The talk has been going on for at least a month. Many fans thought the New York Yankees, rich in relief pitching but too far down in the standings, would be willing to trade some of their assets before the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline.
In particular, closer Aroldis Chapman and setup man Andrew Miller were the team's most desirable trade chips. The flamethrowing Chapman was almost certain to be on the market because he's set to become a free agent in the offseason.
However, there seemed to be some doubt coming from the Yankees' ownership box. Owner Hal Steinbrenner seemed to be taking a cue from his late father, George. The Yankees were always the team that loaded up around the trade deadline. They did not sell stars for future assets; it's not the Yankee way.
On Sunday, Jon Heyman of Today's Knuckleball reported Steinbrenner had not given his approval to start selling off players.
However, there are strong indications that Steinbrenner may be softening his stance. Heyman later reported the Yankees and Chicago Cubs were talking about a potential trade that included Chicago minor league shortstop Gleyber Torres.
The Cubs, of course, are in first place in the National League Central and have designs on going to their first World Series since 1945 and winning it for the first time since 1908. Chapman would not guarantee either one of those scenarios, but he would provide an intimidating presence at the back end of the bullpen, which the team doesn't have with Hector Rondon in the closer role.
Rondon has a 1.95 ERA and 18 saves, but he can't match the 105 mph fastball that Chapman throws.
If the Yankees and Cubs don't work out a deal for Chapman, the Cleveland Indians and Washington Nationals are reportedly interested, according to Heyman.
Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal added credence to the idea of the Indians going after Chapman. While he did not mention the Yankees closer's name, he noted the Indians are interested in upgrading their bullpen.
After Sunday's 5-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles, the Indians saw their record fall to 56-41, putting them six games ahead in the American League Central. However, they have lost three games in a row and six of their last 10.
While Cleveland could use help at the catcher position since Yan Gomes suffered a separated shoulder in mid-July, they may be able to get by without trading for a catcher, instead letting Chris Gimenez and Roberto Perez split duties behind the plate. As a result, talk has centered on bullpen help for manager Terry Francona and the Tribe.
The Chicago White Sox may be in sell mode as they sink further out of contention.
After a 23-10 start, the White Sox have fallen to 48-50. While there has been a lot of speculation on uniform-cutting left-handed ace Chris Sale, the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo reported White Sox left-handed starter Jose Quintana could be available if a trade partner presents an "overwhelming" package to general manager Rick Hahn.
Quintana may have an 8-8 record, but he has a 2.97 ERA and 116-to-32 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 130.1 innings, according to Baseball-Reference.com.
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