While minor-leaguer Chasen Shreve was also dealt to the Yankees in Thursday's trade between they and the Braves, there's no question the biggest piece heading to New York is right-handed reliever David Carpenter.
Carpenter, a 29-year-old who's been in the league since 2011, will fill the set-up role recently vacated by Shawn Kelley, according to NJ.com's Brendan Kuty. For the most part in his career, he's been alright, holding hitters to a .260 batting average while solidly recording a 3.62 ERA.
But what can we expect from him in 2015 and beyond? Well, when you take a look at his past numbers it's kind of tough to say.
On the bright side, Carpenter was great in 2013, his first full season in the majors. He pitched to a 1.78 ERA and 0.99 WHIP while walking 20 and striking out 74 in 65 2/3 innings that year, impressively keeping opponents below the Mendoza Line.
But then last season his stats suddenly worsened, making it difficult to really judge him. His ERA inflated to 3.54, and his WHIP followed it by going up to 1.26.
Basically, how Carpenter will do next year is a mystery, but that doesn't mean it's not still a safe bet he'll contribute. The aforementioned Kelley's best ERA and WHIP with the Yankees were both higher than Carpenter's highests with the Braves, so it's likely the latter will at least be an upgrade.
Maybe not much of one, but one nonetheless.
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Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)