How newly acquired Brandon Drury fits in Yankees roster

The New York Yankees announced on Tuesday that they had acquired infielder Brandon Drury from the Arizona Diamondbacks as part of a three-team trade. The Yankees sent two minor leaguers – second baseman Nick Solak and right-hander Taylor Widener – to Tampa Bay. The Rays sent outfielder Steven Souza Jr. to the Diamondbacks.

Drury is a 25-year old infielder who spent last season as the starting second baseman in Arizona. He has also started 41 career games at third base. The Yankees entered spring training needing depth at those spots.

Expect the organization to still give youngsters Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar their fair shot at winning the second and third base jobs. However, the most likely scenario is Torres being the starting second baseman and Drury playing third. While Andujar has tremendous potential with the bat, his defense still remains a question mark at the Major League level.

Last season, Drury hit .267 with 13 homers and 63 RBI. He has hit .271 in his career since making his MLB debut in 2015.

It would seem Drury would be the most likely choice to start at third base, while giving the Yankees some flexibility throughout the infield. In the Yankees loaded lineup, Drury is likely to be slotted somewhere in the lower-third. The lineup once again improved and becomes that much longer.

Drury made $560,000 in 2017 and is not arbitration-eligible until 2019, making this a great deal financially as well.

Who are the prospects headed to Tampa?

Many view trades on what was given up. If that’s the case, this should be considered yet another good trade for the Yankees and GM Brian Cashman.

Solak, 23, was a second-round draft pick in 2016. He hit .297 with 10 homers last season splitting time in high-A Tampa and Double-A Trenton. Solak was ranked as the Yankees’ eighth-best prospect.

Widener was not ranked in the organizations Top-30 prospects. He went 7-8 with a 3.39 ERA in 27 starts last season for high-A Tampa.