Kuzul

Cliff Lee, Lance Berkman , Jorge Cantu, Austin Kearns , Bengie Molina, Kerry Wood, Cristian Guzman. All players that are now wearing either a Texas Rangers Jersey or Yankee pinstripes now, as the smell of October baseball grows stronger with each passing day.

The perennial American League juggernaut Yankees was active as usual this year at the trade deadline, acquiring first baseman Lance Berkman , outfielder Austin Kearns , and reliever Kerry Wood to shore up some holes in the lineup, bullpen, and bench.

However, it was the Rangers who made it clear to everyone in the Majors that they are for real this year.

They started by snatching Cliff Lee from the jaws of the Yankees early on in July, then they got a solid catcher who can handle the rotation well, and they picked up a pair of bench pieces with Jorge Cantu and Cristian Guzman.

Adding those players to a team that is in total command of first place in the AL West, brings them into the conversation of the top three teams in the league, joining the AL East powers.

The playoffs are still two months away and anything can happen. But if things were to stay the way they are right now, then the Yankees would meet up with the AL Central leading White Sox , while the Wild Card Rays and AL West leading Rangers would lock horns.

I think that the Yankees would probably beat the White Sox, and that the Rangers would over power the Rays, thus settng up an ALCS between New York and Texas, East meets West.

With power pitching and power hitting on both teams, this would be one of the most intriguing postseason matchups in years, not to mention a re-match from the late 90’s playoff series between the Rangers and Yanks.

A series between these two teams would feature another heavyweight pitching bout between CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee, Derek Jeter and Elvis Andrus the top two shortstops in the league, Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira playing against their former team, and so many more story lines to follow.

There are no guarentees that either team will make it to the ALCS, but it wouldn’t be for lack of effort, and you have to admit that it would be an interesting playoff matchup to watch.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Yankees had a busy day Friday, acquiring Lance Berkman from the Astros and Austin Kearns from the Indians, and it looks like they could make some more moves today as the 4:00 PM Trade Deadline approaches.

The big splash for the Yankees so far has been the trade for Lance Berkman . The details and trade won’t be official until this afternoon, due to Berkman spending his entire career in Houston, making him a 10-5 player (10-5 means that the player been in the league at least 10 years and has spent at least five of those years with one team), which gives him a 24 hour waiting period to change his mind if he so chooses.

It appears that the Yankees will send RP Mark Melancon and IF Jimmy Paredes to Houston in turn for Berkman and cash to pay part of his remaining salary this year.

Berkman , commonly referred to as the Big Puma, will primarily serve as the DH for the Yanks, while occasionally filling in at first base and the corner outfield spots.

He is hitting .245 with 13 home runs and 49 RBI in 85 games this season, and while those numbers might not sound great, they are better than nothing, which is exactly what former everyday DH Nick Johnson has given the Yanks since his wrist injury in May.

The Big Puma is also a switch hitter, joining Mark Teixeira , Jorge Posada , and Nick Swisher in the regular lineup, which makes it even harder for other teams to align their pitchers according to who is batting for the Yanks.

He has struggled against left handed pitching this year, but when he bats left handed against righties , he has an OPS of .874 with 12 home runs and 45 RBI, clearly a man who can take advantage of the short porch at Yankee Stadium.

I feel that this was a good trade, especially for how cheaply the Yanks got Berkman for in terms of prospects, and it should bring consistency to the DH spot, which has been a revolving door since May.

Yankees GM Brian Cashman wasn’t done after getting Berkman . He went out and improved the bench and outfield depth by trading for veteran outfielder Austin Kearns from the Cleveland Indians for a player to be named later, or cash.

Kearns is having a solid season, hitting .268 with eight home runs and 42 RBI in 83 games for the Indians this year.

I think Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman wanted a player who knows how to man the outfield and can still provide production off the bench, which is exactly what they got in Kearns .

His arrival could spell the end to Colin Curtis’ or Marcus Thames’ times as New York Yankees this year. Preferably, I would want to keep Curtis, but Thames is the veteran and would cost the Yankees money if he was the one to go.

Even after these two trades, it appears that the Yankees are not finished dealing yet.

Many consider them in on Chad Qualls , a trade that I strongly disagree with, considering his horrific numbers in Arizona this year.

But as Buster Olney of ESPN, points out in his tweet, the Yankees are probably looking to add a player who can man the hot corner or a middle infielder.

Two players that I like and fit that description are Kelly Johnson of Arizona and Kevin Kouzmanoff of Oakland.

Kelly Johnson, who is the starting second baseman for the D-Backs, would look pretty nice on the Yankees bench, hitting .279 with 16 home runs and 49 RBI.

And Kevin Kouzmanoff has hit .272 with nine home runs and 50 RBI out in Oakland would serve as an excellent back up to A-Rod at third base.

Both of these players are under 30 years old and would be salary dumps for both teams, with Kouzmanoff making $3.1 million and Johnson making $2.3 million.

However, both are signed through next year and Oakland and Arizona might not want to part ways with them quite yet, so it could take a couple prospects to pry them away.

I’m sure that there are lots of moves yet to be made, and we will all know who is where by this afternoon.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

According to Joel Sherman, of the New York Post, the Yankees are very close to acquiring Houston Astros’ first baseman, Lance Berkman.

The Big Puma is hitting a subpar .245 this year, with 13 home runs and 49 RBI.

Certainly not the best looking average, but he does have decent run production numbers, plus he was hurt earlier this season, so the numbers might be a bit off.

Berkman would likely serve as a DH primarily for the Yankees, if he is acquired that is.

He is a switch hitter and has a .549 slugging percentage, which can be a dangerous combination at Yankee Stadium—just ask Mickey Mantle.

Both Mantle and Berkman hit from both sides of the plate, and their career slugging percentages are similar, with Mantle at .557. Very comparable to one another.

Ken Rosenthal, of FOXSports.com, points out that nothing is complete, but Berkman could be yet another strong bat in the Yankees already deep lineup.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

On a night when it rained on Alex Rodriuez’s 600th home run quest, Jorge Posada’s milestone RBI stole the spotlight.

After a base clearing three run double by Robinson Cano in the top of the first inning,  Posada followed with an RBI double of his own, and thus reached 1,000 RBI’s in his career.

With his milestone RBI tonight, Posada is now the 12th Yankee to do so, joining fellow catchers Yogi Berra and Bill Dickey, as well as long time teammate Derek Jeter.

But it’s not just Yankee legends that he’s joining.

Posada’s name can now be mentioned as one of only five catchers in the history of Major League Baseball to have 1,000+ RBI, 350+ Doubles, and 250+ Home Runs. The other four back stops in that group are Johnny Bench, Carlton Fisk, Gary Carter, and Ivan Rodriguez (three Hall of Farmer’s and a future one).

Jorge is also now one of 24 active players with 1,000 RBI and one of two active catchers, the other one obviously being Ivan Rodriguez.

Hall of Fame for Jorge? A case can be made, but that is an entirely different discussion.

So congratulations to Jorge Posada on an amazing career, that has spanned 1,660 games, 16 seasons, a decade and a half of baseball, and now has 1,000 RBI.

Indeed deserving of a “hip hip, Jorge!”

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

According to reports around the Majors, the Arizona Diamondbacks have changed their stance on Dan Haren possibly being traded this year.

Haren, who is 7-8 with a 4.60 ERA and league leader in strikeouts with 141, had previously been almost impossible to trade. Now, it appears that the D-Backs have taken a more open stance towards trading Haren this year.

Teams that have a known interest  in the 29-year-old workhorse are the Tigers, Twins, Yankees, Phillies, and Cardinals at this point.

What are the D-Backs asking for in return? High quality pitching that is Major League-ready.

The D-Backs are exchanging names with several teams, but the Twins and Tigers are both on Haren’s no-trade list right now.

And with both the Cardinals and Phillies going hard after Roy Oswalt , it would seem that the Yankees might be the only known option for Arizona to trade with currently.

It is a strong possibility that the Yankees are just keeping tabs on what is going on in the desert, and don’t have a strong interest in acquiring Haren (at least not until the Rays or Red Sox get involved).

Who knows? Arizona might be desperate to dump the $25 million salary owed over the next two years. And if there are no other suitors for him other than the Yankees, the Yanks might get him without giving up much in return.

I highly doubt that he’ll don pinstripes next week, but if he does, the Yankees would have to center a deal around either Ivan Nova or Zach McAllister, two of the top pitching prospects in the organization, who are both at Triple-A this year.

I can’t imagine Brian Cashman parting ways with either Nova or McAllister for a guy who is having a down year, unless Tampa Bay or Boston gets involved.

My guess is that St. Louis will not be able to acquire Roy Oswalt or lose him to another team, so they will go after Haren and get him from Arizona.

A lot of things could change from now until July 31, but as things are right now with Brian Cashman reluctant to go after a starting pitcher on the trade market, I think the Yankees will not be acquiring Haren, or any other starting pitcher for that matter at this year’s deadline.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Francisco Cervelli, otherwise known as the “Cisco Kid”, was absolutely fantastic when Jorge Posada was hurt and on the DL. But could he be used for trade bait now?

In 2009, his first season of extended time in the Major Leagues, Cervelli was excellent as the third, and sometimes second, string catcher, hitting .298 in 94 at bats.

Coming into 2010, the Yankees had decided to not resign Jose Molina (the latter of the catching Molina brothers), thus making Cervelli the back up catcher behind long time Yankee Jorge Posada .

And Cervelli didn’t disappoint. He’s hitting .273 overall and has been very good hitting with runners in scoring position, with a .353 batting average in those situations for the year.

He doesn’t have a power stroke, with only one home run in 282 career at bats, but his 30 RBI and his aforementioned average with runners in scoring position make him an attractive option to any team looking for catching help as the July 31 trade deadline draws near.

Contenders that could potentially be suitors for Cervelli are:

Detroit Tigers – Alex Avila has claimed the starting job in Detroit, but he is hitting just .210 with four home runs and 15 RBI. Their back up is Gerald Laird, who is hitting an atrocious .187 with three home runs and 16 RBI. Clearly in need of Cervelli’s skills at the plate.

New York Mets – Rod Barajas has been their starter and has 12 home runs, but has been benched recently and is only hitting at a .226 clip. Henry Blanco is their back up, hitting .269, but provides little production at 38 years old.

Boston Red Sox – With both Victor Martinez and Jason Varitek on the DL, the Sox definitely need the help, but they currently sit in third place, seven games back of the Yankees and have to decide if they are going to be sellers or buyers this year. The Sox and Yanks are in the same division, which might prove to be a problem as well.

All three of these teams obviously have a need for Cervelli, but do the Yankees?

Well, that depends on how much stock you put into Jesus Montero , who has been heating up of late after a terrible start to the season.

As far as Posada goes, it appears that Girardi is content with keeping him the starter, despite his injuries and defensive lapses this year. Plus, he has gotten off to a great start to the second half, with two home runs and at least one RBI in each of the Yankees six games since the All Star break.

So if the Yankees can pry away a bullpen piece from one of those three teams mentioned, like Eddie Bonine (4-0, 2.88 ERA, 45 IP) from the Tigers, or Bobby Parnell (1.23 ERA, 14 IP, 16 K) from the Mets , then I would say Cervelli is expendable at this point. 

Crazy things happen at the end of July. We will have to wait and see.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Yankees have been able to count on two things all year: having Mariano Rivera for the ninth inning, and quality starting pitching.

Well, it would appear that they are without the quality starting pitching now, so the bridge to Mariano just got a whole lot longer.

Phil Hughes picked up right where he left off at the All Star Game, in his first start of the second half Hughes allowed six earned runs on nine hits and three walks, over five innings.

His overall ERA has exploded to 3.99, and his ERA over his last 10 outings now stands at a pathetic 5.23. Think about this, at the beginning of those 10 starts, his ERA was just 2.72.

His untimely struggles come with Andy Pettitte on the shelf for at least three weeks and with Sergio Mitre being Pettitte’s replacement.  The Yankees must also deal with the sturggles of along  A.J. Burnett, and as always, the bullpen’s season-long woes.

The pitching situation for the Yankees has to rectify itself quickly or we may soon see the Rays and/or Red Sox overtake the Yankees for the top spot in the AL East, and push them out of playoff contention.

Who would have ever thought that in mid July, Javy Vazquez would be the second-best starting pitcher going for the Yankees?

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Yankees’ bullpen looked good today in relief of Andy Pettitte, who lest after two-thirds innings pitched due to a Grade 1 groin strain, which will keep him out a projected 4-5 weeks.

This puts the Yankees in a very precarious position for several reasons.

The bullpen has now pitched over 13 innings in the past two games, because of A.J. Burnett’s injury from his clubhouse rampage yesterday and Pettitte’s groin injury today.

Needless to say, but 13 innings over the course of two games is a tall order for any bullpen, let alone the Yankees bullpen, which has been very inconsistent this year.

And obviously, with Pettitte being shutdown for the next month or so, the Yanks need another starter.

It is their plan right now to use Sergio Mitre as Pettitte’s replacement in the rotation until he recovers from his injury.

Mitre, who is coming back from an injury himself, isn’t exactly the right person for the job, in my opinion.

He is a starter by trade and has the ability to throw five or six solid innings of work, but he might be too valuable as a long relief pitcher out of the pen than as a starter.

He has appeared in 10 games this year (mainly as a long relief pitcher), but has made two starts where he has given up four runs on nine hits over nine innings pitched.

While in relief this year, Mitre has given up just three runs on five hits over 16 innings. That is why I think he should be in the bullpen, in which case Chad Gaudin should be released.

So who should start in Pettitte’s spot if Mitre does not?

Ivan Nova, who is an excellent young pitcher in the farm system, has the pitching ability to provide a boost in the Yankee rotation.

As a starter at AAA Scranton/Wilkes Barre this year, Nova has hurled 103 innings over 17 starts, going 7-2 with a very respectable ERA of 3.21, and holding opposing batters to just eight home runs.

It was also rumored earlier this year, that he threw a 100 mph fastball, but minor league radar guns aren’t exactly the best in the world.

He did pitch in the majors earlier this year, throwing three scoreless innings over two games in his brief stint with New York.

Nova also makes sense because he would be able to get used to the majors this year, and would be much more comfortable heading into Spring Training next year, probably competing for the fifth spot in the rotation if both Andy Pettitte and Javier Vazquez depart after this season.

The Yankees will have a much needed day off tomorrow to rest up and make some organizational moves, and we shall see what transpires.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Bronx Bombers are in first place in the AL East with the best record in baseball heading into the second half of the season, which starts tonight versus the second place Tampa Bay Rays.

But there are several Yankees who aren’t in the New York Groove quite yet and need to pick up the slack as the season moves into the second half.

By no means do the Yankees absolutely “need” these players to improve in order to win the division, obviously they are already in first place, but if the Bombers want to see their 28th title come this year, then these players do need to step it up a notch.

Begin Slideshow

With Cliff Lee off the trade market, the Yankees should now look at adding the next best pitcher available, Roy Oswalt.

The Yankees looked like they were ready to land Lee today, some even called the deal imminent, but trade talks between the Yankees and Mariners fell apart after Seattle questioned David Adams health and asked for more. Lee was instead traded to the Rangers.

But we did learn something from this failed trade attempt, the Yankees are willing to part ways with top prospect Jesus Montero, who was previously “untouchable” according to Yankee GM Brian Cashman.

So do the Yankees still have an interest in improving their rotation, now that Lee is off the table?

If they are, then they need to look at Houston Astros fan favorite and ace, Roy Oswalt.

Oswalt is an excellent pitcher, having won 10 or more games from 2001-2008, including back to back 20 win campaigns in ’04 and ’05, which took the Astros to the World Series.

The Astros lost the 2005 World Series, but Oswalt has been itching for another crack at a title– and has said before that he will waive his no trade clause to go to the Yankees if the Astros can agree to a deal.

Houston has previously been asking a lot for Oswalt, who is 6-10 with a 3.08 ERA this year.

The Astros, presumably, would want Jesus Montero and another position player, along with a pitching prospect.

Well, the Yankees just offered Montero, second baseman David Adams, and starting pitcher Zach McAllister to the Mariners for Cliff Lee. A similar deal could be structured to go after Oswalt.

In my opinion, Oswalt would thrive with the  Yankees.

He has a former teammate and friend in Andy Pettitte, you never hear anything about off field incidents with him, and if he had the Yankees’ offense in Houston he would have a winning record and be right in the Cy Young race.

Oswalt has made it clear he wants out of Houston and has made it his focus to get back to the World Series, and if the Yankees want to strengthen their rotation for another championship run, then Oswalt is their man.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com