New York Yankees: The 1 Trade Deadline Deal New York Has to Make
July 25, 2013 · Anthony Maimone · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
The New York Yankees find themselves in a very difficult position with the trade deadline less than a week away.
They are only seven games back of the first-placed Boston Red Sox and have six in the loss column; the right moves could help boost their chances of making the playoffs.
However, they sit in fourth place in the division and continue to not catch any breaks with any of their returning stars.
The Yankees want to make a move to bolster their failing offense, but they have no interest in mortgaging any part of their future to do so.
That is why they need to find a team that is in the same situation as they are and hope to swap pieces.
That team is the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Phillies also find themselves eight games out of first place.
They have made several players available for a trade in attempt to shed some salary but haven’t fully committed to the idea.
The players that should be on the Yankees’ radar of the batch are third baseman Michael Young and catcher Carlos Ruiz.
The Phillies are no longer going to move the free-agent-to-be Young because of the belief they are still in the race, despite having a record under .500, according to Peter Gammons.
However, a lot can change in a week, and the Phillies have games left against the St. Louis Cardinals and the Detroit Tigers before the deadline that can alter their mind.
ESPN’s Jayson Stark explains that a rough week will make moving Young a near lock.
Meanwhile, the Yankees have been openly shopping a pair of their own pitchers to teams for weeks, according to Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, and the Phillies had shown faint interest in them earlier, as SB Nation’s Tanya Bondurant reports.
Rosenthal has recently updated his reports and says the Phillies have stated they are no longer pursuing Joba Chamberlain.
That still leaves Phil Hughes as a good bargaining chip to close on a deal with the Phillies. Odds are the Yankees would have to take on part of Hughes’ remaining salary and give up a pair of mid-level prospects to complete a deal.
The Yankees have gotten absolutely nothing out of their catcher and third base positions this season, and landing these two players would be a great haul.
This move is not earth-shattering for either team and involves only players set to be free agents at the end of this season.
The Phillies receive a young pitcher getting the opportunity to switch leagues and show something over the final two months, as well as some salary relief, and the Yankees get valuable veteran hitters that don’t tie up any money after this season.
Moving Hughes is a big risk here, as you don’t often want to trade young pitchers away in season, but moving Hughes opens up a spot in the rotation for Michael Pineda, something the Yankees have to do in the second half of this season.
If the Yankees can get this deal done, they will have a lineup that is at least a little more experienced in a late-season push.
It is a buy move that doesn’t mortgage the future, which is the only move the Yankees should be willing to make.
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