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New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians Discuss Brett Gardner

Michael Cambria|

When the Seattle Mariners acquired Leonys Martin from the Texas Rangers earlier in the week, the door on a New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners trade involving Brett Gardner seemingly closed.

However, theres a famous Alexander Graham Bell quote that reads ‘when one door closes, another one opens’, and that’s exactly what happened for Brian Cashman and the New York Yankees.

According to Jon Morosi of Fox Sports, the Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees have engaged in preliminary discussions on a possible trade that would send Brett Gardner to the ‘Rock and Roll Capital of the World’ in exchange for starting pitching. Per Morosi, both Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar might be heading back to the ‘Boogie Down’ Bronx in exchange for the 32-year old Brett Gardner.

By adding Brett Gardner, the Indians will add a speedy veteran outfielder who can play center field until Michael Brantley returns from the DL. Once Brantley returns, they can shift Gardner to the corner outfield to play alongside their 28-year old all-star, giving skipper Terry Francona a number of defensive options and more speed on the base paths.

Adding a pair of right handers in Salazar and Carrasco would be great for Brian Cashman, as the Yankees are in desperate need of controlled pitching. Pending any contract extensions and a Masahiro Tanaka opt-out following the 2017 season, the only two major league ready pitchers under team control through 2018 are Luis Severino and Adam Warren.

Danny Salazar, who isn’t even arbitration eligible yet, would be a great addition to the Yankees rotation. In three seasons, all with the Cleveland Indians, the 25-year old Dominican Native has tossed a total of just 351 innings with a 3.66 ERA and a 3.52 FIP. 2015 can be looked at as his breakout season, as he tossed a career high 185 innings and finished the year with a 14-10 record and a 3.45 ERA with 195 strikeouts.

The 28-year old Carlos Carrasco on the other hand comes with a little more major league experience, but more importantly, he can’t become an unrestricted free-agent until 2019. After spending the last six season in Cleveland, the Venezuelan native has tossed a combined 556 innings with a career 4.08 ERA. Similar to Salazar, his best season came in 2015, when he pitched to a 14-12 record over a career high 183.2 innings. His finished the season with a 3.63 ERA and an impressive 216 strikeouts.

Obviously both Salazar and Carrasco for Brett Gardner seems slightly uneven from the Indians perspective, but if the Yankees agree to take on nearly the entire $39.5 million remaining on the last three years of Gardner’s current contract to sweeten the deal, Mike Chernoff might just pull the trigger.

What do you think Yankee fans? Let us know in the comments below!

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