The New York Yankees are standing firm on the idea that they will not trade prospects this season. After falling out of first place in the American League East, the team's offense has gone silent as frustration is running high. While New York continues to get linked to trade deals at the waiver deadline, owner Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman hold no regrets over not making any trade deals.
The Yankees passed up on players like David Price, Troy Tulowitzki and Johnny Cueto at the deadline, all names that they could have used to help bolster the roster. Now, the Yankees are hitting a rough patch at the wrong time and need to make some changes if they are going to get back into first place for the postseason. However, do not expect those changes to come from trading players like Luis Severino and Rob Refsnyder.
"I didn't want to give those kids up,'' Steinbrenner said, via ESPN.com. "We've been looking at them for two, three years now. They've progressed perfectly. And they're all sitting there in [Triple-A] Scranton. Any one of them could contribute now if need be, and we've already seen that on [Luis] Severino the last two starts."
Severino has already seen two starts on the season as he helps replace the injured Michael Pineda. Severino is expected to stay put for the time being regardless of the health of other pitchers. The question is whether or not Refsnyder will be back on the field in the coming weeks as Stephen Drew and Brendan Ryan continue to struggle on the field.
According to ESPN's Buster Olney, the Yankees are inquiring about Chase Utley with the Philadelphia Phillies. The issue is that the second baseman is no longer a cheap trade. Ready to return after an injury, the Phillies are well aware of the interest level in the infielder and are raising his price tag after he cleared waivers. The San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs are now trying to make a move along with the Yankees.
If New York were to miss out on Utley, it can be assumed that Refsnyder could be called up quickly. The Yankees originally demoted the infielder back down to Triple-A in favor of bringing back Ryan and Carlos Beltran. However, Refsnyder has been playing well in the minors and could be the boost New York desperately needs. NJ.com makes the case for Refsnyder to be called back up if the team cannot find a better alternative to Drew.
