Just over three years ago, the Yankees traded outfielder Jake Cave to the Twins for Luis Gil. You’d be forgiven if you didn’t think much of the swap at the time. The Bombers were faced with a never-ending 40-man roster crunch, and had to offload someone in order to make room for Neil Walker. They designated Cave for assignment, and the Twins offered to take him on in exchange for Gil, a lottery-ticket teenager who had all of 65 professional innings to his name.
In hindsight, the trade looks like a potential low-stakes heist. Gil could yet flame out, but he’s played very well for a complete flyer, and now profiles as one of the Yankees’ most interesting pitching prospects.