The New York Yankees continue to search for hitting, but what they're offering doesn't appear to be enough for suitors. The package consists of Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain and a 22-year-old prospect, catcher J.R. Murphy. That package is easily summarized as inconsistent, inconsistent and doubt.
According to ESPN's Jim Bowden, the Yankees tried offering these three pieces to the Minnesota Twins for Justin Morneau, but they quickly shut that deal down. Hughes is 4-9 with a 4.57 ERA. Many think a change of venue would do the 27-year-old righty some good, but apparently, the Twins don't want to take that chance. Also, there's no reason for Minnesota to have interest in getting a prospect like Murphy because they already have Joe Mauer at the big-league level. Trading for a prospect brings the insecurity of getting a player who might never reach his full potential at the major league level.
Chamberlain's struggles this year have also made him a weak link as the Yankees are trying to dump the reliever before he becomes a free agent in 2014. After so much hype when the 27-year-old made his debut in 2008, Chamberlain has proven to be just that, hype. Maybe the Yankees are to blame for misusing him, but in 2013, his 5.40 ERA has proven useless.
The Los Angeles Dodgers appeared to be interested in acquiring Hughes, but that fell through after they made a deal for Ricky Nolasco. As nobody looks to have interest in trading for Hughes, it looks as though the Yankees will either have to eat a chunk of money from those guys on the trading block or have to give up their best prospects. Neither of these options are on the Yankees' plans for the future. They are looking to retain all the talent they have in their farm system and are attempting to keep their payroll below the threshold, avoiding a huge luxury tax hit.
