Talking to Newsday's Arthur Staple, Yankees GM Brian Cashman discussed the team's approach toward the trade market. Cashman said that if the team fixes itself by getting Brian Bruney healthy and Chien-Ming Wang right, there may not be a need to make a deal. Bruney returns from the DL Tuesday, while Wang's last-chance start comes Wednesday against John Lannan and the Nationals. Seems odd to me to place so much emphasis on a single start.
Staple also learned that Cashman intends to talk to Hal Steinbrenner if he seeks approval to add to the payroll. I'd be surprised to see money become an impediment for a deadline acquisition.
What are the team's needs? The Yankees' rotation currently ranks 12th in the AL with a 4.98 ERA. The question is whether Cashman could come up with a starter who'd be definitively better than Phil Hughes. As for the pen, Ken Rosenthal wrote Friday that the Yanks have already expressed interest in Colorado closer Huston Street and "eventually will target the best available late-inning relievers." The Angels are also known to be eyeing Street, having lost Scot Shields for the season.
