MLB trade rumors: Yankees aggressively shopping Aroldis Chapman

As the Yankees continue to muddle their way through mediocrity, the team's front office seems to finally be ready to talk about selling. It's hard to imagine a scenario where they are sellers at the deadline, but according to Buster Olney the Yankees have been aggressively exchanging offers with other teams for Aroldis Chapman. Olney specifically mentions the Nationals and the Giants in the discussions, but notes that many other teams are involved as well.

We have been hearing about which teams might be interested in Chapman for months now, and given the market for bullpen pieces, it's easy to believe that just about every team in contention is currently looking into acquiring the left-hander. The Nationals think they can improve over Jonathan Papelbon, the Giants over Santiago Casilla, the Rangers over Sam Dyson, and on and on. Several prominent closers are set to be on the open market this offseason, but Chapman is clearly the leader when it comes to an in-season acquisition.

As for what it might cost to land him, it's hard to say. This is a seller's market right now, evidenced by the trade that sent Drew Pomeranz to Boston in exchange for Anderson Espinoza. Pomeranz is, of course, under team control for much longer than Chapman, but he's also not as much of a game-changer. The Yankees want to do better than what they gave up for in the first place, so it will be interesting to see if they can do better than Eric Jagielo and Rookie Davis. Looking at what the two have done this season, you would hope they can.

When you combine Olney's report with that of Barry Svrluga's of the Washington Post, the indication is that the Nationals might be the most willing to go after Chapman. The team apparently wants him and manager Dusty Baker has plenty of experience managing him in Cincinnati. They have plenty of assets to make a deal happen, but Svrluga specifies that they would not be interested in trading Lucas Giolito, Trea Turner, Victor Robles, or Reynaldo Lopez, who make up four of their top five prospects. That would leave names like Erick Fedde (No. 66 overall), Wilmer Difo, Austin Voth, and others on the trading block.

Fedde was a top 10 quality drat pick from 2014 who dropped because he needed Tommy John surgery, but the gamble has seemingly worked out for Washington so far. Voth is more of an innings-eater type of arm and Difo is a light-hitting middle infielder with potential to be a leadoff hitter. Given the Yankees' need for better starting pitching going into next year, Fedde would be a great get for them as he could be ready for the big leagues as soon as next year.

Looking at how the Yankees will approach the deadline, they might at least start discussions on just about anyone, but it all starts with Chapman. If they can swing a deal for him then they might open up discussion on Andrew Miller.