Yankees Trade Speculation: 7 Deals the Yanks Can Make to Replace Mariano Rivera

The New York Yankees have a problem on their hands, the likes of which they haven't had to deal with in many years. For the rest of the season, the Bombers will not have Mariano Rivera around to close games in the ninth.

Rivera, as you well know, tore up his right knee shagging fly balls during batting practice in Kansas City on Thursday. He has a torn ACL and a torn meniscus in his knee, according to a report from Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com.

This is as depressing as it gets, but the bright side is that the Yankees still have a deep bullpen despite the loss of Rivera. It's obviously a little thinner, though, and the question moving forward is whether the Yanks will proactively try to shore it up.

The trade market is always a possibility, and Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com is absolutely correct in saying that additional relievers are "always in plentiful supply."

If the Yankees decide to pursue a trade for a relief pitcher, here are a handful of names they could target.

Grant Balfour, Oakland Athletics

Could Grant Balfour rejoin the AL East as a member of the Yankees?

He very well could. The Oakland A's are a team that's always looking to make a deal, and Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe reported late last week that Balfour was starting to become one of the more "sought-after possible back-end pieces" on the budding trade market. 

ESPN's Buster Olney tweeted pretty much the same thing a few days earlier, saying Balfour was "probably the best reliever you could trade for today."

Balfour's season has taken a turn for the worse in recent days. He had a 0.82 ERA after he recorded his fifth save on April 24th, and since then his ERA has rose to 4.73. His last two outings, in particular, have been brutal.

The bright side of that is that Balfour's value is not as inflated as it was when he was on top of the relief pyramid just a few days ago. Cafardo says the Los Angeles Angels have kicked the tires on Balfour, but the Yanks will have an edge in a possible bidding war with them because they don't share the AL West with the A's.

With the Yankees, Balfour could easily be used as a seventh-inning man in front of Rafael Soriano and David Robertson. That's not a bad trio of late-inning relievers.

Joel Hanrahan, Pittsburgh Pirates

Joel Hanrahan is another guy mentioned in Cafardo's report, and he's yet another guy the Los Angeles Angels have kicked the tires on.

The Angels had good reason to inquire. Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette speculated way back in December that Hanrahan could be used as trade bait because he's not on the books for the long-term. He hasn't signed an extension with the Pirates, and the team hasn't been quick to offer him one.

Hanrahan saved 40 games last year, and he's off to a pretty good start this year. He's only logged eight innings, but he's only allowed three hits and three earned runs in those eight innings. His biggest problem has been walks, as Hanrahan has eight of them already.

I'd therefore put Hanrahan in the "maybe" pile for the Yankees, as the last thing they want is to have a new guy come in and walk the ballpark in the seventh or eighth in front of Robertson.

Nevertheless, Hanrahan is a quality reliever who would do more good than harm in pinstripes. The Yanks and Pirates did business this offseason in the A.J. Burnett deal. Perhaps they'll do some more.

Brandon League, Seattle Mariners

In case you're sensing a trend here, Brandon League is yet another guy mentioned in Cafardo's report as a possible trade candidate for the Angels. If their bullpen wasn't so bad, there probably wouldn't be any relievers at all on the block.

League, however, is definitely an intriguing target. He has a tendency to make things interesting, but he's got great stuff that has served him well over the last two years. He saved 37 games last year, and he's up to seven saves this year.

And of course, League is no stranger to the AL East. He spent the first six years of his career with the Toronto Blue Jays.

There doesn't seem to be any ill will between the Yankees and Mariners after what happened with the Michael Pineda trade, so it's not inconceivable that Brian Cashman and Jack Zduriencik could get to talking again.

Carlos Marmol, Chicago Cubs

Way back in December, Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com reported that Carlos Marmol could be had for "the right price."

At this point, my guess is that Marmol could be had for a case of beer and a package of Big League Chew. His value has plummeted.

As reported by the Chicago Tribune, Marmol was officially demoted from the closer's role on Friday, a day after he walked three and gave up three runs against the Cincinnati Reds without getting an out. Thursday's performance was Marmol at his worst.

Trading for Marmol would be a huge roll of the dice, but it likely wouldn't cost too much to get him at this point. Theo Epstein and the Cubs' brass pretty much gave Carlos Zambrano to the Miami Marlins this offseason, and they could do the same with Marmol, who is owed $7 million this season.

Marmol is going to walk guys, so the Yankees should only pursue him if they think they can get him for next to nothing. However, keep in mind that Marmol is filthy when he's on. We're talking about a guy who had a K/9 of 15.99 in 2010.

Brett Myers, Houston Astros

The Astros surprised a lot of people when they decided to have Brett Myers open the season as their closer, but that decision has panned out quite nicely. Myers has six saves in six opportunities to go along with a 1.17 ERA and 0.52 WHIP.

Jayson Stark of ESPN.com reported way back in January that the Astros were willing to pick up "at least" $7 million of Myers' $11 million salary if they decide to trade him. The Astros probably wouldn't pick up that much money in a deal with the Yankees, but Myers is a guy that can definitely be had this season either way. 

After all, the Astros have a farm system that needs fixing, and trading Myers would be very useful to that end.

Myers is probably the best option for the Yankees. He's only walked one hitter all year, and he's been keeping the ball on the ground when he hasn't been striking hitters out. Thanks to his experience as a starter, Myers is a guy who could go two of three innings if need be.

He would come at a heavy price, but adding Myers would be a great way for the Yanks to strengthen their middle relief.

Huston Street, San Diego Padres

Huston Street's name has a tendency to pop in trade speculation whenever a club like the Yankees needs a reliever. 

So surprise, here's Street's name in a trade speculation article.

Street was also mentioned by ESPN's Jim Bowden in an article he posted on Wednesday about early-season trade bait. This was a day before Mo's injury, and also a day before the Padres shipped Ernesto Frieri to the Los Angeles Angels (see Los Angeles Times report).

After doing that deal, I'm skeptical as to whether the Padres could be talked into dealing Street, but it obviously wouldn't hurt Cashman to ask. 

Hitters destroyed Street last year when he was with the Colorado Rockies, but he's settled down with the Padres this year. He's only allowed three hits and one earned run in nine innings, striking out 12.

I for one would have doubts about Street pitching in the AL East and in Yankee Stadium, but the Yankees wouldn't be able to ask for a more experienced reliever.

Matt Thornton, Chicago White Sox

The White Sox have gotten some good work out of their bullpen this season, and Matt Thornton has been right in the middle of it. He has a 2.38 ERA and a WHIP under 1.00 in 11.1 innings.

A couple days ago, ESPN's Buster Olney pointed out that the White Sox were trying very hard to trade Thornton during the offseason. Right now, they have to be happy they held on to him.

And now the big question: Since the White Sox are in the race in the AL Central, why on earth would they trade one of their best relievers?

First, it's doubtful that the White Sox will be able to stay in the race all season long. They haven't fared well against good teams, and the Central is going to belong to the Tigers once they get their problems sorted out. 

Second, and more importantly, the White Sox need to rebuild their farm system, which is the worst in the majors by a considerable margin. Jake Peavy is a valuable trade chip, and so is Thornton.

Thornton would be an outstanding addition for the Yankees. Adding a hard-throwing lefty to their late-inning relief corps would be too good to be true.

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