Former Twins pitching prospect dominating for Yankees

The Yankees might have a future star.

May 18, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Luis Gil (81) reacts after the / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Yankees pitcher Luis Gil is one of the early breakout stars of 2024, but how did he end up in New York?

In nine starts this season, Gil has compiled an impressive 2.39 ERA (11th in MLB) with 62 strikeouts (11th in MLB) in only 49 innings of work. Most recently he had a remarkable 14-strikeout performance in only six innings of work vs. the White Sox Saturday.

On March 16, 2018, the Minnesota Twins traded Gil to New York in exchange for outfielder Jake Cave. At the time Gil was an incredibly unknown 19-year-old prospect and Cave was 25 years old having never played a game in the major leagues.

Cave went on to play over 300 games in a Twins uniform and recorded over 200 hits from 2018-2022. Before this season, Gil had only appeared in seven games for the Yankees.

Now 25 years old, Gil looks like an intriguing long-term player for the Yankees. Cave, now 31, is currently playing for the Rockies, two seasons removed from playing for the Twins.

At the time of the trade, both Gil and Cave were incredibly unknown with neither player having appeared in the major leagues. Fast-forward six years they're on very different career trajectories.