Yankees' trade deadline war with Red Sox could come to a head over Otto Lopez rumors

The New York Yankees and Miami Marlins are familiar trade partners in recent years. The last time they hooked up on a grand scale, it brought the mercurial Jazz Chisholm Jr. to the Bronx, solving a potential clubhouse issue in Miami while giving Chisholm's star power room to shine. This time, they wouldn't be helping Miami out of any sort of rumored jam. They'd merely be targeting stars, and the cost would be considerably higher — especially with the Boston Red Sox involved.

The Yankees have been tied to any number of Marlins amid Miami's fall from Wild Card grace (though they did sweep the Phillies this week and complicate things a bit). Names like Otto Lopez (second in average in the NL behind Luis Arráez, midway through a monster breakout), Xavier Edwards (less power, rocksteady second baseman, local kid), Liam Hicks (lefty part-time catcher, full-time masher) and outfielder Heriberto Hernandez (slug) have all been connected to the Bombers. But the Marlins' stash is no secret, and while the Yankees connection was instantaneous, it's been the Red Sox tie that's lingered.

Joel Sherman believes the Yankees "have to make the Marlins say no" on Lopez and Edwards, which sounds similar to what the Red Sox have been told. Boston's got overflowing personnel in the high minors, though, whereas the Yankees are likely capped past George Lombard Jr. and fear offering him.

If anyone lands Lopez, it'll cost an exorbitant price, likely including Lombard Jr. or Red Sox top prospect Franklin Arias. It sounds unlikely that either Boston or New York blinks first there, given the state of the AL (either could win it with their current rosters) and the price point.

Still ... the Sox connection has remained one of this trade deadline's undercurrents, while the Yankees chatter has faded somewhat. Brian Cashman is allowed to pass on this opportunity, but it'll be horrific if Craig Breslow responds by going brashly bold directly in his face.

Will Otto Lopez replace Anthony Volpe as the Yankees shortstop?

Lopez, in particular, is the crown jewel of this particular deadline. While Zach Neto stole the earlier headlines, Lopez — one of baseball's most valuable hitters, barrel percentage be damned — would be a seamless fit (at a massive cost) up the middle.

This is another example of the Yankees' loyalty to their previous choices potentially putting them at risk of watching a rival competitor benefit after making the obvious choice. If no one acquires Lopez or Edwards, we can all breathe easier and go back to business. If the Red Sox decide that the time is now to pay through the nose, and the Yankees decide they have no use for an 8-WAR player at a position that's currently treading water between Volpe and Jose Caballero, it would invite a clear one-to-one comparison.

In both the short- and long-term, the choice should be obvious: even if it costs Lombard Jr., do the Yankees really have much to lose here if you're replacing him with a more evolved version of himself, cutting Boston in line in the process?