Chicago Cubs Could Get Major Boost from Prospects in Leiter Deal

The Chicago Cubs fired one of the first salvos of MLB trade deadline day, dealing reliever Mark Leiter Jr. to the New York Yankees.

Jun 13, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Mark Leiter Jr. (38) throws a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays in the seventh inning at Tropicana Field. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Heading into the final hours of the 2024 MLB trade deadline, the Chicago Cubs were a team many people thought would make some moves. A full-on firesale wasn’t going to occur, but selling off a few of their veteran pieces made sense.

That became evident when the Cubs were the surprise winners of the Isaac Parades sweepstakes. Parades was one of the more popular names on the rumor mill, garnering interest from contenders around baseball.

But, it was Chicago who nabbed him. They have begun toeing the line of buying and selling, as they completed another deal with the New York Yankees centered around right-handed reliever Mark Leiter Jr.

In exchange for the veteran pitcher, the Yankees are sending back two prospects to the Cubs. Infielder Ben Cowles and right-handed relief pitcher Jack Neely.

Trade news: The New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs are in agreement on a trade that will send right-handed reliever Mark Leiter Jr. to the Yankees and infielder Ben Cowles and right-handed reliever Jack Neely to the Cubs, sources tell me and @kileymcd.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 30, 2024

For Chicago, Neely could make it to the big leagues this season. A former 11th-round pick out of Ohio State in the 2021 draft, he stands an intimidating 6’8” on the mound. 

Neely pitched this season in both Double and Triple-A. He recorded a strong 2.81 ERA with 63 strikeouts in 41.2 innings pitched.

Neely was the Yankees' No. 21 ranked prospect. Cowles came in at No. 29 on the list and was a 10th-round pick in the 2021 draft. 

He has spent the season in Double-A Somerset. He is in the midst of his best career as a professional, having a wonderful season at the plate.

In 326 at-bats, Cowles has a slash line of .294/.376/.472. He has knocked in 51 RBI and scored 51 runs. 37 of his 96 hits have gone for extra bases, and Cowles has added 14 stolen bases. That is a solid power/speed combination the Cubs could benefit from down the road, as he led the Big 10 with 18 home runs during his final collegiate season at Maryland.

Those are two solid prospects that Chicago is getting in return for Leiter, who will be a major upgrade for the New York bullpen. He has made 39 appearances for the Cubs this season, recording a 4.21 ERA in 36.1 innings with a 1.101 WHIP and 53 strikeouts.

However, some advanced stats would tell you that Leiter has been a victim of bad luck this season. His FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) is 2.11, which is well above average in the 2024 season.

The Yankees are certainly hoping that Leiter’s numbers continue regressing to the mean as some of the advanced stats would suggest. If July is an indication of what is on the horizon, New York is going to be thrilled with this trade.

In seven July appearances, Leiter has pitched 7.2 innings. He has not allowed a single base runner while striking out 14. That will play late in games for a bullpen that has had its struggles this season.