TRADE RUMORS AROUND THE YANKEES & MLB

Denard Span: The Yankees, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.com HERE, and us, who suggested this was a nice fit days ago HERE, says the Yankees are "all in" on guys like Span, Shane Victorino and Justin Upton.  The problem is the Twins, according to Heyman, want "a ton" for Span.

Brett Myers: The White Sox have acquired Myers and cash and that comes from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Read his Tweet HERE. You can also read the Sports Illustrated piece on it HERE. Houston will get 2 players now and a player to be named.  We had a piece out a few weeks ago titled WHAT I MIGHT DO AS THE YANKEES GM. We suggested maybe the Yankees could try to acquire Myers and Wandy Rodriguez in one shot.  Now with Joba Chamberlain on his way back, Myers didn't look like an option any more.  Hey, we were close, I mean Meyers was clearly on the move, but the timing was wrong for the Yankees, no biggie, I'm pretty confident we can do it without Brett Myers.

Matt Garza: It's being reported by Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that the Boston Red Sox may be in the mix for Matt Garza, but the Sox front office isn't sure he's better than what they already have. Read HERE.  Seriously? That's a joke, right? The Red Sox aren't exactly outstanding this season. The Dodgers have also checked in on Garza, according to Bruce Levine at ESPN Chicago, read HERE.  Anyway, if the Yankees were to snag any pitcher, I would feel good trying to get Garza down the stretch.  I believe he's solid in the American League east and he really wants to be part of a contender.

JC Romero: The Indians have signed Romero to a minor league deal.  This is coming from Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer.  Read that Tweet HERE. Romero's trying to latch onto a team for a while now.  Remember, the Yankees even picked up up briefly last season, read HERE.

Cliff Lee: There is a piece in Yankees Fans Unite HERE that makes an argument for Cliff Lee.  My opinion on Lee is, he thought he had it all figured out, he didn't want to come to the Yankees in the first place, he made excuses that the Phillies were younger, not even true and he does not want to come to the Bronx. In turn, I say screw him, we don't need him, fate brought him to a loser, he should stay there.

The strangest part of the Lee, Yankee stuff is when doing a simple search on Google, the image above shows up.  Someone had wishful thinking back when he was a free agent I guess.  It's just funny.

Billy Butler: It appears that the Pittsburgh Pirates are going to be buyers at the trade deadline and have inquired about the Royals Golden Boy Billy Butler.  There's no way the Royals part with Butler, he's their future, but it just goes to show how important the Pirates will be down the stretch.

Melky Cabrera: Look, the Yankees haven't really hinted that they want to guy back, but he's red hot and he would be a smart choice.  I gather the Yanks never really liked Melky but given the circumstances of Brett Gardner out and Nick Swisher hurt, it may actually be a good idea. We shall see...

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WHAT I MIGHT DO AS THE YANKEES GM

On June 25th the Yankees defeated the Indians 7-1, Hiroki Kuroda got an impressive win throwing 7+ innings of 1 run ball with 7 strikeouts, propelling the Yankees to their 13th win in their past 16 games, and their 8th straight. Sure, it happened 2 weeks ago, but it was significant, it was the beginning of something good for the Yankees, a gelling if you will. The bombers were really clicking on all cylinders and the whole city knew it.

 Then, on June 27th a couple of hours before game time the Yankees announced that CC would be put on the 15 day DL for a groin strain, read HERE. At that point, I was still optimistic for the Yanks because they still had another left hander in the rotation, old reliable Andy Pettitte.  But that changed when Andy went down with a come backer off the bat of Casey Kotchman, busting his ankle, read HERE. It's devastating, but this isn't a cause for complete, "abandon ship" type of concern... we should however look further than who we have to fill the holes, my opinion of course. Why? Because since those injuries, some of the moving parts just aren't working and there is need for improvement....outside the organization.

 Let's break it down. Cory Wade has been good, but not recently.  That was why he was sent down and it's my opinion that he shouldn't have even been in last night's game against the Red Sox, read WADE HAPPENS. They Yankees picked up Chad Qualls and while I'm not exactly sure how effective he really is yet, I'm not exactly pleased with Wade's recent performance and I'm not too confident in Qualls ability.

I'm thinking another solid reliever in that bullpen could really do wonders. If I were assigned the Yankees GM role for the day, I would work very closely with the Houston Astros to make a trade for Brett Myers & Wandy Rodriguez a rental starter and reliever that could really help our club.

• Brett Myers is a former starter turned closer who really can do either.  Throughout his career he has been a starting pitcher on the Phillies (2002-2009) and the Astros. Sure, there were 2 seasons in 2007 when he was with the Phillies and became a closer for a good portion of the season after former Yankee Flash Gordon went down for some time. Bottom line, Myers did such a good job that when Gordon came back, Myers stayed as the closer for the rest of the season recording 21 saves. 

This year Myers was appointed closer when Mark Melancon was traded to the Red Sox. This season Myers has 18 saves already with a 3.54 ERA. He is a solid option to shore up the Yankees bullpen and in my opinion, a better option than Chad Qualls or Cory Wade.

• Wandy Rodriguez is the other piece to this potential deal.  He is the ace of the Astros pitching staff and is a proven left handed pitcher.  Rodriguez has posted an ERA under 4 every season since 2008.  He could be the piece that can fill the void as a lefty with 2 lefties out. Plus, the Astros are a team in serious rebuilding mode. They easily traded Houston fan favorite Lance Berkman to the Yankees in the summer of 2010 for just 2 mid level prospects. 

If Brian Cashman could work the Astros again and get a trade going again, give up a few low level prospects and get the Astros to eat some salary on Myers and Rodriguez, I'd be all over this.

Sure, there are other pitchers out there, but we all know Cole Hamels is just too expensive for the Yankees, Read HERE. How about Huston Street who's a good target (read HERE), and Matt Garza whom the Yankees really like and has already proven himself in the AL East, read HERE, but I tell you what, it's my opinion Myers and Rodriguez could be the best option by the deadline, a reliever and starter, both rentals, both reliable and both for low level prospects. If I'm the Yankees GM for a day, that's what I'd do, what about you? Comment.



--Will Cohen, BYB Contributor




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AROUND MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

Here are few items circulating around the Major Leagues you should know about:

Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson: 3 Yankees that have been named starters in for the American League All-Stars.  You gotta love that. There is no question the 3 of them have really demonstrated both leadership and just really good play this first half, they deserve it. By the way, CC Sabathia was chosen to be part of the starting pitching squad but he won't be pitching. Good deal. Congrats guys.

 

Cole Hamels: According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.com,  the Philadelphia Phillies are right now trying to feel around the majors to see which teams would be serious about trading for Cole Hamels. Read Heyman's tweet HERE. I'm not going to lie, I'm salivating right now. One important part of this, Jon Morosi from FOX Sports says the Rangers are serious about trying to snag Hamels as well as Zack Greinke. Read that HERE.

Matt Garza, not Wandy Rodriguez?: The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo says that Brian Cashman will most likely be more interested in guys like Matt Garza, Ryan Dempster and  Zack Greinke than a Wandy Rodriguez.  Read Nick HERE. Interesting, we shall see.

Jim Thome: Thome was traded to the Baltimore Orioles. The Phillies got 2 minor leaguers.  Thome said of the trade: “Yeah, it usually is [a whirlwind] when you move from team to team and I am excited to be here.” Read about the trade HERE. The Orioles are serious the year.  Thome can definitely help the team.

Jorge Soler: The Cubs deal with Soler is finally complete. It's a 9 year deal worth $30 million. ESPN is reporting that the Cubs don't know when or where he will start for the Cubs but it's believed he'll start at the single A level. Read HERE. And there you go.

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BYB YANKEE TRADE RUMORS: PART 6

(Photo: Getty)
Wandy Rodriguez: He's a lefty and he's overpaid. That's my opinion of him. Yet, the Yankees are reportedly pursuing him and to me, I understand the logic, but wouldn't that be wasting money on a guy that clearly to me, is not a number 2 guy? Wandy had a 3.47 ERA this season with a 7-7 record for the Astros. The big thing about Rodriguez is the money, he is stilled owed $36 million and if the Astros are willing to pay the majority of that, I say do it. Personally though, this is not the "big" deadline guy we want. Yes, the Yanks want him because he's a lefty, but is he better than what we have? I'm not so sure. Read MLB Trade Rumors HERE.(Photo:Getty)
Heath Bell: I love this guy. I will stand on the rooftops and tell the world. But can the Yankees land him? Jon Heyman from SI says they are in on him, but seriously, what does that mean? Plus, can the Yankees land any of those Padres relievers? There's no question, the Yankees need a starter, but it would be nice to have 1 more reliable reliever in the already dominant pen. Mike Adams, Chad Qualls, Heath Bell, all are reliable, but can the Yankees get someone like Bell? I hope so, I really do.

Stay tuned for more trade updates here at Bleeding Yankee Blue.

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RAPID FIRE: YANKEES TRADE RUMORS

It's getting to be that time of year again, when the hot stove turns back on for about a month as all 30 teams around the league scramble to optimize their roster before the trade deadline. There's no secret as to what the Yankees are looking for: pitching, pitching, and more pitching. Ideally they would love to pick up both a starter and reliever to solidify the rotation and fill in for Joba. No need to search all over the Internet for the latest Yankees trade rumors, here at Bleeding Yankee Blue, we've got you covered. Here is the first round of rumors:
(Photo: Getty)

• Wandy Rodriguez: Wandy may not be the kind of half-season salary dump rental the Yankees are looking for, and he's on the wrong side of 30 years old, but Wandy would be the ideal guy to anchor a playoffs rotation. The left-handed Astros ace has pitched to the tune of an outstanding 3.21 ERA this season, thanks in part to a 2.50 ERA in the month of June. His record is 5-4, and frankly the fact that he's managed a winning record while backed by the piss poor Astros offense is a testament to his dominance. As I mentioned, he'd be anything but a rental; Wandy is signed through 2013 with a 2014 player option, but if the Yanks are looking for a long term investment and are willing to shop a good prospect or two, the Astros are definitely selling. Read it HERE.
  

• Hiroki Kuroda: Kuroda is more of the rental type the Bombers are looking for. Read about it HERE. He's signed for this season and is arbitration eligible in the off season should the Yankees seek to give him an extension. Despite an ugly 5-9 record, Kuroda has been one of the more dominant pitchers in the NL, holding a 3.10 ERA (the record can be blamed on the disaster that is the Dodgers... poor Donnie Baseball). I know what you're thinking: Kuroda's cheap, only signed through this year, and is definitely being shopped….so sign him up! The only issue is his full no-trade clause, but I wouldn't imagine he'd be against spending possibly one of his last seasons (he's 36 years old) in the hunt for his first World Series ring. Jonathan Broxton could potentially be a throw in with Kuroda to sweeten the pot a little, but given the disaster he's become I wouldn't exactly welcome him with open arms. But hey Kerry Wood wasn't on fire when we got him either...

(Photo: Getty)

• Carlos Beltran: This one is a bit puzzling. He's obviously not a pitcher, he's an outfielder, and our outfield is set with GGS. The idea was to maybe bring him on to replace Posada, but the DH problem is absolutely gone, as I wrote about earlier this month WHY HE'S STILL HERE. Swisher wasn't doing particularly well either but like Jorge, he has been blazing hot this month. The only option I see is to have him platoon with Jorge in the DH spot, but it'd be a little ridiculous to use two switch hitters in a platoon system. Beltran always wanted to be a Yankee, they just couldn't afford him before (I know, it sounds weird...), but I'm sorry to say I don't see him ever becoming one, unless he wants to be a backup for next year. Read about it HERE.
  

(Photo: Getty)

• Heath Bell: Bell has been one of the more dominant closers in the game since he took over Hoffman's old job in San Diego. In 2010 he logged 47 saves to go along with a glistening 1.93 ERA. He hasn't been much worse in 2011, recording a 2.61 ERA with 19 saves. He'd be more than sufficient as a replacement for Joba, I dare say he'd even be an improvement. However, he's a fan favorite in San Diego and he's made it very clear that he wants to stay there, so there would be some hard feelings about trading him. Nevertheless, baseball is a business, and if Bell could bring in a prospect or two to make the Padres future look less miserable, they'd be foolish not to. They're obviously sellers, when you are trailing the Dodgers, there's something wrong.
  

• Francisco Rodriguez: The better half of New York despises Francisco Rodriguez. He acts like he's won the World Series every time he records a save and has been sent to anger management. Still, there's no denying that he's one hell of a pitcher. K-Rod recently said that he would gladly accept a trade to the Yankees or Rays (a "contending team" as he said, backhanding the Mets). The Mets quickly followed up with a statement saying they are not looking to trade him, but come on, he's a free agent after this season and while the Mets aren't quite as awful as expected (39-39), they're in the NL East competing with the Phillies and Braves, so it seems unlikely that we'll see a Cinderella Story in the Queens. He's posted a decent 3.65 ERA and has 20 saves to his credit this season. Personally I'd explore other options, but if he's on the block, you know the Yankees will at least make an offer, serious or not.

Check back soon for more trade rumors.



--Grant Cederquist, BYB Staff Writer



--Jeana Bellezza, BYB Associate Editor



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