Two highly touted but unlucky ex-Yankees swap teams in trade deal

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Chicago — The baseball world saw an unusual twist Tuesday night when two former Yankees prospects landed on opposite sides of a four-player trade.

The move tied together careers that once carried heavy promise, large signing bonuses and top 100 prospect rankings. Both players entered pro baseball with high hopes. Both climbed the system with strong tools and projections. And both struggled when given chances to prove themselves at the highest level.

When million-dollar investments go wrong

The Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago White Sox completed a four-man deal that linked the journeys of two ex-Yankees prospects who followed very different paths through the organization.

One was an outfielder who signed for $1.5 million in 2017 and was viewed as a future impact player with strong hitting skills, elite speed and a powerful arm. The other was a pitching prospect signed in 2016 at age 16 and later placed on the 40-man roster despite never pitching above Single-A at the time.

The Rays sent former Yankees outfielder Everson Pereira and infielder Tanner Murray to the White Sox. Chicago sent former Yankees right-hander Yoendrys Gomez and reliever Steven Wilson to Tampa Bay.

The deal brought together two careers marked by promise, injuries and long stretches of inconsistency. Both players entered the Yankees system with high expectations. Both are now trying to revive their careers somewhere else.

The ex-Yankees top prospect is unlucky

Pereira hit well at every stop in the minors. Baseball America ranked him 78th entering 2023, then raised him to 67th before 2024. At Double-A and Triple-A during 2023, he delivered a .300/.373/.548 line with 18 home runs, 64 RBIs and 11 stolen bases in only 81 games.

That production pushed the Yankees to promote him in August 2023 while the club slid out of playoff contention. His Triple-A numbers suggested he could provide a lift. Many believed he was ready for the bright lights in the Bronx.

Once he reached the Yankees roster, everything changed. Pereira posted a .151 average with a .427 OPS. He struck out 40 times in 103 plate appearances. His well-known power did not carry over.

“His 90th percentile exit velocity of 109 mph was tied with Spencer Jones for tops in the organization,” one scouting report said of his time in the minors.

But none of that helped him at the major league level. The Yankees gave him 27 games to adapt. He never found his footing.

From Bronx to Tampa Bay to Chicago

The Yankees traded Pereira to the Rays on July 31, 2025, for utility player Jose Caballero. It was a sharp drop for someone once considered a key part of the club’s future.

His time in Tampa Bay was even harder. Pereira hit .138 with 28 strikeouts in 73 plate appearances. His combined OPS for the Yankees and Rays in 2025 ended at .246.

Even with the struggles, the 24-year-old still draws interest. His career .271/.362/.519 line at Triple-A shows he can hit pro pitching. The question is whether he can handle major league pitching.

“Another premium position player with big power,” White Sox general manager Chris Getz said Wednesday. “Just getting his Major League career started as he’s just getting acclimated to the big leagues.”

Pereira has no minor league options left. He must make Chicago’s Opening Day roster or face a designation for assignment.

The pitcher who kept getting claimed

Gomez’s career has been just as difficult. The Yankees protected him on their 40-man roster in November 2020 even though he had not pitched above Single-A. It showed how highly they viewed his potential.

He debuted for the Yankees on Sept. 28, 2023, and threw two scoreless innings with four strikeouts against Toronto. It was a strong opening act.

Trouble arrived soon after.

The Yankees designated him for assignment in April 2025. The Dodgers claimed him and used him in three games. He gave up seven runs on 10 hits in 4 1/3 innings. Los Angeles designated him for assignment on May 6.

The White Sox claimed him on May 10. He appeared three times and allowed three runs in 3 1/3 innings. Chicago designated him for assignment on May 20.

He cleared waivers and stayed at Triple-A Charlotte for the rest of the season. Chicago later gave him nine starts in August and September. He posted a 4.84 ERA through 48 1/3 innings and showed some of the ability that once excited the Yankees.

The 26-year-old throws a fastball in the 93 to 94 mph range and relies on a mix of pitches. He has always faced command issues, which have pushed him from roster to roster.

A reunion neither wanted

Both players now join new teams with no minor league options left. Both must earn Opening Day roster spots or risk losing their roles again. Both still carry the weight of unmet expectations that followed them since their early days with the Yankees.

The most established player in the trade is Wilson. The 31-year-old reliever had a 3.42 ERA across 55 1/3 innings for the White Sox in 2025. He struck out 21.1 percent of hitters and produced a career-low 9.1 percent walk rate.

Wilson arrived in Chicago as part of the Dylan Cease trade before the 2024 season. Tampa Bay gains a steady reliever with three years of arbitration left.

Murray completes the trade as depth. The 26-year-old hit .241/.299/.400 with 18 homers at Triple-A Durham. He struck out 138 times in 572 plate appearances.

When prospects fail to launch

The careers of Pereira and Gomez show how fast prospect hype can fade. Both entered pro baseball as top signings with strong scouting grades. Both are now battling to stay on major league rosters instead of pushing for star roles.

“At his floor, we have a strong defender who can play center field and the wings and has power potential,” Getz said of Pereira. “He’s got a chance to really bloom into a solid everyday player.”

The White Sox ended the 2025 season with the worst record in MLB. They have room to give younger players long looks. Pereira will receive plenty of chances to show he can be more than a Triple-A slugger.

Gomez will enter a Rays system known for helping pitchers improve. Tampa Bay has a history of finding value in overlooked arms.

For two former Yankees prospects whose paths once seemed full of promise, this trade offers one more chance to prove they can still deliver at the highest level.

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