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Yankees trade deadline targets

Happy Deadline Day, everyone! We are now in the final 24 hours and there are still moves to be made. The Yankees front office is most likely busy, at least talking to other teams about trade possibilities. So who exactly are the Yankees looking to acquire? It appears from the way rumors are flowing that the Yankees are looking either for a starter to provide insurance for the currently injured Michael Pineda and Ivan Nova, or another reliever to add to an already stacked bullpen. Some position players look like options, particularly at second base. There is a reasonable possibility the Yankees do nothing, but here are a few names that have been floated as possibilities, as well as some statistical details on each player.

Starting pitchers

Mike Leake (Cincinnati)- Leake WAS at the top of this list yesterday as the most realistic option for the Yankees, but it was announced late last night that he was traded to the San Francisco Giants for two minor leaguers. Leake is having arguably the best year of his career, putting up a 9-5 record with a 3.56 ERA and 1.15 WHIP.

Yovani Gallardo (Texas)- Gallardo is another mid-range starter who could be on the block. There have been fewer rumors on the Yankees trading for him, but the Rangers are listening to all offers and he is scheduled to pitch against the Yankees Thursday. Entering Thursday, he has a 3.19 ERA and 3.70 FIP to go with a 7-9 record. There are concerning aspects of Gallardo’s profile, including a 4.20 xFIP due to an unusually low home run to fly ball ratio and a walk rate of 3.41 per nine innings. Gallardo could probably do a satisfactory job in Yankee Stadium because he avoids the long ball, but might not be worth the return the Rangers would ask from him.

Tyson Ross (San Diego)- If Ross is available for an affordable enough deal, he would be an ideal acquisition for the Yankees. Ross is an extreme ground ball pitcher, even more so than Leake or Gallardo, with his 62.9% rate the third-highest among all qualified starters. His .334 BABIP against is sixth-highest among all qualified starters, meaning he’s due for some more good luck. Despite all this, he’s still 7-8 with a 3.38 ERA, and his FIP and xFIP are at 2.89 and 3.10 respectively. Ross’ WHIP is at 1.39 thanks to 61 walks in 127 2/3 innings, but Ross has succeeded at improving his control in recent years. Ross may require something an upper-tier prospect, but if the Padres will accept anything less than one of Luis Severino, Aaron Judge, Greg Bird, or Jorge Mateo, this is the deal the Yankees should do. This is no guarantee considering the Padres’ interest in a rebuild, but here’s hoping the Yankees are looking into it.

Relief pitchers

Aroldis Chapman (Cincinnati)- Chapman gets by through sheer terror. He is fast, he is wild, and he is unreal. Last season he struck out nearly two batters per inning and is striking out nearly 16 per 9 innings this season. He averages 4.74 walks per nine innings, near his career average of 4.40 per nine. He relies on his fastball, which is a good strategy considering he is averaging 99.6 mph on his fastball and regularly lights up the radar gun with triple digits. The Reds likely want too much for him, and it’s doubtful the Yankees give up one of their top four prospects to boost an area where they are already pretty strong. It’s still fun to dream about a Betances/Miller/Chapman 7th-8th-9th inning bullpen combination, however.

Craig Kimbrel (San Diego)- The Yankees and Padres have talked about Kimbrel, with the Yankees refusing to give up single-A shortstop Jorge Mateo (and rightfully so considering the 20 year-old has stolen 70 bases with a .275 batting average this season.) Kimbrel, however, has been the most dominant, consistent closer in baseball in the past five seasons, with a career 1.59 ERA, 215 saves, and a career 14.56 K/9 rate. Kimbrel walks his fair share of batters, averaging 3.43 BB/9 this year and been a little bit off his otherworldly career numbers, with only a 2.75 ERA. He still has 29 saves, however, and if the Yankees can swing a deal in which they give up one or two of their top 20 prospects for him, it would still be worth it to acquire arguably the best closer since Mariano Rivera.

Position players

Dustin Ackley (Seattle)- The Mariners’ second baseman/outfielder was part of Yankees rumors earlier this week. The Yankees offered Seattle prospects Ben Gamel and/or Ramon Flores, but Seattle’s GM Jack Zduriencik asked for more. In 207 at bats entering Thursday, Ackley has 6 HR’s, 19 RBI, and a .215 average with a .270 OBP. His .234 BABIP is low, but his 41.3% fly ball rate has not translated to much power despite the fact that his home run to fly ball ratio is just under 10%. He would provide more infield depth to the Yankees, but likely would not contribute more than a prospect. He’s essentially Stephen Drew with less power, so he would not have been worth even Gamel or Flores, let alone anything more substantial. (Update: Ackley is now a Yankee per multiple reports. He got traded for Jose Ramirez and Ramon Flores. Not a huge loss for a small gain.)

 

Ian Kinsler (Detroit)- Kinsler is on an expensive contract as he is owed $25 million over the next two seasons, but might be worth it if the Yankees can agree to a trade in which the Tigers eat some of the contract’s cost. Kinsler is hitting .280 through Wednesday with 5 HR’s, 7 SB’s, 58 runs, and 44 RBI. He’s not the same player he was when he put up 30-30 seasons in 2009 and 2011, but he would serve as a decent upgrade for the Yankees, as second base has not been very productive on the whole this season. Kinsler has suffered from a career-low 3.6% home run/fly ball rate, despite hitting fly balls just under 41% of the time he is at the plate. If the Yankees can get Kinsler for not too much or even if they can find a way to take on his contract, he can provide good short-term upside.