The New York Yankees are still working out their trade options after acquiring outfielders Carlos Beltran and Jacoby Ellsbury. Now their roster is relatively crowded at the position leaving the team options to make some moves. Several teams have expressed interest and after a Cincinnati Reds, Brandon Phillips trade was offered, the Yankees are turning it down.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told ESPN that the Yankees were planning on listening to offers regarding Brett Gardner as many teams had expressed interest in the outfielder. Gardner could get the team something big in return. The 30-year-old hit .273 last season along with eight home runs, 52 RBIs and 24 stolen bases.
Those numbers have Cashman leaning towards holding on to the veteran for the time being. He told ESPN that he was only listening to offers during the Winter Meetings as standard due diligent. However, the team likes the idea of putting Gardner in left field, Ellsbury in center and Beltran in right while rotating with Alfonso Soriano who will likely become the permanent designated hitter for 2013.
The Reds have begun shopping Phillips in trade packages. The Yankees seemed like the perfect fit for the All-Star second baseman. New York just lost Robinson Cano to the Seattle Mariners and need to fill the position. The issue was likely the massive contract Phillips still has attached to his name. The veteran just signed a six-year, $62.5 million deal that New York was not keen on considering they just signed Ellsbury and catcher Brian McCann to large contracts.
CBSSports.com reports the team and Phillips are not on good terms with one another. The second baseman has a no-trade clause in his contract and is opening up to deals as a way to earn more money. Phillips went on a recent rant saying how management lied to him about his contract, causing plenty of tension and revved up trade talks.
The Yankees are not looking to take him on, but could still be prepared to make a few more trades. The team still has Ichiro Suzuki and Vernon Davis on the roster. They will either be designated as reserve players or traded prior to the start of the season. The San Francisco Giants are a team that has shown slight interest in Suzuki so he could be the outfielder dropped sooner rather than later.