1. Get Carlos Zambrano from the Cubs. He's become a headache in Chicago, but he's a former all-star and he's still in his prime years. When healthy, he has electric stuff, and the Cubs might be willing to eat salary just to get him off the roster. Before suspending him, Lou Piniella was using him out of the bullpen, which is where the Yankees could plug him in, then maybe use him as a back-of-the-rotation starter next season if Andy Pettitte retires and/or Javier Vazquez is wearing a different uniform. Oh yeah, and Zambrano is a tremendous hitter, too, which would help in the World Series.
2. Get Adam Dunn from the Nats. ESPN reported this week that Dunn is getting sick of waiting for an extension from Washington and will probably leave after the season, so they are probably more motivated to trade him than what they are letting on. But the Yanks could really use a classic power bat in the middle of that lineup, and that's exactly what Dunn is. His bat would play perfectly to Yankee Stadium's short right-field fence, and he'd DH, so he wouldn't be hurting all of our eyes with his awful defense.
3. Sign George Sherrill. The lefty reliever was just placed on outright waivers by LA, meaning he can be claimed by anyone, or signed as a free agent in a couple days. He's been terrible this season, but was an all-star as recently as '08 and is another candidate to rebound with a change of scenery. The Yankees need a lefty in the pen...actually, they need somebody, ANYBODY in the pen, and there's really nothing to lose by giving Sherrill a shot.
4. Get Dan Uggla from the Fish. Marlins owner Jeffery Loria may finally be realizing that his team is going nowhere fast this season, and it may be time to jettison some of their larger contracts. Uggla is a power bat who's a natural second baseman but has the power and body type to play third. The Yankees could rotate him between DHing and spelling A-Rod at third on his off-days.
5. Get Ty Wigginton from the O's. Wigginton can hit, shows a decent amount of power, and plays all over the infield. The Yankees' current utility infielder is Ramiro Pena, he of the sub-.200 batting average. Pena's main two skills are his glovework and looking a little bit like Ralph Macchio...Wigginton's versatility and skills with the bat would be a tremendous upgrade.
6. Get Prince Fielder from the Brewers. He'd be DHing, of course, with Mark Teixeira manning first base in the Bronx for six and a half more years, but his lefty power bat is perfect for Yankee Stadium, and the Yanks can afford him. He knows CC Sabathia from CC's half-season in Milwaukee, and who better to give Fielder the Teixeira-esque contract he desires but the team who actually signed that very deal? This deal would definitely require trading top prospect Jesus Montero, so the Yankees would likely want a negotiating window to make sure they could sign Fielder for years to come before actually pulling the trigger on a deal.
7. Get Joakim Soria from KC. Soria is the closer in KC, and the Yanks already have a pretty good one of those-- see Rivera, Mariano-- but he'd be a darn good setup guy, too, and you'd have to think he'd be willing to give up closing to be able to set up for someone like Mo and pitch for a winning team after spending his whole career in Kansas City. The Royals, however, may not be especially motivated to trade Soria unless they receive an offer they can't refuse. His contract is affordable and he's a fan favorite.
8. Call up Jonathan Albaledejo from Scranton Wilkes-Barre. Albaledejo has been mediocre in his few major-league appearances, but so far this season, he's been dominant as Scranton's closer, and you'd think the Yanks would give him a shot in the bigs before making a trade for a reliever.
9. Get Ivan Rodriguez (again) from the Nats. Pudge is enjoying something of a renaissance this season in DC, and acquiring a solid-hitting, gold-glove caliber catcher like Rodriguez would enable the Yankees to play Posada more often at DH, which is where his future probably lies anyway. Plus he would be a short-term stopgap at the position until Montero, or more likely Austin Romine, is ready to take over as the Yankees' catcher.
10. The deals I don't think they'll make. Houston's Roy Oswalt and Arizona's Dan Haren are both available, but the asking price for either will be steep. Arizona is reportedly asking for two starters and a reliever in exchange for Haren, and the Yankees will most likely be hesitant to trade that much young pitching depth. Dealing for a pitcher of Oswalt's caliber would almost certainly require dealing Jesus Montero, but at Oswalt's age, and with the fact that he's never pitched in the AL, it would be smarter to hang onto Montero and deal him for someone they will have for years to come.
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