Reports: Banuelos traded to Braves

A few years back, Manny Banuelos was the pride of the Yankees farm system. Some control issues and an elbow surgery later, the young left-hander is moving on to the Braves.

New York traded their No. 9 prospect to Atlanta in exchange for right-handed reliever David Carpenter and left-handed reliever Chasen Shreve on Thursday. YESNetwork's Jack Curry was the first to tweet about the move.

The deal represents somewhat of a fall from grace for Banuelos, who was placed as high as No. 13 on MLB.com's overall rankings back in 2011. The 23-year-old left-hander posted a 3.75 ERA with 125 strikeouts in 129 2/3 innings between Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre that season. While his 4.9 BB/9 rate was some cause for concern, his impressive stuff earned Banuelos plenty of plaudits and had many thinking Yankee Stadium was well within his grasp.

After only six Triple-A starts in 2012, Banuelos needed Tommy John surgery that kept him out most of that season and all of the 2013 campaign. He finally returned to a mound this past season, starting the year at Class A Advanced Tampa. The Mexico native pitched at the top three levels of the Yankees system but did not last longer than five innings in any of his 26 outings as he returned from the procedure. Banuelos finished with a 4.11 ERA, 71 strikeouts and 31 walks in 76 2/3 innings between Tampa, Trenton and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2014.

The still-young southpaw has always received high marks for his repertoire. Indeed, his fastball (65), curveball (55) and changeup (55) each received above-average grades from MLB.com during its last update. But Banuelos' health and control must improve if he has any chance of coming close to hitting his previously high ceiling of a No. 2 or 3 starter in a Major League rotation. For now, he fits into an Atlanta system that should be a big part of the club's rebuilding process going forward.

By giving up their previously prized pitching prospect, the Yankees received a pair of Major League-ready arms that should help in middle relief right away. 

Carpenter posted a 3.54 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 9.9 K/9 in 65 appearances (61 innings) for Atlanta last season. In 2013, those numbers were even better at 1.78, 0.99 and 10.1 in 56 games (65 2/3 innings). The Yankees will be the 29-year-old right-hander's fourth Major League organization after the Braves, Blue Jays and Astros.

The left-handed Shreve made his Major League debut last summer and impressed in a short stint with Atlanta. The 24-year-old hurler had a 0.73 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 15-to-3 K/BB ratio in 15 games (12 1/3 innings). A 2010 11th-round pick by the Braves, Shreve saw his Minor League strikeout numbers take a big jump in 2014, when his K/9 went from 6.2 between Class A Advanced Lynchburg and Double-A Mississippi in 2013 to 12.2 between Mississippi and Triple-A Gwinnett this past summer. 

The pair join a retooled New York bullpen that has already added one of the best setup men in the game in Andrew Miller and will have a new closer in All-Star Dellin Betances after David Robertson signed with the White Sox earlier this offseason.