The rumors around Philadelphia are that the Phillies are trying to make space in their payroll by getting rid of both Michael Young and Carlos Ruiz. Cue in the Yankees as far as Young, although adding Ruiz to a deal would surely help the team since their catching has struggled. However, the rumors have Young to the Yankees for reliever Job Chamberlain.
According to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News, National League sources have heard of the Phillies interest in Chamberlain and the Yankees undoubtedly need a third baseman. The Phillies are highly interested because they can save about $7 million. However, Feinsand points out that Yankees' general manager, Brian Cashman has not been too excited about the deal.
The Yankees get to fill up their current needs. Their outfield looks set, though players are struggling. They need a third baseman and a first baseman, both positions which Young can cover. He can stay at third base until Alex Rodriguez returns from the disabled list. Young has outproduced the entire Yankees' platoon system this year, hitting .288/.344/.411 with six home runs and 24 RBI. He is an everyday player guaranteed to make an impact in any lineup.
For the Yankees, third base has been a troubling position. They need a bat to produce in the lineup, but it's definitely not coming out of their third basemen. As they wait for Rodriguez, the Yankees have placed six different players at third and they haven't provided any consistency. Jayson Nix, Kevin Youkilis, Luis Cruz, Chris Nelson, David Adams and Alberto Gonzalez have combined for .229/.291/310 with four home runs, 25 RBI and 85 strikeouts. Young has only struck out 48 times in the entire year.
Adding Ruiz to the Yankees would only improve their pitching. Ruiz is a World Series winner and is currently catching one of the league's best pitchers in Cliff Lee. With a staff led by C.C. Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda and Andy Pettitte, the Yankees would only get better. Ruiz's offense doesn't look too impressive, but he's only played 34 games this year, following a 25-game suspension for the use of amphetamines. In 109 at bats, Ruiz is hitting .266/.322/.294 with no home runs and six RBI. Between Francisco Cervilli, Chris Stewart and Austin Romine, the Yankees have hit .229/.302/.324 with six home runs and 23 RBI. Cervilli is the most useful catcher in the organization, but he is currently on the disabled list.
Young is clearly an upgrade with his bat, though he doesn't produce much power. However, he is great going opposite field and with the short porch in left, Young's home run total might spike if he plays in Yankee Stadium.
In Chamberlain, the Phillies would receive an arm out of their bullpen. They have great pitchers in Philadelphia and maybe a change of environment can help Chamberlain reclaim his dominance from 2007 when he mowed down the competition, becoming the Yankees' most prized possession. Similar to a lot of their prospects and rookies, the Yankees misused Chamberlain and the righty developed arm issues.
Chamberlain is only 27 years old and still has plenty left in his tank. Chamberlain will become a free agent in 2014 and is currently owed $1.88 million for this year. At least for this season, having Chamberlain around would ease the pain of moving currently closer, Jonathan Papelbon.
The Phillies are in third place in the N.L. East, but they stand just 7.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves. The All-Star break is just a week away. If the Phillies can add some bullpen help, who knows where they could be at the end of the season. Currently, the Phillies' bullpen ranks second worst with a 4.63 ERA in the majors.
