Yankees Rumors: Chicago Cubs Interested In Relievers

By Kenneth Teape | Jun 13, 2016

Jun 5, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman (54) pitches during the eighth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The Orioles won 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /

New York Yankees Rumors: While the Yankees have said they are not ready to make any trades, add the Chicago Cubs as potential suitors for their bullpen arms if they decide to make moves.

New York Yankees rumors are bound to pick up in the coming weeks as the MLB Draft is now behind us. Teams will begin to zero in on what they need to make a run to the postseason, or decide which players to ship off and decide if they will be sellers at the deadline.

The Yankees are one team to keep an eye on, as they can have a huge impact on the postseason race even if they aren’t a part of it. That is because they have a number of players that an organization would like to add if they are looking to put their team over the hump.

While the Yankees have said recently that they are not ready to trade anyone yet, as it is still too early in the process, things could change in the next five-six weeks until the trade deadline. It also does not mean it will keep teams from making offers or being interested in acquiring any of their players.

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In the past two weeks there has been separate rumors about two Yankees pitchers; reliever Andrew Miller and starter Nathan Eovaldi. The San Francisco Giants were the team that was rumored to be interested in trading for Miller, but they are probably not the only ones that would love to add the lefty to their bullpen. The Chicago Cubs were the team interested in Eovaldi, but he is not the only player on the Yankees that they have their targets set on.

The Eovaldi rumor popped up about two weeks ago, but there is another rumor that has recently been floated around between the Cubs and Yankees. According to the New York Post, the Cubs sent a scout to Yankee Stadium this week to watch three players; Miller, Dellin Betances and Aroldis Chapman.

The Cubs already have an All-Star level closer in place in Hector Rondon, but they are reportedly interested in adding another power arm to add to the mix late in games. Looking at the roster it would raise some eyebrows that the Cubs would want to add a reliever, as they only have three pitchers on their staff with double-digit innings pitched with an ERA over 2.90. But, it never hurts to have more dominant options, which Miller, Betances and Chapman would provide.

The Cubs are currently pacing the major leagues with 43 victories, sitting 25 games above the .500 mark. They are probably in no rush to make a move as they are rolling, but are keeping their options open. The next step in the process would be figuring out what they would send for any of those players.

Chapman would be the easiest and cheapest to acquire, as he is a free agent at the end of the season; Miller has two team friendly years remaining on his contract, while Betances has not yet hit arbitration. Because of that, Miller and Betances would require huge packages to acquire compared to a rental such as Chapman.

It is an interesting tidbit to keep in mind as the summer wears on, as the Cubs have a number of players the Yankees would love adding in a trade such as Javier Baez, Jeimer Candelario or Kyle Schwarber.

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Which, if any, of those players could we see in pinstripes? We will have to wait and see, as the Yankees are nowhere near ready to make a trade right now, but could easily change their mind if they fall further and further behind in the American League East standings.

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