The New York Yankees are targeting trades for Aroldis Chapman, Craig Kimbrel, Carter Capps and Tyson Ross at the MLB trade deadline and a deal for bullpen depth is more likely over a starter at this point and it comes after NY added Dustin Ackley in a trade with the Seattle Mariners on Thursday to add another outfielder.
The Yankees had been looking to add a starter, but with Mike Leake traded and David Price now with the Jays, the team likely will improve where they can. The team already has Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances in the bullpen, but adding Chapman or Kimbrel would really make things tough at the end of games. Kimbrel or Chapman likely would take over the closer role, leaving Miller and Betances as great late game options.
UPDATE: Reports have the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres and Boston Red Sox Talking about a blockbuster 3-way trade that could include Tyson Ross, Craig Kimbrel and prospects. Check here for more.
Bob Nightengale at USA Today reports that the Yankees are "aggressively pursuing" Chapman with the Reds and this comes as they have had interest in Kimbrel as well. Jayson Stark and Buster Olney report that the Yankees and Padres are "hammering away" at a deal for Kimbrel and the main issue could be about compensation with prospects and money. Stark reports that the Astros are also interested in Kimbrel, but may not want to pick up all of his contract.
The Reds are expected to trade Chapman and the Padres are expected to move Tyson Ross and Kimbrel and all of those players could be targets for the Yankees. The Red Sox reportedly are interested in Ross and now the Yankees could make a big move. The team could be using the interest in Chapman and Kimbrel to drive the price down on one of the players and Brian Cashman could get one of the closers by the deadline.
Kimbrel comes in having a string season with 30 saves and a 2.68 ERA for the Padres and Chapman comes in with 21 saves. Chapman is also getting interest from the Arizona Diamondbacks and he could be an option for the team. The Yankees would love to add his 100-mph fastballs to the bullpen, as that would make it mostly a six inning game each night for the team.
The Yankees added outfielder Dustin Ackley in a trade with the Mariners for outfielder Ramon Flores and pitcher Jose Ramirez, ending a failed run for the second overall pick from 2009. Ackley could get real comfortable at Yankee Stadium with the way he hits and while he only hit .243 overall in his time with the Yankees, he could still have potential at 27 years old.
Check here for more on the interest for the Yankees in trades.
