Heyman: Yankees Have ‘Zero Appetite’ to Sell; Targeting Cubs’ Prospects

All the buzz about the New York Yankees trade rumor mill will have to be placed on hold; General Manager Brian Cashman isn’t picking up the phone just yet.

There is much to be said about the dull pulse, yet frantic heartbeat of the 2016 Yankees — although, if you were to speak with fans most of the words wouldn’t be positive descriptions.

More than likely, the majority of the quotes would need to be censored. And similar to the futility of looking for substance in a profanity-filtered script, it has been just as difficult to read the intentions of Yankees ownership in their foreshadowing of the club’s direction.

Mysteriousness isn’t an unfamiliar characteristic in the build-up to summer swaps. At this stage of the dance it’s all about posturing and market leverage, hence Cashman’s aloof comment about the Yankees being “both buyers and sellers” when pressed for the behind-the-scenes scheming.

According to Jon Heyman, there is absolutely nothing in the works concerning a sell-off of any sorts:

"“’You just don’t put those two words together — Yankees and selling,’ one rival GM said. He is probably right about that. And one Yankees connected person said there is no internal discussion of selling ‘yet.’ There are ‘zero conversations going on,’ and ‘zero appetite’ to do a deal at the moment.” – Heyman"

Again, it’s a tad too early to tear the roster apart. It’s all about getting the bang for your buck, and holding your valuable pieces until the final moments of the trade deadline is how you sucker rival GMs into parting with once acclaimed “untouchable” prospects. That sort of stuff doesn’t happen in June.

Speaking of prospect protection, Heyman continued by explaining that even though no deal is imminent, the Yankees are most infatuated with the Cubs’ prospects:

"“If they do trade, they like the Cubs’ prospects, though the Cubs don’t seem like they want to trade the top ones yet. Javier Baez, a new favorite of Cubs manager Joe Maddon, was selected in the regime of Jim Hendry, now a Yankees exec[utive].”"

Whether the Cubs are willing to part with the likes of Baez, Willson Contreras, Kyle Schwarber, etc. seems dependent upon which insider gets asked and what day it is.

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It’s the whole posturing thing. If you come to the negotiation table announcing you’re willing to part with franchise cornerstones, other organizations are going to try and haggle for even more. Right now no one is available, but that will change drastically in the coming weeks.

The Cubs recently scouted the Yankees’ crème de la crème: Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller, and Dellin Betances. If you’re really into juicy rumors, they aren’t interested in just one either. Chicago’s top brass has entertained the notion of reeling in two(!) from the trio.

There’s no doubt about it, the pieces are there for a jaw-dropping mega deal. The Cubs envy bullpen power while the Yankees pine for a younger core.

If the two teams align for a trade this season, its historical impact could be discussed for years to come.