Yankees send Brendan Ryan to Cubs to complete Starlin Castro trade

Earlier today the Yankees sent Brendan Ryan to the Cubs as the player to be named later in last week’s Starlin Castro trade, both teams announced. This was totally expected. It was an open secret Ryan would be part of the trade, but the Yankees held on to him for a few extra days as a courtesy while the Cubbies sorted through some 40-man roster issues.

Ryan, 33, hit .201/.244/.271 (40 wRC+) with one homer in 289 plate appearances and 113 games for the Yankees after coming over in a September 2013 cash trade with the Mariners. Yes, he actually hit a home run in pinstripes. Here’s the video evidence:

Although he was primarily the backup middle infielder, the Yankees used Ryan at all four infield positions as well as right field over the past two seasons and one month. He even threw two shutout innings in a blowout loss this past season. Ryan exercised his $1M player option after the season.

The Yankees now have 38 players on the 40-man roster. They also have an open bench spot, and if they’re truly willing to use Castro as the backup third baseman, that spot can go to any type of player. If not — Castro hasn’t played third since rookie ball — they’ll need a backup third baseman.