Cubs reliever's downfall after deadline Yankees trade must be studied

New York Yankees v Texas Rangers | Tim Heitman/GettyImagesAfter struggling to find his footing at the Major League level during the early years of his career, Mark Leiter Jr. emerged as a bullpen ace for the Cubs by the end of the 2022 season. Despite being a right-handed pitcher, his split-finger fastball led to him having tremendous reverse splits, and ultimately, was the reason why the Cubs were able to trade him to the New York Yankees during the 2024 MLB trade deadline.

In exchange for Leiter, the Cubs received pitching prospect Jack Neely and infielder prospect Ben Cowles. Cowles is now a member of the Chicago White Sox organization, and Neely struggled as a reliever with Triple-A Iowa…