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NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 20: General Manager Brian Cashman looks on during Carlos Beltran's introductory press conference at Yankee Stadium on December 20, 2013 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
News and Rumors
·14 min read

Yankees deadline news and notes

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Today is the day. The deadline is at 4 PM ET, so teams are scrambling to pull off some deals. The Yankees currently hold a six game lead in the division.

Past news and rumors are at the bottom of this post. Here are the latest news and rumors surrounding the Yankees:

July 31, 4:00 PM: The Yankees stood pat at the trade deadline, only making one move prior to Friday’s 4:00 PM deadline.

On Thursday afternoon, the team acquired OF/2B Dustin Ackley from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for OF Ramon Flores and RHP Jose Ramirez.

In order to make room on the 25-man roster, the Yankees designated OF/1B Garrett Jones for assignment.

July 31, 3:51 PM: The Yankees appear that they will stand pat as Friday’s 4:00 PM trade deadline will pass.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweeted that the Yankees have nothing going on, as it is very likely they will make a move before the trade deadline.

 

July 31, 3:30 PM: Here’s the latest on Craig Kimbrel:

With Joel Sherman of the NY Post reporting that the Yankees and Padres have had “zero talks” today about Kimbrel, it’s doubtful a deal will get done today. 

Even with the reports from Jon Heyman of CBS Sports and Ken Rosenthal stating that the Yankees would have included top prospect Jorge Mateo in a deal. Being that the Yankees saw the level of prospects being traded in this market, they realized they had to include Mateo to get a deal done.

However, the Yankees might have waited too long, as they now expect Kimbrel to be traded elsewhere. The Padres have not called the Yankees back regarding the deal, leading the club to think another deal involving Kimbrel is in the works. 

July 31, 3:01 PM: We’re officially under one hour away from the trade deadline. If the Yankees can’t reach an agreement with the Padres for Craig Kimbrel, could the two teams still be trade partners?

Joel Sherman of the New York Post wondered if the Yankees could work out a trade for Yankee Ian Kennedy and/or reliever Joaquin Benoit for a lesser prospect package, but was ultimately told no by his sources.  It appears as if the Padres are fixed on receiving young shortstop Jorge Mateo in any deal with the Yankees.

July 31, 2:45 PM: All has been quiet on the Yankees’ front as the deadline is just over an hour away, but the Yankees announced a move that basically serves as a trade, but involves two teams from different leagues.

According to the Yankees PR Department, the team unconditionally released RHP Esmil Rogers, allowing the pitcher to sign with the Hanwha Eagles of the Korean Pro Baseball League. In return, the Yankees will receive cash compensation from Hanwha.

Rogers struggled with the Yankees this season, posting a 1-1 record with a 6.27 ERA in 18 appearances.

July 31, 2:40 PM: As we approach a little over an hour away from the trade deadline, the Yankees have been relatively quiet thus far.

One name that keeps surfacing in connection to the Yankees is Craig Kimbrel, and conflicting rumors about the dominant closer have been going around throughout the day. It appeared at one point that the Yankees were out of the mix, but ESPN New York’s Andrew Marchand thinks they can jump back into the mix.

Marchand noted that he wouldn’t be surprised if the Yankees changed their minds and put Jorge Mateo in a trade for Kimbrel, noting that the trade talks might go full circle before the deadline.

Marchand also tweeted that Yankees’ General Manager Brian Cashman has a habit of making deals before the deadline that no one has expected previously, so a surprising move could be a possibility for the Yankees.

July 31, 1:51 PM: Craig Kimbrel update: According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Yankees are under the belief that the Padres are working on a bigger deal elsewhere that includes Kimbrel.

Sherman also notes that the Padres will not pull the trigger on a deal with the Yankees unless Jorge Mateo is in the deal. Andrew Marchand of ESPN New York notes that the Houston Astros have interest in Kimbrel, saying they could be a possible team working on a bigger deal with the Padres to block out the Yankees.

July 31, 1:17 PM: The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox have been the two teams linked to Craig Kimbrel as the trade deadline approaches, but now reports are surfacing that a new team could be involved.

Jordan Schultz of the Huffington Post reports that even though the Yankees and Red Sox have been the two “favorites” thus far, it appears as if the Chicago Cubs are the most likely destination for Kimbrel’s services. At this time a deal is not finalized, but it appears as if any trade involving Kimbrel will not occur until closer to today’s 4:00 PM deadline.

July 31, 12:32 PM: After Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweeted that the Yankees were the hottest team in pursuit of San Diego Padres closer Craig Kimbrel, a conflicting report came out saying the Yankees and Padres haven’t had any trade discussions today.

According to Rosenthal and Buster Olney of ESPN, trade talks revolving Kimbrel broke down yesterday, and have yet to be revived today. Although there still is time before the deadline, as of now it appears unlikely these two teams will come to an agreement on a deal.

July 31, 12:21 PM:  Let the rumors about possible relievers the Yankees are interested in continue.

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweeted that the Yankees are the team in hottest pursuit of San Diego Padres’ closer Craig Kimbrel. It is unclear if a deal is close to completion at this point, but it’s interesting to note that the Yankees are in hot pursuit of Kimbrel.

Jorge Mateo, one of the club’s tops prospects, has been linked to any possible deal for the closer, and it is still unclear whether or not the Yankees will part with their highly rated shortstop prospect at this point.

July 31, 12:05 PM: On MLB Network, Jon Morosi of FOX Sports reported that the Arizona Diamondbacks appear that they will not acquire Cincinnati Red’s closer Aroldis Chapman at the moment.

Morosi also added that the Yankees could jump in and acquire the closer before Friday’s trade deadline. With the Yankees currently waiting on the San Diego Padres regarding Craig Kimbrel, the Bronx Bombers might jump on the opportunity to add Chapman at the right price. Along with Chapman and Kimbrel, the Yankees continue to be linked to Miami Marlins reliever Carter Capps.

July 31, 10:54 AM: As the Yankees continue to monitor the trade market for possible bullpen help, one possible trade candidate is not likely to be traded to the Bronx.

According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, the Yankees have checked in on Cincinnati Reds’ closer Aroldis Chapman, but a deal is “not likely” to happen. As the team reportedly is tired of waiting for San Diego in regards to Craig Kimbrel, the Yankees could turn their attention to other relievers as the trade deadline quickly approaches.

July 31, 10:53 PM:  As of this morning, the Yankees were linked to Miami Marlins reliever Carter Capps, as he could become an option for the club if a deal for Craig Kimbrel does not happen. Although the Yankees continue to say that they will not trade any of their top prospects, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com points out that the Marlins covet one of these guys the Yankees are unwilling to part with:

It’s still very unlikely that the club will part with Bird, but it will be interesting to monitor what the Marlins’ asking price will be for their young dominant reliever.

July 31, 10:00 AM: Jon Heyman of CBS Sports is saying that the Yankees might be getting tired of waiting for San Diego to make up it’s mind on Kimbrel. New York could be turning their attention to Miami, and their stud reliever Carter Capps. New York continues to monitor Chapman.

July 31, 9:40 AM: USA Today’s Bob Nighengale is reporting that the Yankees are “One of five teams aggressively pursuing” flame throwing reliever Aroldis Chapman. Nightengale wonders if the same prospect package offered to SD for Kimbrel would land Chapman. That package is unknown at the moment.

July 31, 8:13 AM: It seems as if the the Yankees are going for bullpen help rather than starting pitching at the moment. According to Buster Olney, the Yankees and Padres are working on a deal that would send star closer Craig Kimbrel to New York. CBS Sports Jon Heyman hears that the Yankees viewed top prospect SS Jorge Mateo as untouchable a few days ago, but now it’s “we’ll see” as to if he’ll be involved in any deal.

Past news and notes below

July 30, 12:00 AM: Mike Leake has been traded to the Giants. Many viewed Leake as the most realistic option for the Yankees. Scratch him off the list.

July 30, 5:00 PM: The Yankees acquire Dustin Ackley from the Seattle Mariners, Ramon Flores and Jose Ramirez go to Seattle. Ackley will be used a lot by the Yankees, moving around different positions.

The Yankees need to make a roster move tomorrow to clear room for Ackley. Garrett Jones might be the odd man out.

12:00 pm: David Price has been traded to the Blue Jays, making them a big threat in the AL East. Toronto could still be looking for another starter

July 29, 4:26 PM: The New York Yankees still won’t include Luis Severino or Aaron Judge in potential trades to acquire an ace.

According to Jon Heyman, The Philadelphia Phillies called to inquire whether the team has changed their stance on the matter  as they look for a trade partner for Cole Hamels, but the Yankees’ answer hasn’t changed.

With the trade talks stalled at the moment between the two clubs, Heyman says the team will shift its attention to David Price. Heyman also noted that the Yankees might not be the favorite in this race, but they will still engage in talks to see if they can get a deal done.

July 29, 3:55 PM: As of late, the Detroit Tigers have been telling other teams that they weren’t ready to officially call themselves sellers as the trade deadline approaches. Well, that quickly changed

Jon Morosi of FOX Sports and MLB Network tweeted out that the Tigers were now willing to deal not only Price, but outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, confirming a report from ESPN’s Jayson Stark. The Yankees have been linked to Price, as they are a possible target for the left-hander’s services.

The question remains:  will the Yankees part with the necessary prospects in order to acquire Price? If the club does find the right pieces to make the deal, Andrew Marchand of ESPN New York points out an advantage the Yankees organization feels they have if a deal is reached for Price:

The Yankees seem to be in go-for-it mode right now, but it will be interesting to see if they pull the trigger to acquire Price before Friday’s deadline.

July 29, 2:33 PM: San Diego Padres closer Craig Kimbrel might not be traded after all.

On Wednesday afternoon, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported that the Yankees rejected a trade request that would send Kimbrel to New York in exchange for shortstop Jorge Mateo, one of the Yankees’ top prospects.

The Yankees have been monitoring the trade market, but only will make a move if the price is right. As trade talks have gone on, the Yankees continue to tell teams they are not willing to trade their top four prospects: Mateo, Aaron Judge, Luis Severino, and Greg Bird, and that might ultimately hurt the team’s chances of making a big move before Friday’s deadline.

Heyman reported that the Bronx Bombers are willing to pay Kimbrel’s entire contract, which would guarantee $28 million through 2017, but it appears as if the Padres are looking for big young players in return regardless.

The Padres have said that their main goal isn’t to dump salary through their deadline deals. With the club already having a good bullpen, adding Kimbrel would be beneficial, but it isn’t a move that the team considers necessary.

With the Yankees rejecting the Padres’ latest trade request, it could be likely that the 27-year-old will stay in San Diego at least for the remainder of the season.

July 29, 12:06 PM: The Yankees have been relatively quiet so far, but USA Today’s baseball columnist Bob Nightengale thinks that the team could make a huge push for David Price in the upcoming days before the trade deadline.

With multiple pitchers coming off the market already, Nightengale believes that the Yankees will join the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays in an all-out bidding war for Price’s services.

Although the Yankees have stated (and continue to say) that they don’t want to part with some of their top young prospects, they most definitely would have to in order to strike a deal for Price. The 29-year-old southpaw holds a 9-4 record with a 2.53 ERA this season.

Adding Price would not only help his new club make a playoff push this season, but also allows the team to have the early advantage of signing him to a long term contract. Price is currently in the final year of his contract, so he is in line to hit the free agent market after the season.

July 28, 2:33 PM: One of the players that the Yankees showed interest in is officially off the market.

The Royals make their second big move so far before the deadline, acquiring 34-year-old Ben Zobrist from the Oakland Athletics.

Zobrist is known for his ability to play multiple positions and his ability to switch hit, posting a slash line of .268/.354/.447 in 67 games this season.

July 28, 2:20 PM: On Monday night, the Toronto Blue Jays pulled off a trade to acquire SS Troy Tulowitzki from the Colorado Rockies in exchange for Jose Reyes and three minor leaguers.

The move was a shock to the baseball world, and many wondered why the Yankees didn’t try to acquire the All-Star shortstop. In case you were wondering, the two teams didn’t even engage in trade talks about Tulowitzki.

With concerns about his huge contract and also the price tag to get him, the Yankees felt it wasn’t worth it to take on Tulowitzki’s contract while giving up some of their top young talent in exchange for the injury-prone shortstop. July 28, 1:23 PM: Joel Sherman of the NY Post tweeted that the Miami Marlins were now at least considering trading Martin Prado.

How does this affect the Yankees? According to Sherman, the Bronx Bombers could be interested in reuniting with the 31-year-old utility man, especially being that the club was unable to acquire Ben Zobrist from the Oakland Athletics.

As a midseason acquisition last season, Prado posted a slash line of .316/.336/.541 in 37 games with the Yankees. If the team does acquire him, you would figure that Prado would take over the everyday second base job.

July 28, 10:01 AM: Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported that the Yankees and San Diego Padres have had trade discussions about closer Craig Kimbrel.

Yankees’ General Manager Brian Cashman have stated that they have no intention of trading four of their top prospects- Luis Severino, Aaron Judge, Greg Bird and Jorge Mateo in any deals, but according to Heyman, a person familiar with the Padres’ thinking suggests that their stance would have to change in order for such a deal to get done.

In a quote to CBS Sports, Heyman spoke about the Yankees trade talks, saying it’s hard to know how much significance is put into these talks being that the team is investigating most starters and relievers on the trade market.

July 27, 6:28 PM: A top AL executive told Joel Sherman of the NY Post that “there is no question that the Yankees are getting a pitcher.” It is unclear on who that pitcher might be, but the Yankees have been linked to a few pitchers, including David Price of the Detroit Tigers and Cole Hamels of the Philadelphia Phillies.

As more rumors and updates come along about the New York Yankees as the deadline approaches, make sure you keep up with Bronx Pinstripes for all the latest news surrounding your favorite team. You can follow us on Twitter @BronxPinstripes, and you can also like us on Facebook by searching Bronx Pinstripes.