BOSTON — On July 6, 2014, the Yankees acquired Brandon McCarthy from the Diamondbacks, struggling for a year and a half at that juncture, and convinced him to start using his cut fastball again. The right-hander excelled enough in a pinstriped half-season that the Dodgers lured him away the subsequent winter for a four-year, $48-million contract.
On July 8, 2014, the Astros released Jerome Williams, the veteran right-hander, after he posted a 6.04 ERA in 26 games totaling 47²/u2083 innings. Houston had tried to sell Williams, who recorded bad results with the Angels the two prior campaigns, on revamping his approach against hitters, only to find him unreceptive.