JR MURPHY COULD BE ON THE TRADING BLOCK

Now, I don't take these speculation pieces too seriously, but that being said, I really liked what Yahoo Sports Howard Unger said in reference to the Yankees surplus of catching and how it can be fair to assume that in that surplus, some catching could be flipped for other parts the Yankees could use. Enter JR Murphy.

He writes, "Murphy, who played in 16 games for the Yankees last season, is also on the market. An above-average defender with 15-home-run potential, his trade value is near its peak. ESPN's Law ranked Murphy the third best prospect in the Yankees organization and, in his write-up, wrote that Murphy is "going to be an every-day catcher for somebody." The question is, Who?"

That brings us to the Newark Star-Ledger, who tweeted:

Cashman says the team has gotten calls on Brett Gardner, Ivan Nova, Gary Sanchez, JR Murphy and others.
— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughStar) December 10, 2013

The teams interested,"...include the Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, San Francisco Giants, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Texas Rangers, who may be in the market for a catching prospect -- as well as the Rockies. There's also the Los Angeles Dodgers, who lack depth in the catching department."

How seriously do we take it? Do we really need to trade Murphy? Do we part with Gary Sanchez? Do we part with any of them or, do we keep the kids, develop them and make them into superstars in pinstripes?

Me personally? I'm happy to groom them in New York... but I did find that piece pretty provocative.

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