New York Yankees Trade Rumors and Speculation: 5 Players to Target at Deadline

The New York Yankees look to be in good position to make the playoffs, but they still have holes in their roster that need to be filled in order to make the team World Series-ready.

At the beginning of the season, the Yankees starting rotation was a big question mark. The only starter that looked to be able to be counted on was C.C. Sabathia.

In turn, most of the baseball world figured that the Yankees would be dealing for a starting pitcher at the trade deadline.

The rotation has stabilized throughout the course of the season, but its possible that Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia might be running out of magic. That makes starting pitching a need. 

Injuries to Pedro Feliciano, Rafael Soriano and Joba Chamberlain have made acquiring bullpen help a top priority as well. 

The following players are guys the Yankees should be targeting in deadline deals. 

1. Mike Adams

While Heath Bell is the Padres pitcher garnering most of the attention in the trade market, Mike Adams is an equally valuable piece. 

Over the last four seasons, Adams has thrown 214 innings and let up just 40 earned runs, good for a 1.68 earned run average.

Adams also won't have to make the transition from closer to setup man, which gives many relief pitchers—like Rafael Soriano—problems. 

He's also having a great year this year, as evidenced by his 1.20 ERA and 0.71 WHIP. 

2. Francisco Liriano

Francisco Liriano has tantalized scouts and baseball people since his magnificent rookie season in 2006, when he put up a Cy Young caliber stat line of 12-3 with a 2.16 ERA and 1.00 WHIP with 144 strikeouts in 121 innings. 

The Yankees have been connected to Liriano since spring training and believe that a relocation to New York could be just the infusion Liriano needs to rebound from is rough start to the season. 

Although he isn't having the strongest year, he did throw a no hitter earlier this year, and it's that type of ability that makes him a great fit in the Yankees rotation. 

3. Joakim Soria

Joakim Soria is another player the Yankees have been interested in for some time but have always felt that the Kansas City Royals' asking price was too high.

With Soria having a sup bar—by his standards—season, maybe the Royals would be more inclined to give him up for less. 

The Yankees need help at the back end of their bullpen, regardless of how well David Robertson has pitched, and Soria is an experienced and capable option. 

4. John Grabow

Although the bullpen in general is a need for the Yankees, the more specific problem is their lack of a reliable matchup lefty.

Boone Logan has not been as strong as expected, and he has actually been better against right-handed batters than lefties this season. 

Grabow is not having the strongest season, but matchup lefties don't exactly grow on trees, and the Cubs are most likely going to be sellers at the deadline, which makes Grabow a possible target. 

5. Ubaldo Jimenez

With the starting rotation presenting one of the Yankees biggest needs, they should go after the biggest fish available on the market. 

Ubaldo Jimenez has already shown that when he is on top of his game, he is capable of being one of the top starting pitchers in all of baseball. 

The Rockies' reported asking price is astronomically high; youngsters Manny Banuelos, Dellin Betances, Ivan Nova and Jesus Montero is too much of a haul to give up. 

If the Rockies do drop their asking price, the Yankees should be very interested.