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New York Yankees Editorial: Potential Trade Targets This Week At The Stadium?

By Matt Curran

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The Oakland Athletics are coming to town this week, and playing three  games with the New York Yankees. The Yankees will be buyers for this trade deadline, and a team that could be selling are the Oakland A’s. The Oakland A’s are in last place in the AL West, and have a few very valuable trade chips. The two players the Yankees would have the most interest in are Scott Kazmir and Ben Zobrist.

Scott Kazmir

The Yankee rotation has been inconsistent at best this year, and Scott Kazmir would be a huge boost to the rotation. Kazmir this year has an ERA of 2.56 and a Whip of 1.12. Kazmir will be pitching against the Yankees on Wednesday. Kazmir is the second tier of pitchers that will be available.

Cole Hamels and Johnny Cueto are the prize trade pieces during the trade deadline, but after those two pitchers Kazmir is the next best pitcher. It looks like lots of teams will be involved in trying to acquire Kazmir. The Yankees will not trade Luis Severino, but will need to give up a legit prospect to acquire the left-hand pitcher.

I could see the Yankees giving up a Greg Bird and a few other prospects that are in Single A. Greg Bird is the Yankees fourth best prospect according to MLB.com. Scott Kazmir would be a nice addition, but I feel the price is to high for another starting pitcher. The Yankees need to figure out the starting rotation in-house.

Ben Zobrist

The other Oakland A that will have lots of buzz around him is Zobrist. For the Yankees, Ben Zobrist is a slam dunk move. He is a super utility player, and is exactly what the Yankees need with this older lineup. Zobrist can play at second base, and would be an upgrade over Stephen Drew, who still has the worst batting average among qualified hitters.

He will be able to play the corner outfield positions, and that will help Carlos Beltran, who is on the DL. Zobrist will be able to play third base, and give Chase Headley a day off here and there. Ben Zobrist is the perfect fit for the Yankees.

The problem with Ben Zobrist is the asking price. Zobrist is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year, but Billy Bean wants top-tier prospects. The Yankees may have to give up Bird or a Gary Sanchez.

If the Yankees want to improve their lineup or pitching staff they will have to give up a very good prospect, and I do not know if Brian Cashman is willing to trade these prospects.

Who do you think the Yankees go after? Who should the Yankees be willing to give up? Let us know in the comments below!

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