The New York Yankees are not giving up on their season and they will look to make the appropriate moves that will allow them to compete in a tightly knit A.L. East. The Chicago Cubs are looking to sell. Outfielders Alfonso Soriano and Nate Schierholtz are on the Yankees' radar, according to the Sun-Times' Gordon Wittenmeyer, as they continue to look for productive outfielders.
In left field, the Yankees have a sure hole. Vernon Wells miraculously held his own in the first months of the season, but then went cold. As a left fielder, Wells has hit nine home runs, drove in 27 runs while hitting .225. Zoilo Almonte has a higher batting average at .259, but he lacks power, hitting just one home run while driving in nine runs for the Yankees. Wells and Almonte have produced all the offense out of left field for the Yankees in 2013. The Yankees should be pleased with Wells as of late as the left fielder has gotten hot in July hitting .341 with six RBI, but the Yankees are suffering from lack of pop in their lineup.
Soriano can surely stop the bleeding. He is vulnerable to the strikeout, totaling 85 through 91 games this season. However, he has out produced the Yankees left fielders with 17 home runs, 51 RBI, scoring 46 runs and stealing 19 bases all while hitting .259. Soriano isn't a starlet on defense, but right about now, the Yankees are preoccupied with their lack of scoring.
Schierholtz has been a great addition for the Cubs in 2013. He is being allowed to play every day and taking full advantage of this opportunity. Schierholtz might be a little more valuable than Soriano since his batting average is a bit higher and he gets on base more frequently than Soriano. The Yankees don't necessarily need another left-handed bat in their lineup, but Schierholtz could provide a fresh bat in the lineup. His triple slash is .266/.326/.490 with 11 home runs and 35 RBI.
Ichiro has bounced back after struggling in the early part of the season, but Brett Gardner has been one of the only consistent players in the Yankees lineup, aside from Robinson Cano. The Yankees are just seven games back from first place, but the hill looks steeper since they are in fourth place with their 52-46 record. However, the Wild Card race has easier access since they are just 3.5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles.
Both Schierholtz and Soriano can provide pop and become upgrades for the Yankees' outfield. Of course, when discussing the Cubs, Theo Epstein immediately comes to mind. It will be interesting to see if they Yankees have the right pieces to move in order to make the deal occur.