Trade Deadline Prep Week: The Targets

(LoMo, anybody?  Courtesy of Jeff Curry/USA Today)

Deadline week kicked off yesterday with a look at the Yankees' biggest needs heading into the final 2 weeks before the July 31st non-waiver date.  There are more than usual for a Yankee team and almost all of them - certainly the most important ones - are on the offensive portion of the roster.  To their credit, the Yankees have been doing their homework on players who could fit these needs for a few weeks now, giving hope that they'll actually make a move to help the lineup for the first time since signing Lyle Overbay.  After the jump, find the 5 players the Yankees have been linked to the most recently.

Michael Young- Former occasional postseason opponent and current Philadelphia Phillies corner infielder, Young has been on the Yankees' radar for weeks and he remains there despite recent reports that the Phillies are no longer interested in moving him.  Young is a right-handed hitter with a .288/.344/.414 line on the season (.330 wOBA) in 363 PA.  He actually has a reverse platoon split against left-handed pitching this season, and he can pretty much only fake it at first and third base defensively, but he would instantly become the best right-handed hitter on the team if added.  He's a free agent after this season and if Philly wants to deal and doesn't get too greedy, he's worth going after.

Justin Ruggiano- He's a right-handed hitting outfielder with some pop in his bat and plus defensive skills.  He's also 31 years old and has a very inconsistent Major League track record.  Last season, Ruggiano posted a .390 wOBA in 320 PA for the Marlins.  This year he's hitting just .212/.289/.387 (.297 wOBA) in 299 PA.  The Yankees have reportedly scouted him at least twice and seem much more likely to pursue Ruggiano than Giancarlo Stanton.  He probably wouldn't command much in return, even though he still has multiple arbitration years left.  If the Yanks see something they like for the future, they could pull the trigger.

Carlos Ruiz- Was linked to the Yanks along with Young last week, although the talk surrounding Ruiz has died down.  He's fallen way off offensively this season after a career year last year, hitting just .268/.321/.291 in 142 PA, and hasn't played like the plus defensive catcher he used to be.  Sadly, that level of production would be a significant upgrade from what the Yankees are getting from Austin Romine right now.  Again, it will be up to Philly to decide if they're serious about selling or not.  If they're willing to listen on Ruiz, Cash should be willing to offer.

Asdrubal Cabrera- This one's relatively new on the list after a report from Buster Olney last week that the Yanks have asked Cleveland about Cabrera "repeatedly".  Looking at Cabrera's makeup, it makes a lot of sense.  He's 27 years old, doesn't turn 28 until after this season, he's a switch-hitting career .272/.339/.416 hitter who's having an injury-influenced down year, he's under contract at a reasonable rate for next year ($10 mil), and he plays shortstop.  The Yankees don't know what they're getting from there next year, same at third base.  Cabrera could be a nice short-term solution at one of those spots, albeit a much more costly one in terms of prospects.

Logan Morrison- I haven't read anything officially linking the Yanks to LoMo, but given that they've scouted Miami outfielders it makes too much sense for them to not be interested.  Morrison is 25 years old, under team control through 2016, and offers serious power/patience at the plate as a lefty-hitting outfield option.  He's had inconsistent playing time due to injury problems and he's only played in 24 games this season.  He's also got a .344 career wOBA and really solid BB and K rates.  Morrison won't come cheap, but he also won't come at nearly the cost of someone like Stanton.  He's exactly the player they should be looking to get back in a trade for Hughes.

** Coming up tomorrow- The Rumors. **