Bob Klapisch of the Bergen Record talked to one Major League executive who believes the Yankees are likely to shop outfielder Bobby Abreu to the NL this month. The key would be the Yankees paying a portion of the $10MM coming to Abreu this year.
Abreu still has a $16MM option for 2008 with a $2MM buyout attached. If he has a few more months like June – .290/.408/.470 – the option could still be picked up. The Yanks could exercise it and then look to trade him during the offseason. The cost certainty and one-year commitment might be attractive to some teams, even if Abreu is basically now Brian Giles. The Yankees are currently 12 games out in the AL East and 8.5 out in the Wild Card race. Nonetheless, their playoff chances fall in the 11-18% range based on the various simulations out there. It’s not quite time to fold it in and play for next year.
However, if the Yankees keep losing and are more officially out of it in three weeks, Abreu seems the most logical choice to be traded. Kyle Farnsworth is a no-brainer as well. Roger Clemens, Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada, and Mariano Rivera could all become free agents after the season, but I can’t see any of them getting traded.
Abreu would be a nice fit in Arizona as a summer rental, in my opinion.
