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The New York Yankees are certainly afraid that second baseman Robinson Cano might be leaving in free agency, as general manager Brian Cashman has reached out to Cincinnati Reds GM Walt Jocketty regarding the availability of All-Star second baseman Brandon Phillips, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.

The price is apparently very high, and understandably so. Phillips is arguably the best defensive second baseman in the game, routinely making highlight-reel grabs and throws that not many other middle infielders could make.

Phillips was a Gold Glove winner for the fourth time in his 12-year career in 2013, and he was also pretty good at the plate. He hit .261/.310/.396 with 18 home runs, a career-high 103 RBI and five steals.

Cashman has also reached out to free-agent Omar Infante about the potential vacancy at second, per George A. King III and Ken Davidoff of the New York Post, and Infante is arguably the best free-agent second baseman available after Cano.

Infante did hit .318/.345/.450 with 10 home runs and 51 RBI this past season, but Phillips is by far the better option offensively and defensively. That, however, will come at a price.

Heyman cites that Phillips is still owed $50 million over the four years remaining on the six-year, $72.5 million contract he signed a few seasons ago. The Yankees could certainly fit that number into their payroll if Cano were to leave, but a declining on-base percentage since 2011 should be an area of concern.

Overall, Cano is the top option at second for the Bombers. He’s the best player on the team—and one of the best in the American League—and simply cannot be replaced.

Is he worth upwards of $300 million? Probably not.

Is he worth a seven- or eight-year commitment in the $200 million range? I think so.

When asked about what it would take to re-sign Cano, Cashman told Pat Bradley of NESN.com that he wasn’t sure what it would take:

I don’t have a gut [feeling], I really don’t. We’d certainly like that to happen, but the better you are at something, the more options and opportunities you create, and he’s certainly going to create a lot of opportunities for himself. 

Cashman will negotiate for as long as it takes with Cano, so don’t expect to see anybody different manning second in 2014. In the end, Cano will be hard-pressed to find another team that can pay him what the Yankees will.

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The 2013 MLB season hasn’t gone the way the Cincinnati Reds had hoped, but there are still many reasons for fans to watch the team in September.

Cincinnati is in position to make the postseason for the third time in four seasons. Whether it wins the division or snags a Wild Card has yet to be determined.

Manager Dusty Baker saw his team get hot after key players returned from the disabled list in August, but the Reds are running out of time to put together a big winning streak.

With one month to play, the Reds will be one of the most exciting teams to watch down the stretch.

Here’s a list of what to watch for in September. 

*All information is courtesy of baseball-reference.com

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How much of an impact do early season trades make? They occur infrequently and usually do not involve big-name players.

The MLB trend is to anticipate the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline and strike a deal on or before that date. It’s one of the most exciting days during the baseball season, as contending teams look to land a player for their playoff push while cellar dwellers dump stars for prospects.

So why aren’t there any titillating transactions in April? 

For one, most teams craft their rosters in the offseason, and it may take more than a few weeks in April to step into the rhythm of success. Also, with such a small sample size of games, determining the problem that a trade would solve is not always possible.

Plus, those non-contending teams who could provide a worthy veteran or power bat are not willing to raise the white flag on a young season, succumbing to more dominate teams and crippling the fan base.

All that said, here are the five greatest, if not the smartest, April trades of all time.

(H/T to articles written by Bleacher Report’s Doug Mead, Joel Reuter and Ely Sussman)

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Once the Cardinals finish up their West Coast swing through Arizona and San Francisco, they’ll find themselves smack-dab in the middle of a duel against their fiercest competition for the NL Central crown, the Cincinnati Reds.

Over the last few seasons, this has developed into a bitter rivalry.  David Schoenfield of ESPN said in 2011 the Cardinals and Reds has become the best rivalry in baseball.  

There have been some tense and exciting moments over the last few seasons between these two teams. From Brandon Philips igniting the fire with his inflammatory remarks over Twitter a few years back to the infamous brawl that ended backup catcher Jason LaRue’s career, this rivalry has taken on a life of its own.

Now fast-forwarding to 2013, the NL Central race will most likely come down to the Reds and the Cardinals.  

The Cardinals have not started off the 2013 campaign the way they had hoped.  Ace Adam Wainwright did not pitch well on Opening Night in Arizona and the Cardinals fell, 6-2, to the Diamondbacks.  

After playing well in game two of the series and taking down the D-Backs 6-1, the bullpen killed the Cardinals in game three, blowing four leads before losing in 16 innings, 10-9.

On Friday, the Cardinals’ left their bats in Arizona and were blanked by the Giants, 1-0.

The Reds, on the other hand, have started out the season well. They have posted a 3-1 record and taken two-of-three from the offensive juggernaut known as the Los Angeles Angels, to go along with thrashing the Nationals in their series opener, 15-0.

Last season the Cardinals held a slight advantage against the Reds with an 8-7 record. This season, the Cardinals will need to improve upon that record if they want to win the NL Central. They will need to create separation from the Reds by winning the head-to-head competition.

Game 1 Pitching Matchup

The first game of the series features Jaime Garcia against Mat Latos.  Garcia pitched very well against the Diamondbacks in his first start this season.  As he starts the home opener for the Cardinals, fans should know that Garcia has a 8-2 record in his career against the Reds in 11 career starts.

Latos will have to face his demons in Busch Stadium.  He is 1-3 there with a 13.50 ERA  Hopefully for Cardinal fans, that trend will keep up.  

Game 2 Pitching Matchup

In Game 2 of the series, the Cardinals will send Lance Lynn out to face Bronson Arroyo.  Lynn hasn’t seemed to overcome his postseason demons from last season.  He only lasted four innings in his season debut and gave up four runs, walking three and serving up a home run.  

Arroyo has made 31 career starts against the Cardinals and posted an 8-13 record with a 4.56 ERA. In 2012, he was 1-1 with a 4.15 ERA when pitching against the Cardinals.  

Game 3 Pitching Matchup

Jake Westbrook will lead the Cardinals into the final game of the first 2013 series against the Reds. He’ll be opposed by Homer Bailey.

Westbrook owns a 3-2 record agains the Reds in his career in nine starts.

Bailey hasn’t pitched very well against the Cardinals in his career.  He has a 3-7 record with a 5.00 ERA in 13 career starts.  That said, Bailey shut down the Nationals’ lineup in a 15-0 shellacking on Friday night.  He allowed two hits and no runs in six innings of work.

Predictions:

Game 1: With the Reds hitting the ball like they have a vendetta against it, it will be tough for Garcia to keep them in check.  

However, he is quite capable of doing so and with the Cardinals’ success against Mat Latos, game one should go to the Cardinals.

Game 2: I don’t have much faith that Lance Lynn will get out of the fourth inning against the Reds’ prolific offense.  He hasn’t had much luck in 2013 between spring training and his first start of the season.  

If the Cardinals’ offense doesn’t show up against Bronson Arroyo, it could be a long day for the Cardinals and their bullpen.  Game two goes to the Reds.

Game 3: If Jake Westbrook can get his sinker to do what it is capable of and the Cardinals can get to Homer Bailey early, it could be a good day for the Redbirds.  

With the way Todd Frazier (.471 batting average, three home runs at time of writing) and the Reds’ bats have come out of the gate, it will be a tough assignment for Westbrook. 

This one will be a tossup.  Whichever club strikes early will probably get the win.  Neither Westbrook nor Bailey are prone to make it past the sixth inning, so it will come down to the bullpens.  Both clubs are expecting their bullpens to be a strength this season, and this will be an early test.  

With the history that has been built over the last few seasons between these clubs and the lack of love for one another, it should be a great series to watch.  

Hopefully there will be some fireworks to set the tone for the rest of the season when these two clubs hook up down the road.

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After a disappointing 5-2 loss to Mexico (box score via MLB.com) in its World Baseball Classic opener on Friday night, Team USA needs Brandon Phillips and Giancarlo Stanton to step up in order for the team to advance.

Before the team takes on Italy on Saturday, there needs to be some adjustments made by the players. Ryan Vogelsong is slated to take the mound in the second game, but it’s the offense that needs to get ready to go.

Jimmy Rollins, Joe Mauer and David Wright all recorded multi-hit games in the opener, but the bottom third of the lineup went 0-for-10 with two walks.

Things will get better, but the team can’t wait around too long before the bats wake up. The middle of the order showed up on Friday, but it was tough getting rallies going when there was no production out of the bottom of the lineup.

It will be important for Team USA to avoid falling behind again in the first inning. The offense has the firepower to come back, but the team could use a fast start.

Phillips and Stanton are two of the game’s brightest stars, and they will be counted on to make plays as the tournament goes on.

Brandon Phillips

As the second baseman for the Cincinnati Reds, he is known for his flashy play. He makes more highlight plays than anyone in the league.

He will need to continue to flash the leather in the field, but he will be called upon to get on base for the heart of the lineup. As the No. 2 hitter, he needs to set the table for Ryan Braun, Wright and Mauer.

Unfortunately for Team USA, Phillips went 0-for-4 and struck out twice in the opener. He was one of two starters who did not reach base in the game.

In the last three years, he has hit .298 in the No. 2 spot. The second baseman has a unique set of skills that combines power, average and speed. 

Phillips is at his best when he is swinging early in the count. He hit .301 last year when at-bats lasted less than two pitches, so expect him to come out swinging.

Team USA will take off when Phillips starts to get on base. There may not be a better middle of the lineup in the tournament, but they need guys on base ahead of them. Rollins got on base twice tonight, but Phillips will be the key to this lineup.

Giancarlo Stanton

When Giancarlo Stanton is the No. 7 hitter, it’s a pretty good lineup.

He was part of the bottom third of the lineup that did not have a hit, but he will get rolling at some point. After hitting .290 and smashing 37 homers last year, the 23-year-old will be an important part of the lineup.

The right fielder did draw a walk, but the team needs him to be knocking in runs. He is one of the most dangerous hitters in the world, and his power is second to none.

In his career at Chase Field, he is a .333 hitter and has four home runs in only 39 at-bats.

Like Phillips, Stanton is unreal when swinging at the first two pitches. He hit .457 last year in at-bats that were over within two pitches. 

Conclusion

Team USA needs Phillips and Stanton to go to the plate ready to swing. They are at their best early in the count, and the team can’t expect to win the tournament without them hitting well.

It’s easy to overreact to one game, especially when it’s a loss. Team USA faces Italy on Saturday and Canada on Sunday. 

The opening loss to Mexico is concerning, but it’s not the end of the world. There are still games to be played, and the lineup is working through some early hiccups. Let’s not forget that this team had to replace Mark Teixeira with Eric Hosmer late in the week.

It was a disappointing opener for Team USA, but Phillips and Stanton will be ready to lead their team to the next round. 

*All stats are from ESPN.com

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The Cincinnati Reds are heading into the winter meetings, coming off a disappointing finish to an otherwise great season by all other accounts.

The team’s pitchers turned in one of the best performances of any MLB pitching staff in 2012, and the bullpen in particular was a key component in the Reds’ success last season.

Mat Latos proved to be worth every bit of the package the Reds sent to San Diego, and Johnny Cueto turned in a season worthy of Cy Young consideration.

In addition to the success of several starters and the overall good play of the bullpen, the emergence of Aroldis Chapman proved to be the most exciting part of the Reds 2012 season. Though the team is looking to make him a starter for 2013,  

The offense sputtered, at times. but there were bright spots in the offensive production put forth by the team. Todd Frazier came through with a breakout season, Ryan Ludwick bounced back this year and Brandon Phillips continued on with being one of the most consistent second basemen in baseball.

With a healthy Joey Votto, a presumed increase in the depth of the pitching staff and defined lineup spot and position for Todd Frazier, the Reds look to be a team to beat in 2013.

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The Reds came into the playoffs as a division winner, drawing the San Francisco Giants in the first round of the MLB playoffs. Many predicted a tight series, but thus far the Reds have dominated the Giants.

The Reds are now shaping up for Game 3 tonight and have an opportunity to sweep the series on their home field. I’m sure it’s still difficult (no matter how good the Reds are) for people to comprehend them sweeping the Giants.

It’s going to happen.

The Reds have won six of their last nine games dating back to September 27th, Joey Votto is starting to find his swing again and Brandon Phillips is pacing the team out of the leadoff spot.

Additionally, the pitching staff has almost never looked better.

Following the loss of Johnny Cueto in Game 1 after just 10 pitches, the Reds pieced together Sam LeCure, Mat Latos, Sean Marshall, Jonathan Broxton and Aroldis Chapman to beat the Giants 5-2. Workhorse Bronson Arroyo went seven innings in Game 2, allowing one hit and a walk en route to a 9-0 bashing of the Giants.

The Reds will carry this momentum into Game 3 and will sweep the Giants for several reasons.

First, the pitching.

I’ll mention right now that Homer Bailey isn’t that great in his career against the Giants, but Ryan Vogelsong isn’t very good against the Reds either.

Since 2007, Bailey has started five games against the Giants, going 29 innings with a 5.59 ERA, a 1.52 WHIP and nearly as many earned runs (18) as strikeouts (19).

Vogelsong has pitched against the Reds 15 times, including eight starts.

In those eight starts he’s pitched 51.1 innings with a 5.08 ERA and 1.62 WHIP with 43 strikeouts and 30 walks. Additionally, his peripheral stats against the Reds are some of the worst splits of his career, including a H/9 rate of 9.3, a K/9 rate of 7.5 and K/BB of 1.43.

The two obviously don’t pitch well against each other’s ball clubs, but Bailey is riding an all-time high right now and clearly had the best season of his Major League career.

In 2012, Bailey posted a 13-10 record with a 3.68 ERA, a 1.24 WHIP, 168 strikeouts and 52 walks in 208 innings pitched. Bailey also had ratios of 3.2 K/BB and 7.3 K/9. Bailey hasn’t allowed a run in either of his last two starts, one of those being his no-hitter against the Pirates just 11 days ago.

The Reds offense is also rolling of late.

The Reds have scored 14 runs in the first two games of the series.

That total is tied for the most through the playoffs with the St. Louis Cardinals. Although it’s only been two games, a huge positive can be taken from the play of Brandon Phillips out of the leadoff position.

The one hole in the Reds lineup has been where batters have gone to die in 2012. In 703 at-bats, Reds leadoff batters produced a .208/.254/.327 slash line with 16 HR, 38 RBI and 83 runs scored.

They have only produced 51 extra-base hits compared to the three hole which has produced 63 doubles alone.

This spot in the lineup has been an issue all season long, but Brandon Phillips seems to have found his stroke there the last two games. Phillips is batting 5-for-10 in his last two games with a home run, a run and three RBI.

His three-run home run in Game 1 proved to be all the offense the Reds would need.

In Game 2, Phillips hit two doubles and, in turn, provided the Reds with two opportunities to knock him in. Although the Reds did not cash in, they really hadn’t had many of these opportunities this season and it’s a nice luxury to have.

Brandon Phillips’ ability to get on base and provide some pop out of the leadoff spot has sparked the Reds offense. With Homer Bailey taking the mound tonight against a deflated Giants team, look for the Reds to complete the series sweep of the San Francisco Giants.

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Update: Tuesday, Sept. 11 at 4:45 p.m. ET

Phillips said he resolved things with Hughes today, via Cincinnati.com:

We reached out, and me and Mr. Hughes had a great conversation before I came to the stadium today. It was the best thing that ever happened, just talking to him about what happened, talking to him about things that I heard and stuff.

Phillips also noted, via Cincinnati.com:

It was just a big misunderstanding. When you say certain things in the heat of the moment, you really don’t mean it. You forgive people. He forgave me. I forgive him. It’s the baseball family. I love him as a brother.

Update: Tuesday, Sept. 11 at 4:19 p.m. ET

The back-and-forth between Phillips and Hughes has come to an end, with Andrew McCutchen as the mediator, according to Rob Biertempfel of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

Hughes, Phillips talked it out on phone. #pirates #reds Both sides put issue to rest. McCutchen was go between

— Rob Biertempfel (@BiertempfelTrib) September 11, 2012

— End of Update —

Cincinnati Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips is not known for exaggerating when he speaks, so to hear him call another player racist makes you take notice. 

Following the Reds’ 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates in 14 innings on Monday night, Phillips took to Twitter to voice his frustration with what he heard on the field. 

#RealTalk… Not really surprised by what I heard come outta another player’s mouth tonite but DAMN… Still PISSED bout that $h¡+!! #Racism

— Brandon Phillips (@DatDudeBP) September 11, 2012

There is no name attached to the accusation, though John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer did point out that Phillips was involved in a situation late in the game. 

The incident occurred in the bottom of the eighth inning, when Phillips was hit by a pitch from Jared Hughes. As Phillips was jogging down to first base, he picked up the baseball and flipped it back to the mound. 

Hughes did not take too kindly to the ball flip and started jawing at Phillips. After that happened, the home plate umpire warned both benches, and play resumed. 

It should be noted that Fay said he did not go down to the clubhouse after the game, so it is not known if Hughes is the player Phillips is talking about. 

That was the only point of the game in which Phillips was involved in a situation with a player from the Pirates. 

Since Phillips has brought this situation to light, there could be an investigation by Major League Baseball into what happened and what was said, according to Craig Calcaterra of Hardball Talk.

Hopefully MLB does get involved and gets to the bottom of the situation. Also, if you are looking to hear more from Phillips, Calcaterra notes that he will be on NBC Sports at 6 p.m. ET. 

We will keep you updated on the incident as more information becomes available. 

Follow @adamwells1985

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Cincinnati second baseman Brandon Phillips didn’t get off to the hot start he hoped for in 2012, but as May turned to June something seemed to click for the two-time All-Star.

After recording only five home runs and 25 RBI through May 30, Phillips has been on an absolute tear this month, clubbing four home runs to the tune of 15 RBI in just 51 at-bats.

Even more importantly, the 30-year-old Silver Slugger is batting .353 in June and has finally given the surging Reds a legitimate clean-up threat behind Joey Votto. For the majority of the season, opposing pitchers have been able to dodge Votto’s red-hot bat, pitching around the former MVP in order to limit his run-producing potential. Now, however, Phillips’ improved play has all but eliminated that option, allowing Votto—and the team as a whole—to explode offensively.

Additionally, with third baseman Scott Rolen set to rejoin the club in the days to come, Phillips could potentially return to the leadoff spot where he may be able to provide Votto with even more RBI opportunities.

While a recent All-Star vote count showed that Phillips was still in hot contention with both Atlanta slugger Dan Uggla and Miami’s Omar Infante for the National League’s starting second base spot, the three-time Gold Glover seems to be gaining a leg up with his recent surge.

Considering the big-time money Cincinnati dealt out to both Phillips and Votto this offseason, seeing them both take the field come All-Star Week would be an awfully promising sight for everyone involved with the Reds organization.

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Tuesday night’s victory over the Atlanta Braves proved to be an encouraging sign for the Cincinnati Reds.

Two of Cincinnati’s struggling players, starter Mat Latos and second baseman Brandon Phillips, performed well in the 4-3 win. Latos pitched seven solid innings of two-run ball with eight strikeouts, while Phillips chipped in with two home runs and three RBI.

Latos had especially come under fire after the past offseason trade in which Latos was acquired from the San Diego Padres in return for Yonder Alonso, Yasmani Grandal, Edinson Volquez and Brad Boxberger.

Prior to the game, Latos had a 2-2 record and a mediocre 4.63 ERA—nothing close to what Cincinnati expected when GM Walt Jocketty pulled the trigger on the offseason trade. Latos’ ERA has been steadily dropping after a very poor start to the season, which saw his ERA balloon to an enormous 8.22 in April.

Entering the season, Phillips received a contract extension after lengthy extension talks reaching back to last season. His new six-year, $72 million extension came under fire after the soon-to-be 31-year-old Phillips’ production took a dip with only two home runs, one steal and a sub-.300 on-base percentage through a quarter of the season.

Clearly struggling at the plate at times, Phillips’ batting average hit a low at .215 in early May, but since then he has started to turn it around with a .275 average in 20 games this month. Phillips still has a long way to go, with a very poor 8-to-21 walk-to-strikeout ratio and only 10 extra-base hits on the season.

Rookie shortstop Zack Cozart also chipped in with a solo home run, and recently named closer Aroldis Chapman closed out the win with a hitless ninth. Center fielder Drew Stubbs went 1-for-3 with a walk and a steal while making a few plays in the field in another solid performance following Monday night’s two-home run game.

Cincinnati’s next game features rejuvenated Reds starter Bronson Arroyo taking on Tommy Hanson and the Braves once again at Great American Ballpark on Wednesday night.

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