Yankees Rumors: Potential Return For Andrew Miller, Aroldis Chapman

By Kenneth Teape | Jul 18, 2016

Jul 12, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; American League pitcher Andrew Miller (48) of the New York Yankees throws a pitch in the 8th inning in the 2016 MLB All Star Game at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

New York Yankees rumors are picking up, but what are they looking for in return? Andrew Marchand gives a clue as to what they could target from the Chicago Cubs.

New York Yankees rumors have been running rampant as the team falls further out of a playoff spot and teams line up for their bullpen arms. Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman have garnered a ton of attention, and could fetch the Yankees a nice bundle in return.

One of the teams that have been linked to the Yankees a lot is the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs have been one of the best teams in baseball this season, but have plateaued a bit recently. One of the areas they would like to upgrade is their bullpen, as they could use another shutdown arm at the end of games to go along with Hector Rendon.

The Yankees and Cubs would be a solid match, as the Cubs have a ton of young talent, but are in win now mode. The Yankees have some veterans that could help push the Cubs, or any contending team for that matter, over the hump. The question is, what would the Yankees want in return?

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There have been a number of names thrown around, as Yankees fans would love to have Kyle Schwarber wearing pinstripes next season. While his fielding has been atrocious in his major league career, the Yankees wouldn’t have to worry about that because they have the designated hitter in the American League.

The Cubs have been saying that Schwarber, along with guys like Javier Baez, are untouchable in trade. One name that has been floated out as a potential centerpiece has been outfielder Jorge Soler, someone who fits the Yankees wants as a younger player under team control; Soler signed a team-friendly contract coming from Cuba, and won’t make more than $5 million in any season during the nine-year contract, but has the ability to opt-out during any of his arbitration years.

But, none of those players are who Andrew Marchand names as a potential target for the Yankees. If the Yankees and Cubs are to match up as trade partners, Marchand believes the piece coming back to the Yankees could be first baseman Dan Vogelbach.

Yankees could target Cubs' Triple-A first baseman Dan Vogelbach in a deal for either Aroldis Chapman or Andrew Miller.
— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) July 18, 2016

Here is what Marchand has to say about the potential match:

"At Triple-A Iowa, the 23-year-old left-handed hitter has a .956 OPS. The Yankees do have first baseman Greg Bird returning from shoulder surgery next year to replace Mark Teixeira, but one scout said that Vogelbach is better than Bird and reasoned that Vogelbach — who, like Bird, probably can’t play the outfield — might be a DH, but he may rake enough to make it worth it."

It would be an interesting addition for the Yankees, as Greg Bird has been looked at as their future at first base, but the Yankees need to add young talent in anyway they possibly can.

The Yankees won’t admit it, but they are in a quasi rebuilding mode. To make it go as quickly as possible, they need to sell off some of their veteran players to restock their minor league system and get some controllable pieces back in return.

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Trading away Chapman seems like a foregone conclusion, as he is a free agent after the season. But trading away Miller is not as obvious, as he has two years left on his deal that would be a bargain for whatever team he is on. The Yankees would be smart to wait out a deal for Miller and look to get a haul, but if they could get a player such as Vogelbach for Chapman they should go for it.

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