I think the Yankees will be hunting for a starting pitcher to slot at the back end of the starting rotation. Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon are ancient and can break down at any time now, but they have pitched well this year. Phil Hughes has been awful this year and he can’t be counted on. Now, the Yankees have Ivan Nova stashed at AAA, but they might need another starter. I think the Yankees should be thinking about a lefty starter as they might be able to get one cheap. Bruce Chen (Royals), Jeff Francis (Royals), Erik Bedard (Mariners), Jason Vargas (Mariners) and Ted Lilly (Dodgers) all would make sense. Lilly makes a lot of cash so he might not make the most sense here. Bedard is brittle, so I don’t think I would go with him either. That leaves Vargas, Chen and Francis. Vargas would be the most expensive prospect wise, but he’s probably the best of this bunch. I do think Bruce Chen would be a solid fit for the Yankees and he would only cost them a pitching prospect or two. I think the Yankees could use another lefty for the rotation to negate lefty swingers at Yankee Stadium.

It’s time for the Yankees to get a real DH instead of using Jorge Posada there. Posada has played in 80 games for the Yankees so far this year and he is 56 for 250 (.224 avg, .683 OPS) with 22 runs scored, 9 homers and 29 RBIs. I look for the Yankees to be in for big bats like Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Pena, Ryan Ludwick and Josh Willingham. With the Cubs likely picking up most if not all of Soriano’s remaining contract, he might make the most sense. The Cubs would probably jump at an offer of a minor prospect plus Hector Noesi for Soriano…it that’s the case….the Yankees should bring him back to the Bronx. The price is going to be much higher for Pena, Ludwick or Willingham. Willingham has a huge injury history (his back), so the Yanks should be careful with him. The price for Ludwick will be high as he is ripping the ball playing his home games in a terrible park for hitters. Carlos Pena’s swing would be perfect for Yankee Stadium but the price would be high for him unless the Yankees picked up the tab. Jorge Posada just can’t cut it anymore and Soriano, Willingham, Ludwick or Pena would be a huge upgrade on him.

The Yankees have signed 34-year old righty swinging outfielder Marcus Thames to a minor league deal. Thames played in 36 games for the Dodgers earlier this year and he was 13 for 66 (.197 avg, .576 OPS) with 4 runs scored, 2 homers and 7 RBIs. Thames played in 82 games for the Yankees last year and he was 61 for 212 (.288 avg, .841 OPS) with 22 runs scored, 12 homers and 33 RBIs. Thames has now played in 640 games in his first 10 years in the majors and he is 450 for 1,827 (.246 avg, .794 OPS) with 256 runs scored, 115 homers, 301 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. If Thames gets off to a good start in the minors, he will likely get called up quickly by the Yankees.

The Yankees have released 28-year old righty starter/reliever Alan Horne. Horne pitched in 7 games (1 start) in AA-ball this year and he was 0-2 with 2 saves, a 12.79 ERA and a 2.32 WHIP. He walked 13 batters in only 6 1/3 innings in the minors this year, so his release should come as little surprise. Horne has now pitched in 87 games (77 starts) in his first six years in the minors and he was 24-23 with 2 saves, a 4.82 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP. This is no loss for the Yankees.

28-year old righty reliever Cory Wade is looking pretty good for the Yankees right now. He has pitched in 12 games (0 starts) for the Yankees so far this year and he is 1-0 with a 1.32 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP. Wade has only given up 9 hits while whiffing 11 batters in his first 13 2/3 innings for the Yankees. The Yankees pretty much stole Wade from the Rays, as he was pitching very well for them in AAA but they never called him up. Give GM Brian Cashman kudos for helping his own team while hurting the Rays at the same time.