The New York Yankees are looking for help in several areas via trade, and their ideal trading partners figure to be the Philadelphia Phillies. There are rumors linking them to outfielder Marlon Byrd, but they might also have their eyes on ace-caliber lefties Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee.
The Phillies are reportedly requesting a king's ransom in prospects for Hamels, which would probably preclude the Yankees since their farm system ranks near the bottom of MLB. Lee, however, is an older, riskier proposition whose salary can be absorbed by the Yanks.
Lee is owed $27.5 million next season, so any team interested in his services will need a significant portion of that eaten if the Phillies expect any young talent of value in return. Worsening Lee's value is a recent elbow injury that shelved him for two months; in his two starts since returning he's 0-2 with a 7.59 ERA and has allowed opponents to hit over .400. CBS' Jon Heyman has reported the Phillies aren't opposed to swallowing some of Lee's contract.
The pitching-needy Yankees aren't the team most mentioned regarding the Phillies aces though-the Cardinals and Dodgers have come up more regarding those two. The Cards are probably out after acquiring right-hander Justin Masterson from the Cleveland Indians, but the Dodgers could still be in the mix.
The issue with the Dodgers is GM Ned Colletti's refusal to part with Matt Kemp, or any of their top three prospects, especially Joc Pederson.
Because of the money owed to Lee, and the prospects necessary to obtain Hamels, it's more likely that those two stay put while Byrd winds up in pinstripes. He has hit .270 this year in Philly with 20 home runs and 70 RBI. He would provide the right-handed pop that the Yanks expected to get from the released Alfonso Soriano.
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