After losing two of three to the Boston Red Sox to open the unofficial second half of the season, the New York Yankees may very well find themselves out of contention in the American League.
Now sitting one game under .500 and 5.5 games out of the final wild card spot in the American League, it might be time for New York to throw in the towel on what has been a disappointing season.
With a ton of solid veteran talent the team could use as bait, New York might end up being one of the most-active teams between now and the August 1st trade deadline.
According to George A. King III of the NY Post, the Yankees have had discussions with the Kansas City Royals about sending veteran outfielder Carlos Beltran back to his original team.
“The Royals and Yankees talked about a deal earlier this season involving Beltran and right-hander Luke Hochevar’s name was involved,” the report read.
We have no idea how recent these talks were, but the Royals themselves have also been in a tailspin recently, losing nine of their past 12 games. It remains to be seen whether the defending champs can still be considered buyers on the trade market.
Beltran, 39, is having somewhat of a resurgent season in the Bronx. He’s hitting .297 with 19 homers in 86 games and is coming off his ninth All-Star Game appearance.
If not Kansas City, there are surely going to be other contending teams looking to add someone of Beltran’s ilk to the mix. His former San Francisco Giants squad is one of those contenders in need of an upgrade in the outfield.
Though, it must be noted that the veteran has been limited to a DH role at times this season, an indication that his suitors might be limited to the American League.