PHILADELPHIA - It's no secret the Yankees have several glaring needs, but they are finding it increasingly difficult to fill them on the trade market.
One source said GM Brian Cashman is running into the same wall on almost every call he makes, as other teams respond to his overtures for outfield or pitching help by immediately asking for either Robinson Cano, Chien-Ming Wang, or top prospect Phil Hughes.
While Kansas City's Reggie Sanders seems to keep coming up as someone that would be a good fit with the Yankees - Melky Cabrera's recent struggles have made the outfield issue more pressing - the Bombers actually have had recent internal discussions about the Cubs' Jacque Jones, according to sources. Those talks came at the behest of George Steinbrenner, who apparently was told about Jones by one of his cronies and then asked his staff to look into what it might take to acquire the right fielder.
It's likely that it wouldn't take much in the way of prospects since Jones is in the first year of a three-year deal worth about $12 million and the Bombers would essentially be offering a salary dump, though it's unclear if the Cubs would be willing to deal; Jones is hitting .288 with 13 homers and 35 RBI.
Cashman wouldn't get into specifics about his trade discussions, saying, "We haven't done anything, for whatever reason. If something comes up as a match, we'll get aggressive."
Still, filling in the gaps left by injuries to Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield remains a secondary concern for the Bombers. Joe Torre acknowledged yesterday that the back of the Bombers' rotation has been an issue because neither Shawn Chacon nor Jaret Wright has been much more than a five-inning pitcher recently.
Asking the bullpen to work as much as it has been doing could prove disastrous, and Torre said, "If you keep going to the well, eventually you're going to run dry."
That's why the Bombers' biggest need is adding another starter. Unfortunately, the pace of the market doesn't match their situation as most teams aren't prepared to start unloading players. Adding a big name seems particularly unlikely - Barry Zito and Dontrelle Willis figure to stay in Oakland and Florida, respectively - and sifting through what's left doesn't figure to happen until closer to the July 31 deadline.