The Ty Wigginton rumor appears to be just the tip of the iceberg for the Yankees, who have prioritized improving the bench before the trade deadline according to Marc Carig of The Star-Ledger.
"The bench is the area of priority as of right now," said GM Brian Cashman. "That doesn't mean we're not open to anything else. But if you ask me what's the priority? What's the area of weakness? It's the bench."
Cashman didn't name any specific targets for obvious reasons, and he wouldn't say whether he preferred a left-handed or right-handed bat. Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com recently named Willie Bloomquist and John McDonald as potential options for the Yankees, but Adam Kennedy and Craig Counsell could also become targets. Those last two are just me speculating, though.
At the moment, the team boasts a homegrown and inexperienced bench consisting of Ramiro Pena (17 OPS+), Kevin Russo (36 OPS+), Chad Huffman (39 OPS+), Colin Curtis (159 OPS+, just 10 PA), and Francisco Cervelli (92 OPS+), though Marcus Thames is currently on a rehab assignment working his way back from a hamstring issue. The Yanks recently added Eric Bruntlett on a minor league deal as well. Last year the Yanks acquired Jerry Hairston Jr. and Eric Hinske before the deadline, so rebuilding a bench on the fly is nothing new for Cashman.
