Cubs send top late-inning reliever to the Yankees for a pair of promising prospects

With just hours to go until this year's MLB trade deadline, the Chicago Cubs sent Mark Leiter Jr. to the New York Yankees in exchange for prospects Jack Neely and Ben Cowles - perhaps just the first trade we'll see on Tuesday centered around the team's crop of relievers.

Leiter Jr. has played an integral role for Chicago in the late innings for nearly three years now, thriving as the team's go-to lefty neutralizer given his reverse splits. His splitter regularly ranked as one of the best put-away pitches in the entire league and when he's got a feel for it, it's near-unhittable.

On the year, the right-hander has been solid, with a career-best 2.11 FIP, outpacing his 4.21 ERA. He's also averaging a personal-best 13.1 K/9 and 4.08 K/BB. He'll join a Yankees bullpen that owns the third-lowest ERA in the American League, but lacks any major swing-and-miss, something Leiter Jr. can bring in a big way.

He ranks in the top two percent in both whiff rate and K% and in the top eight percent in chase rate. The hope is this addition helps the Yankees pen level off a bit after hitting some bumps in the road late in the first half.

Cubs get a potential late-inning weapon back from the Yankees

As for the return coming back to Chicago, there's a lot to like - especially when it comes to Neely, who boasts a 70-grade slider and is big league-ready. Projected as a late-inning weapon for years to come, the 6-foot, 8-inch right-hander has really come into his own, cutting his walk rate and mixing his slider with a mid-to-upper 90s fastball at Double and Triple-A.

Cowles, the Yankees' tenth-round pick back in 2021, isn't a standout in any one area, but does a lot of little things right. Best suited for a middle infield role, he's had his best offensive season this year with Double-A Scranton, slashing .294/.376/.472. Definitely more of a singles and doubles guy as opposed to someone with 20+ homer power, he adds to the Cubs' infield prospect depth.