Report: Yankees Scouting Nationals’ Triple-A Squad

The New York Yankees have reportedly been scouting the Washington Nationals’ Triple-A Syracuse affiliate, perhaps because the two clubs are engaged in trade talks.

On paper, there are few clubs that match up better for a trade in the lead up to the August 1st deadline than the New York Yankees and Washington Nationals. The Nats have disappointed despite high expectations the past few seasons, and seem primed to go all in this year with their team finally healthy and clicking on all cylinders.

One of Washington’s clear areas of need is the back end of their bullpen. They got some solid results from a motley crew of relievers in the first half, but aside from 35-year-old closer Jonathan Papelbon, they lack the kind of shut down arm contenders typically lean on in a postseason series.

The Yankees, on the other hand, appear to be going nowhere in 2016, and possess three of the best relievers on the planet. Last month, Bill Ladson of MLB.com reported that the Nationals had made adding bullpen help their top priority at the trade deadline, and were particularly interested in acquiring either Aroldis Chapman or Andrew Miller. 

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The Nationals will have a lot of competition for that pair if the Yankees make them available, as pretty much every National League contender, along with the Rangers and Indians, have been linked to one or both relievers in the past few weeks.

Where the Nats have an edge over their competition in the bidding for Miller and Chapman is their stockpile of advanced young starting pitching prospects. The Yankees were reportedly targeting controllable starters in any potential deal for Andrew Miller this winter, and that presumably remains a priority for the club.

An interesting bit of news emerged Sunday, as Barry Svrluga of The Washington Post tweeted that the Yankees were scouting the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs over the weekend, and were expected to have scouts watching the big league club this week.

This could mean absolutely nothing, as the Yankees could be doing the same thing for many other potential trade partners for all we know, but it’s nice to see the team is doing their homework.

Notably, Syracuse is the home two of the Nationals top young arms. 22-year-old Reynaldo Lopez was ranked as a top 100 prospect by Baseball America before the season, and MLB Pipeline has him fifth overall in the organization. He has a 3.19 ERA and 11.2 K/9 in 87.1 innings split between Double-A and Triple-A this season.

24-year old A.J. Cole is a two time top 100 prospect by Baseball America, peaking at 57 prior to 2012, and ranked seventh in the Nat’s system by MLB Pipeline this year. He got a taste of the big leagues in 2015, but is having mixed results in the International League this season, with a 4.53 ERA and 7.7 K/9 in 95.1 IP.

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Either player would be a nice centerpiece in a Miller or Chapman trade, although Lopez is the real prize. Both guys have front of the rotation potential, but Cole has struggled at times in his professional career and seen his stock fluctuate.