Chasen Shreve, a lefty who made his MLB debut last summer.
As a Yankee fan, I'll cross my fingers on this deal. Whenever I've seen Banuelos, he's been impressive -- as a prospect in 2011, when he reminded me of a young Ron Guidry... and last June while rounding into shape for Trenton. Let's hope that Brian Cashman didn't "sell low" on Manny.

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