MLB Trade Rumors: Yankees Must Ramp Up Pursuit of Gio Gonzalez
December 22, 2011 · Zachary D. Rymer · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
The New York Yankees could use some help in their starting rotation, but indications are that they’re not very interested in trading for Oakland A’s lefty Gio Gonzalez.
Via ESPN’s Buster Olney, here’s the latest:
This is not exactly a surprise. Though the Yankees could use a starting pitcher, they could survive without one if need be. Besides, Oakland’s asking price for Gonzalez is supposedly very high, as Billy Beane is looking to land a considerable package of prospects for him. Per the San Francisco Chronicle, Beane wants “at least two high-value prospects and a few mid-range prospects” in exchange for Gonzalez.
At last check, the Yankees don’t have that many tradeable assets.
There is, however, one thing the Yankees should be concerned about. They may not be interested in trading for Gonzalez, but their biggest rival is.
According to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com, the Boston Red Sox have an offer on the table for Gonzalez. In fact, he is the organization’s top target, and the A’s could trade him as soon as Thursday.
The idea of Gonzalez in Boston should concern the Yankees. At the absolute very least, he would be a reliable starter for a Red Sox rotation that desperately needs one. The worst-case scenario for the Yankees involves Gonzalez harnessing his control and becoming a dominant pitcher, a la Clayton Kershaw.
Either way, Gonzalez is a guy that the Yankees don’t want to face on a regular basis.
With the clock ticking, now is a good time for Brian Cashman to give the A’s a call and see if he can’t get Billy Beane’s attention. He doesn’t have to make a deal for Gonzalez (though I wouldn’t rule it out). He merely has to block Gonzalez from going to the Red Sox.
It helps that there is another suitor in the mix, as Edes claims the A’s also have an offer from the Washington Nationals to consider. Maybe there’s a way Cashman could steer Gonzalez towards the Nats.
Regardless, the last thing Cashman wants to do is sit on his hands. The Red Sox are coming off a disastrous 2011 season, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be dangerous in 2012. If they acquire Gonzalez, they will be. That would be good for them, but bad for the Yankees.
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