Last week the Yankees designated Eduardo Nunez for assignment and now they’ve traded the utility infielder to the Twins in exchange for Single-A pitching prospect Miguel Sulbaran.
Nunez was once viewed by some people as the heir apparent for Derek Jeter in New York, but he isn’t a good enough defender to play shortstop regularly and with a lifetime .692 OPS isn’t a good enough hitter to be an asset at third base regularly. For now he’ll head to Triple-A for the Twins, but expect to see Nunez in Minnesota at some point this season in a part-time role.
Sulbaran went from the Dodgers to the Twins in exchange for light-hitting backup catcher Drew Butera last season. He’s not considered a top prospect–before this season I ranked him as the 28th-best prospect in the Twins’ farm system–but had a lot of success at low Single-A last year and is certainly a decent enough return for the 26-year-old Nunez (and before that for Butera).
