MLB Rumors: Yankees Must Pull Trigger on Trade for Ryan Dempster

Now isn’t the time to play it safe.

The New York Yankees boast the best record in the AL. According to the latest MLB rumors, they aren’t satisfied with that record. They’re in pursuit of a top-flight pitcher, and with a World Series ring within reach, they must do everything in their power to finish this season strong and that involves pulling the trigger on a trade.

David Kaplan of Comcast SportsNet reported that the Yankees were pushing to complete a swap with the Chicago Cubs for starting pitcher Ryan Dempster. Bruce Levin of ESPN followed up with a report that Dempster would indeed OK a trade to New York. He tweeted:

"

Dempster told me he has expanded his list to Yanks and Texas as well as Dodgers.

— Bruce Levine (@ESPNBruceLevine) July 31, 2012"

But of course, who wouldn’t? New York is in position to win yet another championship.

The Bronx Bombers’ hitting is elite. They’ve recorded the most home runs in the majors by far with a whopping 163—the Toronto Blue Jays are second with 146 before there’s another huge drop off.

Their pitching, on the other hand, is solid, but not spectacular. New York’s team ERA is 3.71, the eighth best mark in the majors. But combine the fact that their staff isn’t elite with the fact that they’ve also surrendered the eighth-most bombs in the MLB, and no one is arguing that they couldn’t use an upgrade.

A pitching staff of C.C. Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda, Phil Hughes, Ivan Nova and Freddy Garcia is deep, but not top-heavy enough to overpower opponents in the postseason. Add Dempster to the mix, though, and they’d be top-notch.

Dempster is second in the MLB in ERA at 2.25. He, C.C. and Kuroda would give the Yankees a powerful rotation to throw at teams in the playoffs.

If the Yanks land Dempster, he’ll take them to another level of dominance. 

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

Follow @TheRealDDaniels