This year I am looking at the All Star Home Run Derby and Game a little differently. Perhaps it is celebratory because of the disruptions of last year leaving the Summer Classic off the schedule due to the pandemic. Perhaps it was the beautiful tribute to baseball legend and 25 time All Star Hank Aaron. And we could stop right there. Because that is more than enough to view the game differently. But alas, as the trade deadline approaches, I have to consider the reason things appear different is because the Yankees may be using the gathering of great athletes as a feeding ground for potential trades by July 31st.
First on the list is Pittsburgh Pirates’ Adam Frazier who started in Tuesday's All Star Game. The 29-year-old second baseman who can also play the outfield is the third best hitter in baseball batting .330 on the season. And Gerrit Cole, former teammate, thinks he would make a great addition to this Yankee team.
“He’s a good player,” Cole said. “I don’t know how much control he has over the trade, but there’s always a little bit of gamesmanship going on in the clubhouses in this situation. “With a player under control, that’s almost impossible to control, in my opinion. ‘Fraz’ just has to keep doing what he’s doing, keep his head down, keep hitting, and things are going to work out for him. Hopefully at some point he gets the opportunity to choose where he wants to play,” reported the Pittsburgh Gazette on Monday night.
Next on the list, Texas Rangers slugger, Joey Gallo. "The athletic Gallo is among the best position players mentioned regularly as available in this trade market as the last-place Rangers try to rebuild. Gallo can be a free agent after next season. Padres general manager A.J. Preller was with Texas when Gallo was drafted, and opposing executives expect San Diego to be interested. The Yankees also have consistently had eyes for Gallo," reported the New York Post.
Then there are the rumors that Max Scherzer, the NL starter in Tuesday's All Star Game, could be sold off to the Bronx, giving the Yankees much needed pitching lift. "If things go south quickly for the Nationals, Washington may look to trade its stud pitcher. If that’s the case, expect several contenders, including the New York Yankees, to give Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo a call," reported NJ.com. It is a long shot, but stranger deals have happened at the deadline and this one would be no different.
So yes, Tuesday night's All Star Game was a full house in Colorado. Filled with fans, passion, celebrations, tributes, and yes, trade bait on display for the Yankees to consider as MLB inches closer to the trade deadline. Are the Yankees buyers or sellers? We will soon see.
--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof
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