New York Yankees: Impact Trades They Could Still Make Post-Blockbuster

Following his blockbuster deal with the Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman could spend July 31 lounging on a beach chair with his phone on silent.

The Yankees had two needs to address before the non-waiver trade deadline: first base and relief pitching. Cashman solved both in one shot by landing Todd Frazier, David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle from the White Sox. Frazier aptly fills a potent lineup's lone weakness, and two premier relievers turn a top-heavy bullpen into MLB's most dominant unit.

So what else do the Yankees need to do as they battle the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays for the American League East crown? Probably nothing. But not even the 1927 or late-1990s Yankees were perfect. There's room for every team to improve, and they may sense an opportunity to place the finishing touches on a title contender with one more deal. 

A starting rotation that ranked ninth in ERA as of Wednesday doesn't beg for reinforcements, but Michael Pineda'a torn UCL and Jordan Montgomery's recent struggles may cause Cashman to seek a helping hand. Since top prospect Chance Adams could help remedy the situation without moving any more pieces, any acquired starter must be a cheap rental or a young, team-controlled asset who could make a major impact beyond 2017. According to Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal, they're still seeking both types of starters.

If the Yankees keep dealing before the deadline, it won't be at the cost of their top prospects. Yet Cashman has plenty of intriguing talent to shop if he wishes, so let's construct some hypothetical trades to give the Yankees one more boost.

Sonny Gray

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The Yankees still have the prospects to pursue Sonny Gray.

To Yankees: SP Sonny Gray

To Athletics: OF Estevan Florial, INF Hoy Jun Park, RHP Freicer Perez and RP Jonathan Holder

Some Yankees fans want the Evil Empire to strike again and add the Oakland Athletics' Sonny Gray to their summer haul. Others want to preserve a stacked farm system and maintain their front-line prospects. Most want both.

The Yankees appear to share those sentiments. As FanRag Sports' Jon Heyman reported lecently, they kicked the tires on Gray but are hesitant to move top prospects. Don't mistake the White Sox trade as a change.

Yes, they moved Blake Rutherford—Baseball America's No. 36 prospect—to close the deal. Yet most observers fail to acknowledge Kahnle—a 27-year-old reliever with a 15.1 strikeouts per nine innings, 1.40 fielding independent pitching (FIP) and multiple years of team control left—as the trade's true headliner.

They sacrificed one significant but young and unpolished prospect to fill two needs with three players. Gray, on the other hand, would require a talent of Rutherford's caliber just to keep Oakland on the line.

After sending relievers Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson to the Washington Nationals, per San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser, A's vice president of baseball operations Billy Beane committed to overseeing a long-term rebuild with hopes of building a new stadium:

"One of our approaches in the past has been to really take some of the risk out of deals by virtue of getting guys maybe who were closer, that maybe you had more information on, and maybe staying away from, say, high-risk, high-reward things. Our approach now given the commitment we have is try to get the best players, period. And understanding also that this process doesn't happen overnight and we're going to have to be patient with it."

That helps explain Oakland's interest in Estevan Florial, as reported by Rosenthal. Although MLB.com ranks the 19-year-old outfielder as the Yankees' 14th-best prospect, he ascended to No. 71 in Baseball America's midseason prospect rankings. Despite striking out 111 times in 80 Single-A games, he has also accrued 11 homers and 15 steals while batting .284/.365/.477.

Even without Rutherford, the Yankees have a promising present and future at the position. Plus, sending him would allow Cashman to keep Clint Frazier. Rosenthal said the A's are also interested in Hoy Jun Park—a speedy middle infielder with a keen batting eye—and Freicer Perez, a 21-year-old starter with a 2.83 ERA in Single-A.

Oakland could also use bullpen help after unloading its top two veterans, and New York has plenty to spare. Jonathan Holder has late-inning potential on a less crowded roster, so he rounds out a deep package that makes up for the lack of a true headliner a la Eloy Jimenez, whom the White Sox received in a four-prospect loot for Jose Quintana. 

For those who feel this price is too steep, take solace in the fact Cashman may agree. Also know it's likely not enough to outbid one of many other suitors for a 27-year-old with a 3.66 ERA.

Jaime Garcia and Matt Adams

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Jaime Garcia would add a veteran presence to New York's rotation down the stretch.

To Yankees: SP Jaime Garcia and 1B Matt Adams

To Braves: 3B Chase Headley and Dermis Garcia

This deal would require some outside-the-box thinking, but it improves both infields while giving the Yankees an affordable starter.

Although Frazier fixes the Yankees' first-base woes, he could also move back to third if they're not pleased with Chase Headley's underwhelming offense. Acquiring a left-handed first basemen would upgrade New York's lineup to an even higher level.

The Atlanta Braves would benefit from moving Matt Adams so Freddie Freeman can return to first base. They have shown a willingness to welcome veterans while rebuilding, so perhaps Headley would catch their eye as a short-term solution at the hot corner. 

More important for the Yankees is Jaime Garcia. Even if the 31-year-old southpaw maintains his 4.33 ERA rather than his 3.65 career clip, he'd be a fine No. 5 starter for the second half. An expiring contract lowers his cost, and a 54.7 ground-ball rate would mitigate concerns of his transition to an American League hitter's park.

Since Adams is younger and cheaper than Headley, the swap should land the Braves a better prospect than they would otherwise receive to rent out Garcia. Awarded a 70 raw power grade with 80 upside by FanGraphs' Eric Longenhagen, Dermis Garcia is a lottery ticket worth purchasing for the Braves, possibly the only team with more minor league pitching talent than the Yankees.

New York can afford to trade a 19-year-old prospect still in rookie ball, but his immense upside gives Atlanta a profit for finding Adams off the scrap heap two months ago. If this doesn't work, perhaps the Yankees could pursue another Braves pitcher.

Julio Teheran

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Julio Teheran is reportedly available during a down year.

To Yankees: SP Julio Teheran

To Braves: RHPs Domingo Acevedo and Luis Cessa, OF Jake Cave

According to ESPN.com's Buster Olney, the Braves are "very open to offers for Julio Teheran," who has tumbled this season, with a 4.69 ERA and the sixth-highest FIP (5.36) among all qualified starting pitchers.

He's also 26 and will earn $19 million over the next two years with a $12 million club option for 2020, per Cot's Baseball Contracts. That's a steal if he rebounds to the ace with a 3.54 ERA who could have commanded a Quintana-like trade return last year.

The Yankees should try to buy low. Although his strikeout and walk rates have both veered in unfavorable directions, he hasn't lost any velocity or experienced a significantly different batted-ball profile. Teheran has also showed some life in three July starts, allowing four runs while tallying 18 strikeouts in 19.1 innings. 

It all depends on Atlanta's asking price. He's only worth the risk at a reduced cost well below Quintana and Gray's going rate. 

With a 4.61 ERA and 5.18 FIP, Luis Cessa has briefly performed slightly better than Teheran as a spot starter and long reliever. He also has a fairly limited ceiling as a back-end starter or, more likely, a reliever. As the Braves wait for their young pitching prospects to mature, they would benefit from receiving a replacement-level big league starter—which isn't the insult it may seem—in the exchange.

The bigger draw is Domingo Acevedo, who earned a promotion to Triple-A after recording a 2.37 ERA, 50 strikeouts and eight walks in 49.1 Double-A innings. The team's 11th-best prospect, as rated by MLB.com, uses his 6'7", 250-pound frame to work in the mid-to-upper 90s. Even if he doesn't pan out as a starter, the 23-year-old could follow fellow giant Dellin Betances' path to relief dominance.

Despite hitting .351 in Triple-A with no discernible flaws, Jake Cave also has no standout strengths to break through New York's crowded outfield. On the Braves, the 24-year-old has a steadier trajectory to a fourth outfielder role to possibly replace Nick Markakis.

This package arguably doesn't buy low enough, but it still represents a steep discount if Teheran snaps out of his funk.

Trevor Cahill

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Trevor Cahill has posted a 3.14 ERA in 10 starts this season.

To Yankees: SP Trevor Cahill

To Padres: RHPs Taylor Widener and Giovanny Gallegos

Struggling to understand why Quintana cost so much? Look around the league for other available starting pitchers. Few quality rentals are on the market, which may explain why organizations out of the hunt are exploring offers for team-controlled young starters.

The best available starter on an expiring contract is Trevor Cahill. Seriously. Look at his 3.14 ERA, 3.22 FIP and 1.4 fWAR over 10 stellar starts. After moving to the San Diego Padres bullpen in 2015, he has revived his career back in the rotation with a 56.8 ground-ball rate and 71 strikeouts over 57.1 innings. 

He has also attacked the plate with a career-high 63.1 first-pitch strike percentage. Padres manager Andy Green praised Cahill after he held the San Francisco Giants to one run over 6.2 innings, per MLB.com's Bill Center: "Command is always the key for him. His four-pitch mix is very real. His curveball plays. It is his command, being in the strike zone early so he can expand it late. When he does that very well, he's honestly as good as any pitcher in the game."

Yet despite those ace-like numbers, the Yankees would not—and should not—pay for a front-line hurler. Despite the bullpen detour, he holds a 4.01 career ERA and 6.65 strikeouts per nine innings. While dominant at home, he has yielded a 5.01 ERA away from Petco Park.

A shoulder injury also took him out of commission for nearly two months, and a buyer won't have the 29-year-old any longer unless he guides them to the playoffs and/or signs a new deal during the offseason. The Yankees have no need to spend big on a starter, with Adams leading a deep minor league reserve.

Cashman could dig into that talent pool to send Padres general manager A.J. Preller a couple of prospects. Having stockpiled 88 strikeouts in 82.1 High-A frames, Taylor Widener would garner more recognition in any other farm system. He's a hard-throwing hurler who could latch on to a bullpen if his command never catches up, but the Yankees have too many of those types to count. 

Despite faltering in his brief major league audition, Giovanny Gallegos continues to miss bats with an imposing curveball. The 25-year-old righty should command an extended opportunity on a rebuilding squad's bullpen.

Maybe the Yankees should also acquire Brad Hand to be safe. Just kidding, but at that point, they could give legitimate thought to exclusively using relievers during some playoff games.

Note: All advanced statistics courtesy of FanGraphs unless otherwise noted.