Should The Yankees Try To Trade For David Price?

We're still far enough away from the trade deadline for it to not officially be "trade season" quite yet.  Those winds don't start really blowing 'til the All-Star break.  But business is already picking up on the David Price front.  Arguably the best player who will be available and the type of difference maker in the rotation that any contending team could use, Price is the talk of the trade town both locally and nationally.  TB beat writer Marc Topkin wrote over the weekend that there are already some teams with scouts following him and the Rays' preference is to trade him to the NL, and earlier today Buster Olney suggested (Insider-only) that a trade could materialize as soon as this week.

The Yankees have not been involved in any of the early rumors, outside of Jim Bowden's trade proposal from last week.  Price would fill a huge need for them though, and it will come down to how serious the Yankees are willing to get about what they'll have to give up to get Price.  If you're Cash and the rest of the front office, that's a move you have to be willing to make, right?

Contemplating Adam Warren In The Rotation

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

A popular topic of conversation right now in Yankeeland is Vidal Nuno's spot in the rotation and whether or not he deserves to keep it.  He did little to help his cause last Saturday when he gave up 3 home runs in a loss to Baltimore, his 11th, 12th, and 13th in 12 starts, and I think Joe would like to remove him if he could.  Unfortunately for him, the organizational starting depth being stretched thin by injuries has left the Yankees without a suitable replacement sitting front and center.

One name that's been talked about a lot as a possibility is Adam Warren.  The former starting pitching prospect has settled nicely into a middle relief and occasional setup role this season after being given a token spot in the Spring Training 5th starter competition.  Warren made the transition from starter to reliever almost full-time last year when he earned himself a bullpen spot out of spring camp, and while he hasn't worked as a starter since 2012 it's reasonable to think he could be at least a slight improvement over Nuno.  The question of swapping Nuno for Warren has been brought up to Joe plenty in the last week and he's admitted that it's something he's considering.  The real question is whether it's the right move to make.

Game 75 Wrap-Up: TOR 8 NYY 3

(Courtesy of the AP)

When the Jays came to town to face the Yankees last week, New York was fresh off 2 tough losses to end a series against Oakland.  They won 3 straight against Toronto to right the ship, pulling themselves back up close to the top of the division in the proces.  Last night, they were coming off 2 tough losses at the hands of the Orioles over the weekend and looking to get the ship going the right way again.  Chase Whitley put in a strong effort in his first start against Toronto.  Fellow rookie starter Marcus Stroman not so much, so the advantage appeared to be on New York's side.  The Yanks also had the benefit of not facing Brett Lawrie or Jose Bautista, both out with injuries, and yet they managed to find a way to get blown out again.

Game Notes:

- The Jays hit Whitley early and often in this one.  A double and a single gave them a run in the 1st, 3 straight singles set them up in the 2nd, and a big 3-run home run by Adam Lind highlighted a 6-run inning.  Lotta sliders left up.

- Naturally the Yankee lineup curled up in a ball and puked on itself to attempt to help Whitley.  Brendan Ryan got their first hit against Stroman in the 3rd inning, and a Mark Teixeira solo home run was responsible for the only run through .

- Joe left Whitley out there to take his whooping and eat up as many innings as possible, but that still only got him into the 4th before he was finally lifted after 8 ER allowed.  David Huff was up next and ate 3.2 innings without giving up any more runs, so at least the bullpen was saved.

- The Yankees made a gallant attempt at coming back and making the game interesting.  Just kidding, they only got 1 more hit post-Teix homer and went down as quietly and easily as possible while the game was close.

- When the game was over in the 9th, they made their move.  Yangervis Solarte's first hit in 29 at-bats scored Carlos Beltran for 1 meaningless run and a Kelly Johnson RBI double got another.