The New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants have already executed trades to fill needs on their roster, but they're still poking around the market to add some new faces before Thursday's deadline.
New York has done a good job of patchwork on their starting rotation after losing CC Sabathia, Ivan Nova, and likely Masahiro Tanaka and Michael Pineda for the year. General manager Brian Cashman acquired Brandon McCarthy from the Diamondbacks and Chris Capuano from the Rockies, but he's also interested in Ian Kennedy of the Padres and John Danks of the White Sox. Talks of Kennedy began to wane ever since he suffered a mild left oblique strain during an at-bat in his last start.
Danks, a 29-year-old left-hander, is 9-6 with a 4.40 ERA in 21 starts this season. He's signed through the 2016 season and owed $14.25 million each year. The White Sox might be willing to part with his salary especially since four of their top seven prospects are pitchers. However, Danks' price is unknown and the Yankees don't have much to offer anyway. But if the Yankees opt to take on most of his salary then the deal would be more likely to occur. Primary reports have only linked Danks to the New York based on the Yanks' mere interest.
On the West Coast, San Francisco just traded for Red Sox right-hander Jake Peavy on Saturday, but they're still looking for help at second base. With Marco Scutaro suffering a neck injury, prospect Joe Panik performing poorly (and also injured), and the team taking a gamble with Dan Uggla (0-8 with two errors in three games), there is obviously no concrete solution at the position moving forward. According to reports, the Giants sent two scouts to Tampa Bay to keep an eye on second baseman Ben Zobrist, who's batting .268 with 48 runs scored, eight home runs, and 29 RBIs. The Mariners have also been in contact with the Rays over Zobrist, so the Giants might have some competition if their interest is serious.
With just under three days left to make a trade, the playoff contending Yankees and Giants will need to act fast if they want to acquire a player of their liking. You can read more about the latest rumors on ESPN.com.
