The Yankees will be looking for help in free agency and I think I have found the three guys who would be good fits for them. Here is a look at who I think they should go after:

1. C.J. Wilson - Lefty starting pitcher C.J. Wilson would slot #2 in the Yankees’ rotation between C.C. Sabathia and Ivan Nova. The only thing that would concern me about Wilson and the Yankees, is that he hasn’t had a lot of success thus far in the post-season.

2. Paul Maholm - Lefty starting pitcher Paul Maholm would be a decent pitcher for the Yankees as their stadium favors lefty pitchers. He might not know what to do with all of the run support he would be getting in the Bronx.

3. Rick Ankiel - Lefty swinging outfielder Rick Ankiel can play all three outfield spots and he has a lot of power in his stick.

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 New York Yankees would like to add a starting pitcher, a lefty reliever and a big bat before the trade deadline. I think that they aren’t going to want to pay the price for a starting pitcher as the price is very high on them right now. With that in mind, I would call up the Chicago Cubs as they are ready to have a firesale. If the Yankees offered rookie 2B David Adams, infielder Ramiro Pena and righty reliever Lance Pendleton to the Cubs for lefty swinging 1B Carlos Pena, lefty reliever John Grabow and cash….I think a deal would get done between the two teams. For not giving up any top prospects (Adams is a decent one), I think the Yankees would have to pay most of the salary of Pena. Pena’s bat is perfect for Yankees’ stadium as he is a big time pull hitter. He would replace Jorge Posada as the full-time DH. Grabow would give the Yankees a situational lefty to work in front of Boone Logan. The Cubs would be able to shed some payroll, so this deal works for both teams.

In my mind the Yankees are going to go off at the trade deadline. They need a starting pitcher (preferably a lefty), some bullpen help and a legit DH (sorry Jorge). I see the Yankees trying to find teams that want to save some money and that’s the teams they will try to deal with. I could see package deals with the Pirates (Garrett Jones, Paul Maholm and Joe Beimel), Cubs (Alfonso Soriano, Kerry Wood and Carlos Zambrano or Ryan Dempster), Mets (Carlos Beltran, Francisco Rodriguez and Chris Capuano) or the Astros (Brett Myers or Wandy Rodriguez and Carlos Lee). I could also see the Yankees going after Francisco Liriano, Erik Bedard, Ted Lilly or Hiroki Kuroda. With the Astros desperate for a catcher, I see them being the best fit for the Yankees if they are going to make a big deal at the trade deadline. The Yankees aren’t good enough to win the A.L. East with the roster they have right now, so look for them to get some reinforcements next month.