The Yankees had three scouts at yesterday’s Nationals-Cubs game, and ESPN Chicago’s Bruce Levine says, “it appears the Yankees may have some interest in Cubs left-handed reliever John Grabow as well as hitters such as Aramis Ramirez and Alfonso Soriano.”
The Yankees were also linked to Nationals lefty reliever Sean Burnett yesterday, originally reported by Craig Heist of WTOP 103.5 FM in Washington (via MLBTR).
Below are quick profiles for all four possible Yankees’ trade targets.
John Grabow, LHP
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard Grabow’s name in trade talks; the longtime Pittsburgh Pirate has drawn interest by many teams over the years. However, with the Cubs he hasn’t been very effective (5.24 ERA in three seasons). But that number is a little deceiving, as he’s still prevented lefty sluggers from making an impact on games (.196 BAA in 56 ABs this season).
Aramis Ramirez, 3B
One of the hottest hitters in baseball lately, Ramirez already has four homers in July and 12 since the start of June. The stocky third baseman would be a major upgrade at DH over Jorge Posada, but he would come at a high price.
Alfonso Soriano, OF
Remember him? I sure do. He was one of my favorite Yankees in the early 2000s, but also the centerpiece in the A-Rod deal. He’s only had one 100 RBI season since his MVP-like 2002, but he’s still a quality player — again, at a high price.
Sean Burnett, LHP
Like Grabow, Burnett hasn’t been very effective in 2011 but that depends on which way you look at it. He has a 5.76 ERA, but has faired much better against lefties than against righties (.240 vs. .308 BAA). Also like Grabow, Burnett is a former Pirate, which always bodes well for the Yankees’ chances.
What say you: Of these three, whom do you see fit for pinstripes?
