Yankees All-Star break trade rumors and notes

Things are quiet for most of the Yankees this week, as only a select few traveled to San Diego to take part in All-Star Game festivities. That doesn’t mean things are quiet on the news front, however, especially with the trade deadline looming.

1. Carlos Beltran, if traded, would likely have to go to an AL team

Carlos Beltran’s age and defense make trading him, despite his strong season so far, a bit tricky. The Yankees’ right fielder has been serving at the team’s DH while healing from a leg injury, and any team they might trade him to would likely need to have a DH spot available. That, of course, eliminates half of MLB from contention for Beltran’s services.

As a free agent at the end of the season, trading Beltran seems like a no-brainer for the Yankees. He’s having a great year and could help a playoff-bound team boost their offense. However, having such limited prospects could hurt negotiations. There are only 14 other teams with a DH, and many of those are already occupied. Many others won’t be buying at the deadline. It will be interesting to see if the Yankees can find a buyer for Beltran.

2. Trading Aroldis Chapman should be the first order of business

Thanks to the Yankees’ incredibly deep bullpen depth, the team can still trade Chapman without fully giving up on the season. Having Andrew Miller slide back into his closer role wouldn’t be overly detrimental to the team if they believe that holding onto Miller for the next two seasons is wiser than parting with him as well.

Chapman is a free agent at the end of the season, and the Yankees did not have to give up a lot in terms of prospects to get him. The best return on their investment would be to flip him for substantially more than they paid, dealing him to a contender in need of bullpen help for the stretch run. There should be no shortage of suitors for Chapman, and retaining him so that he leaves for nothing in the offseason would be foolish.

3. The Yankees have told Andrew Miller they’d trade him if the right deal came along

Everyone has a price for the Yankees. Although it seems like they’d prefer to keep Miller on the team going forward, being blown away by an offer would cause them to deal the lefty for a nice return. That isn’t surprising, especially with the Yankees not being in a position to compete this season.

Miller would likely fetch the highest return of any reliever the Yankees could trade. He has two years left on his team-friendly deal, and has proven himself capable of closing on the biggest stage. Any team in need of consistency at closer would likely benefit from seeing what the Yankees would take in order to part with Miller.

Do you think the Yankees decide to ultimately sell before the trade deadline? Which players do you think end up being moved if they do?