Former Top Prospect Claimed Off Waivers By New York Yankees

Downs, a former top prospect in the sport, was once among the pieces that went from the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Boston Red Sox in the trade that sent Mookie Betts to Los Angeles.

He had been DFA'd by Washington just last week. He had gotten to Washington after suffering the same fate in Boston.

Thus far, it hasn't worked for him at the major league level. He's a .182 hitter over just 44 career at-bats. He is still just 25 years old. Downs was at one point the No. 44 prospect in the league, via MLB.com.

At this point, he is assuredly just depth for the Yankees. They may be able to extract value from him in some way, but with Anthony Volpe and Gleyber Torres implanted in the middle infield, Downs certainly isn't going to be a key factor for New York in 2024.

Aside from this move, the Yankees have had a busy offseason, trading for Juan Soto in a megadeal with the San Diego Padres. Furthermore, the team has been courting Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who they hope to sign and pair with Carlos Rodon and Gerrit Cole in the starting rotation.

New York finished fourth in the American League East in 2023 and is looking to get back into playoff - and World Series contention in 2024.