Yankees part with exciting prospect Roc Riggio in trade for Rockies reliever

Billy Heyen

Yankees part with exciting prospect Roc Riggio in trade for Rockies reliever image

The New York Yankees weren't done with the David Bednar deal.

Instead, the Yanks used a strong prospect to acquire another relief pitcher, this one from the Colorado Rockies.

It's right-hander Jake Bird coming to the Yanks. In return, Colorado gets Roc Riggio and Ben Shields, per MLB.com's Mark Feinsand.

Riggio is the Yankees' No. 10 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, and Shields is No. 28 on that list.

The wonderfully named Riggio is a power hitter at second base. He's 23 years old and just 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds.

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At Double-A Somerset this season, Riggio has played 40 games and already hit 10 doubles and 11 homers with a .261 average. Maybe there's doubt about his ability to keep the power going as he moves up the level, but right now, Riggio looks legit.

And come on -- Roc Riggio on the Rockies. That's amazing.

Shields is a 6-foot-4, 26-year old lefty.

He has thrown in five games at Double-A Somerset this season with a 3.42 ERA. He has 26 strikeouts in 23.2 innings.

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Bird is a solid righty bullpen pickup for the Yankees. He's in his fourth MLB season, and he's under contract through 2028.

Bird has struck out 10.5 batters per inning this season, and his ERA has hovered right about 4.

The Rockies clearly have nothing to play for, maybe not even in the next couple years, so it's not surprise they moved Bird.

It's probably a solid deal for both sides. Riggio has the potential to thrive in the thin air at Coors Field, and Bird becomes a reliever stalwart for the Yankees for the next three-and-a-half years.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle