The New York Yankees pretty much have two options at the trade deadline: they can buy or they can stand pat. Rumors throughout the season have suggested general manager Brian Cashman could make a big move, but his unwillingness to deal the team's top prospects will affect that.
Johnny Cueto, Cole Hamels, Jeff Samardzija, Scott Kazmir and Mike Leake have been some names linked to New York in trade rumors, given their need for depth in the starting rotation. However, some of them will require giving up a top prospect, which is not something Cashman is looking to do being that he vowed to rebuild the team's farm system this past offseason.
He spoke with Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com yesterday about the Yankees' potential trade deadline plans.
"There is a strong possibility that there might not be anything that makes sense for us," Cashman said.
"While acknowledging his team is not perfect, Cashman says he likes the makeup of the Yankees, who own a four-game lead in the AL East," Marchand added. "Cashman realizes there are elite starting pitching upgrades on the market, but he is very hesitant to trade his top prospects -- especially Triple-A outfielder Aaron Judge or starter Luis Severino -- to acquire any of them."
However, there is one prospect that could help the Yankees could trade to potentially land a bigger piece.
"There is a sense that with Brian McCann and John Ryan Murphy established in the big leagues, the Yankees will listen to offers for 22-year-old catcher Gary Sanchez, who has improved this season and was recently promoted to Triple-A," ESPN Insider Buster Olney wrote.
Sanchez would obviously have to be packaged with other prospects if the Yankees really wanted to land a quality starter, but again, given the impending free agent status of many of these available players, Cashman may not want to mortgage even some of the team's future for a quick fix in 2015.
Assistant general manager Billy Eppler spoke about the Yankees' trade discussions last week on WFAN radio and said the team "has been having conversations with clubs" and "will continue to have conversations with clubs." New York is said to be looking for another starter, right-handed reliever and a second baseman, which would indicate their discussions with other teams are expansive.
Obviously the team has room for upgrades, nobody's perfect. But Cashman is confident about the first-place Yankees, who have the second-best offense in the MLB and one of the best bullpens as well.
"I like our club; I recognize there are certain areas that could be improved, but the reality of improving could be difficult," Cashman told Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News. "The acquisition costs might be prohibitive or that unicorn may not exist. But we'll go through the process and see where we are July 31. I hope we stay healthy, because I think we have a good crew as well as some alternatives waiting in the wings in case we have a problem."
The options are conflicting in many ways. A player such as Cueto may not be worth the acquisition cost because he'll be a two-month rental, while Hamels could be worth the Phillies' asking price, but the Yankees are not trying to inherit anymore big contracts until a few come off the books after the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
Even though Cashman indicated there might not be a deal out there for the Yankees, they're still one of the top clubs to watch as the trade deadline approaches.
