THE YANKEES MUST SNATCH UP A STARTER!

This is a speculation piece.  I'm offering that ahead of time.  It's the rumor season and there's bound to be a bunch of speculation as you know.  No baseball insider truly knows anything... but once in a while they get a whiff of a move that's about to go down.  That's the game.. and you guys are at least smart enough to know that.  Check this out:

First off, a great piece by Lou DiPietro of YESNetwork.com who names several possible starters.  I'm going to offer 2 that I actually see as fits for the Yanks:

Mat Latos: "...Latos is the more likely option, and while he's struggling a bit this season - 3-6 with a 4.90 ERA in 14 starts through the break - his career ERA of 3.45 (and 3.31 ERA in three years in a hitters' park in Cincinnati) could prove this year as an aberration on a bad team. He's also durable, having made 30 or more starts and pitched at least 184 2/3 innings every year from 2010-13 (and 102 1/3 in 16 starts last year, a pace for about 205), so he should have plenty left in the tank after throwing just 75 1/3 in the first half."

Mike Leake.  Everyone is talking about the Yankees targeting Leake and it makes perfect sense.  DiPietro writes: "...Leake could very well be on the block as well if the Reds decide to stick with their current ace Cueto for the longer term.

Leake is unique in that he never played an inning in the minors, jumping straight to MLB in 2010 after being the No. 8 overall pick the previous summer. He is 6-5 with a 4.08 ERA in 18 starts this year and 59-47 with a 3.94 ERA in 165 total outings with the Reds, and at just 27, any audition could lead to a long-term deal somewhere."

BYB has even written of Leake in COLESLAW VS. COLE HAMELS:

"Cole Hamels isn’t our guy. I’d Aim for Mike Leake.  He seems to get it."

 Jeff Samardzija: An obvious target and someone that Bleeding Yankee Blue definitely wants on the Yankees.  Not only that... the Yankees are definitely looking at him.  We wrote alot about Shark last year.  

"I know the trade deadline is coming up and I am pretty positive that despite the negative aroma from the sports writers about the Yankees "lack of talent" on the farm, there is actually mad talent on the farm, and certain talent could definitely take a trip to Chicago so we can snatch up Jeff Samardzija.  If there is an opening, Cashman needs to swoop in and get him. Sure it's gotta be a reasonable deal, but we need to make the deal any way we can."

That was written on June 20, 2014.  Shark went to the A's after that. Cashman missed the boat.  Shark then signed with the White Sox and I'll tell you something, they'd be fools to pass him up again.  The Yankees are contenders... the White Sox are not.

3 pitchers the Yankees should consider.  3 pitchers that can catapult them into the playoffs and beyond.  Remember, as Pinstripe Alley writes: "...the Yankees rotation could be worse. This season, Yankee starters are 11^th in the league in FIP-WAR, much better than their very realistic worst-case scenario. Still, with a 4.25 ERA, the starting staff could be better."

Very, very true. You can always improve.

Let's make a deal Cash.

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