YANKEE TRADE RUMORS & WHAT BYB KNOWS

It may seem early to be thinking about possible trade rumors. After all, most trades don’t occur until right near the July 31 Trade Deadline, but anything can happen, and there are useful players who may be available by that time, right around when the Yankees are looking for help and stability. Let’s take a look at some potential deal that we snuffed out:

Cole Hamels: Mikey wrote a great piece about Hamels recently titled WOULD YOU WANT COLE HAMELS IN YANKEE PINSTRIPES? In it he talked about the Yankees pursuing Hamels once the season concludes, but actually, there’s a chance that the Yanks could acquire him at the deadline. Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. has said his Phillies may become sellers if they continue to flounder. Read HERE.

As of now the Yankee rotation is settled, and there are alternatives within the organization that could fill in if needed, but things can change in a blink of an eye. Hamels is in the final year of his deal, of course, so if the Yankees were to acquire him it’d be nice if they could work out an extension to complete a potential trade instead of risking it and giving him the chance to walk away after the season if they do acquire him. The problem here would be the Yankees would still have to give up a pretty decent haul to acquire Hamels, since he’s a legit ace. Perhaps a trade involving Manny Banuelos and Gary Sanchez could land Hamels, to which, personally, I’d say no. The Hamels situation could get interesting in the coming months. Stay tuned.

Shane Victorino: This is similar to the Hamels situation in that the Phillies would have to be sellers in order for Victorino to be available. Also, like Hamels, Victorino is a free agent-to be. Now, I know what you’re thinking, “With the outfield we have when Brett Gardner is healthy why would we need an outfielder?” Here’s why; If Brett Gardner continues to have these nagging injuries that force him to miss chunks of time, it’d be nice to pick up a guy like Shane Victorino who could bat almost anywhere in the lineup while playing solid defense in the outfield.

So far Victorino has a slash line of .250/.301/.408 (BA/OBP/SLG), which may not sound impressive, but he’s already got 11 stolen bases and five home runs. I know, it’s pretty unlikely that we see Victorino in Pinstripes come late July, but stranger things have happened. If the Yankees outfield situation is still sketchy, keep your eye out for Victorino.

Brandon McCarthy: Here’s someone the Yankees will have a legit shot of obtaining once the deadline rolls around. McCarthy is a pretty underrated pitcher, but he’s a damn good pitcher nonetheless. He’s had injury problems before (Five trips to the DL since 2007), but he’s been relatively healthy since joining the A’s. Since joining Oakland in 2011 he has pitched to a 3.14 ERA with an impressive 4.1 K/BB ratio. I’m sure some of you non-believers out there may think he’s a product of Oakland’s spacious park, but he’s still a pretty good pitcher on the road as well. Take a look at his home/road splits since the start of the 2011 season:

Home: 117 IP, 2.46 ERA, 0.38 HR/9
Road: 106.1 IP, 3.89 ERA, 0.60 HR/9

There’s no denying that his home numbers are better than his away numbers, but his away numbers certainly aren’t bad. A 3.90 ERA isn’t too shabby at all, and a 0.6 HR/9 rate is very, very good. McCarthy is a free agent after this year, and the A’s will likely be out of it come July. Look for McCarthy to be on the Yankees’ watch list in the coming months if he isn’t already.

If we find more interesting nuggets, we'll be sure to bring them to you right here on Bleeding Yankee Blue.



--Jesse Schindler, BYB Lead Staff Writer
Follow me on Twitter @SchindlerJesse


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