The NY Yankees are one of the best teams in the AL this season and heading into the trade deadline they could be buyers and players like Ben Zobrist, Cole Hamels and Scott Kazmir are potential targets for Brian Cashman at GM and this comes after the team drafted prospects James Kaprielian, Kyle Holder and Jeff Degano in the MLB draft.
The Yankees were expected to be in the mix this season in the AL East, but they have surprised many and have been leading the division for most of the year. The team is 32-25 and remain in first place and they are about to play a tough stretch of games with the Nationals and Orioles coming up. The team just Masahiro Tanaka back from injury and he looked good in his last start and moving forward his healthy could dictate how the team tackles the trade deadline.
According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, the Yankees could be interested in Ben Zobrist at the trade deadline and the team also could pick up on the Cole Hamels trade talk, as they showed interest this offseason. Rosenthal writes that the Yankees could look at "lower tier" players on the market as well, including pitchers like Scott Kazmir and Kyle Lohse. The Yankees farm system has slowly been restocked, but they may not want to part with top players like Gary Sanchez, Aaron Judge, Rob Refsnyder or Jose Severino to get Hamels.
The Oakland Athletics are a team to watch at the deadline, as they have been in last place for most of the season and likely will be sellers. According to Rosenthal the Nationals and Yankees have interest in Zobrist, while the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs also could be in the mix. The Yankees have not been getting any hitting from second base with Stephen Drew and Zobrist could be a major upgrade. Zobrist also can play in the outfield and at other infield positions.
The Phillies are almost certain to trade Hamels and Hardball Talk has reported that the team is willing to eat some of his contract to get a deal done. The team has had offers on Hamels since the offseason and Ruben Amaro reportedly wants strong prospects in any deal the team makes. The team likely is willing to take on some of the money to try and sweeten the pot when it comes to prospects.
Jon Heyman at CBS Sports writes that the Red Sox are the "favorites" for Hamels, as they have a farm system with deep prospects and need in the pitching rotation to make a deal. The team may not want to give up Mookie Betts or Blake Swihart in any deal for Hamels, but the Red Sox have prospects they can afford to give up if they want to add another arm to the rotation. The Yankees may look at Hamels, but they are more likely to get someone like Kazmir.
The Yankees took James Kaprielian, Kyle Holder and Jeff Degano in the MLB draft on Monday, picking Holder with the 30th overall pick and Kaprielian out of UCLA 16th overall. The team had its highest pick in years and the Yankees feel that all three players have the chance to be strong Major League players.
