When the San Diego Padres made the move to acquire Craig Kimbrel from the Atlanta Braves, they were thinking playoffs. The team's pay roll was larger than it had been in years after making several big-named moves, but that has yet to reflect in the win column. The Padres are struggling and as a result, Kimbrel might find himself on the move once again.
According to Jon Morosi of FOX Sports, AJ Preller of the San Diego Padres might have a mini-sale happening with the trade deadline approaching. Kimbrel along with Justin Upton, Will Venable and Ian Kennedy are all presumed to be available in the coming days. Could the New York Yankees be interested?
The Yankees are building their roster for October. New York is in a good place heading into the All-Star break, but things could be better. They originally planned on having a three-headed monster bullpen with David Robertson, Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances, but that did not happen. However, getting Kimbrel would be a nice prize for the second-half of the year.
According to ESPN's Buster Olney, the Yankees could very well be interested in acquiring Kimbrel at the deadline. However, money and resources could be an issue. Kimbrel is set to earn $9 million this season, $11 million next year and $13 million in 2017. He will not be cheap to acquire or trade for as the Padres will look to get a big return for one of the league's best closers at the moment. Do the Yankees have what it takes to get him?
The Yankees might have bigger issues they must take care of first. Right now, two of their starters, CC Sabathia and Ivan Nova are struggling. For Sabathia, this has been a year-long issue that just seems to not be getting fixed even with the pitcher healthy. For Nova, there are injury concerns. The pitcher insists that he is healthy since returning from Tommy John surgery, but his numbers to do reflect that.
I'm not going to make any excuses that I'm coming off of surgery," Nova said, via the New York Daily News. "I'm pitching. If I'm up here with the team, it's because they feel, and I feel, that I can contribute to this team. Nobody mentions Tommy John when I pitch a good game, so why do you have to mention it when I pitch a bad game?"
According to FOX Sports, the Yankees could be eyeing several starting pitchers at the deadline. Of course Cole Hamels is the first name on the list, but Clay Buchholz, Jeff Samardzija and Kennedy could all be viable options to bring on to the roster for the second half of the season.
