RUMOR: YANKEES CHASING POPULAR ALL-STAR RELIEVER

A bidding war could be on the horizon for St. Louis Cardinals reliever Ryan Helsley, and the Yankees are a potential suitor. Helsley will be a nice pickup for a contending team and could make the Yankees strong bullpen even stronger. A move like this could be a game changer.

The trade deadline comes fast every year, and I am usually super focused on improving the starting pitching staff. The Yankees starters are delivering, so far Carlos Rodon, Luis Gil, Marcus Stroman and Clarke Schmidt are all under a 3 ERA. This is an amazing stat with Gerrit Cole still out. The rotation has exceeded expectations (let's keep it that way) but that doesn't mean pitching improvements aren't needed.

I think the Yankees could become even stronger if they add to an already strong bullpen. Pitching is always in high demand but the Cardinals are five games behind in the NL Central with a 24-26 record and could choose to sell. If they do, they will have plenty of interest in Helsley and will have some strong offers to consider.

Among potential suitors will likely be the Dodgers, but even more likely would be the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles are chasing the Yankees right now in the standings, but not by much. I think the Orioles have one of the best lineups in the game and their starting rotation has been very good. Their biggest weakness so far appears to be their bullpen, so adding fire power here will make them even more dangerous and could give the Yankees are run for their money down the stretch.

I think the Orioles are a dangerous team, and they will do anything they can to win back to back division titles. If the Yankees can win the bidding war they could be unstoppable. Think about it, adding Helsley to the roster could make a dynamic one two punch for the Yankees at the end of games. Clay Holmes has been the best closer so far and adding a strong arm like Helsley could shut down any offense.

It would also give the Yankees some additional options down the road. Helsley has one more year of team control, and Holmes will be a free agent at the end of the season. If the Yankees can't keep Holmes next season, or just decide to move on they would have another strong arm to build around. Helsley isn't someone I have thought about much until this season, but the more I think about it the more it makes sense and I want it to happen.

The Yankees are contenders for a World Series berth. The more I think about our starting rotation followed by Helsley as a bridge to Holmes the more excited I get. It could happen. The question is, can the Yankees execute and what would it cost?

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj