Keynan Middleton was moved from the Southside of Chicago to The Bronx as the Yankees added another piece to the best bullpen in the majors.
The news broke about 10 minutes before Tuesday afternoon’s trade deadline that the White Sox would be trading Middleton to New York in exchange for their 29th ranked prospect, Single-A pitcher Juan Carela.
He was a bright spot in what has been a disappointing year in Chicago.
“It is great to feel wanted around this time,” Middleton told MLBbro.com
“I am excited to go to New York and win. That is all I want to do.”
On the year, Middleton has a 3.36 ERA in 36.1 innings pitched with 47 strikeouts.
He did not allow a single run in the 11.2 innings he threw during the month of May and was solid throughout most of June, but ran into trouble in July posting an 8.64 ERA and allowing four home runs in just nine appearances.
A freshly shaved beard and new beginnings now await Middleton.
He joins a Yankees bullpen that leads the majors with an ERA of 3.10, the next closest team being the Toronto Blue Jays who have theirs sitting at 3.62.
The bullpen is led by former big leaguer and first-round pick Mike Harkey, who has been the team’s bullpen coach for the team since 2016.
Middleton will now play for the fifth different team in his seven-year career.
After being drafted in the third round of the 2013 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Angels he made his debut with the team in June of 2017 and finished the year with a 3.86 ERA.
Between 2017 and 2018, he had a 1.49 ERA in 27 games but had both seasons cut short due to injuries to his elbow, going under the knife for Tommy John surgery in 2018.
After leaving the Angeles he signed with the 2021 Seattle Mariners who at that moment had the most Black players on a roster in the majors including J.P. Crawford, Justin Dunn, Kyle Lewis, Taylor Trammell and Justus Sheffield.
Middleton spent the 2022 season with the Arizona Diamondbacks before signing with the White Sox in January.
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