The NY Yankees could be active at the trade deadline this season, as names like Johnny Cueto, Mike Leake, Ben Zobrist, Kyle Lohse, Scott Kazmir and Cole Hamels are potential targets for Brian Cashman and this comes as teams like the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays also could be interested in some of those players in deals.
The Yankees have been in first place in the AL East for most of the season and they have done it while dealing with injuries and a lack of starting pitching depth. Masahiro Tanaka has been able to come back after missing a month with a forearm injury and while Ivan Nova is on his way back from Tommy John surgery, Cashman may look for more starting pitching. According to Joel Sherman at the NY Post, the team has scouted both Johnny Cueto and Mike Leake this season and the team also could be interested in making a move for Ben Zobrist.
Accordion to the Post, the Yankees sent scouts to look at Cueto and Leake earlier in the season and they could be main targets for New York. The team also may look at Cole Hamels and other names on the market, but they have already scouted the Reds pitchers. The Reds are likely to be sellers at the deadline and Hardball Talk reports that the Detroit Tigers have also scouted Cueto. Both Cueto and Leake are headed towards free agency and that could make them popular targets at the deadline.
Cueto is the better player of the two and he may cost more prospects if the Yankees want to make a deal. The team has really done a good job at getting the farm system up to snuff after trading away prospects for years and that is one reason why the team may go after Leake over Hamels. The team may consider names like Leake, Kazmir or Lohse over Hamels and Cueto as a way to avoid giving up their best farm prospects. Leake is considered a third starter at best and that could give Cashman more flexibility to make a deal.
According to Hardball Talk, Zobrist has been getting attention from numerous teams, including the Chicago Cubs, NY Yankees, Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles. Jeff Passan at Yahoo Sports writes that the Oakland Athletics likely will be sellers at the deadline and Zobrist, Tyler Clippard and Kazmir are the most likely to get moved. Passan added that the team may wait to trade Zobrist, as he is coming back from an injury and the A's may want to let his value rise before pulling the trigger on a deal.
Hamels will come up in trade talks at the deadline, as the Phillies have been trying to trade him since last season. Hamels is having a solid year, but he has four years left on his contract and the Phillies have reportedly been asking a lot for him in trades. According to Hardball Talk, the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles could be options for Hamels, while the dodgers and Padres also could be in the mix. Jon Heyman at CBS Sports writes that the Red Sox are the fairies for Hamels because of their deep farm system and need for starting pitching after struggles in the rotation this year.
