Kicking off a significant day of choices, the Yankees shipped out Jake Bauers on Friday.
A couple of 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 brief find for the 2023 Yankees, hitting his way out of Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and performing well for a major stretch for a big-league club that faced so many offensive injuries.
But Bauers’ bat cooled because the season went on and posted only 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 only a .202 average for a Yankees club that should hit for contact higher.
The rebuilding Brewers, meanwhile, will roll the dice on a still-young slugger who’s controllable for 3 more seasons.
In return, the Yankees received far-off prospects who don’t yet must be added to the 40-man roster.
In keeping with MLB Pipeline, Avina was the Brewers’ Twenty ninth-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 12 months and slashed .297/.414/.446 within the Dominican Summer League.
