New York Yankees acquire Brandon McCarthy

Needing to add help for their ailing starting rotation, the New York Yankees have acquired right-hander Brandon McCarthy from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Arizona will receive left-hander Vidal Nuno in return and they will also pay half of the $4.1 Million remaining on his salary this season.

FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reported Sunday morning that the two sides were believed to be discussing a deal with Nuno involved. MLB Daily Dish’s Chris Cotillo reported minutes later that a deal was complete.

McCarthy, who’ll turn 31 on Monday, has been having a subpar year for the D’backs. He’s made 18 starts and thrown 109.2 innings on the year, posting a 5.01 ERA and 1.377 WHIP. His 131 hits allowed was the highest total in the National League. McCarthy’s 7.6 K/9, however, marked a career best.

While not a dominating starter, McCarthy has been reliable for much of his career. The Yankees needed a proven veteran who can provide them with innings the rest of the season and he should fit that mold well. New York has seen their share of pitching concerns this season. Ivan Nova was put on the shelf early after undergoing Tommy John surgery. C.C. Sabathia has been sidelined with a knee injury that may keep him out the remainder of the season. Michael Pineda’s return is uncertain. Collectively that leaves a big gap to fill.

Nuno has spent much of the season in the rotation for New York, but his results have been far from impressive. The 26 year old has made 17 appearances on the year, including 14 starts. In 78.0 IP he’s posted a 5.42 ERA and 1.436 WHIP. Pressed into starting duty out of necessity, it’s been clear for some time that the Yankees did not view him as a piece of their future even though he is not yet arbitration eligible.

McCarthy will be a free agent at season’s end so he won’t help New York’s rotation concerns long term without an extension, but he should provide an instant boost to the mix for the remainder of the season at a relatively minimal cost. With the AL East in such disarray, the team could still climb back in the second half of the season and find themselves in contention. McCarthy will provide more value in such a quest than Nuno likely could.