As the trade deadline approaches, teams are going to be pulling the trigger on deals that could have an impact on the rest of the season.
The American League East is always one of the most competitive divisions. Meanwhile, the Chicago Cubs have put Kosuke Fukudome on the trade market. The outfielder has a no-trade clause and said he is willing to waive it for the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.
Recently, the Cubs approached Theo Epstein and the Red Sox according to Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com . The Red Sox may need the Cubs’ outfielder more than the Yankees. They have Jacoby Ellsbury, Mike Cameron, and Josh Willingham all on the DL., which gives them two ways to go. Their first route could be to go with a farm-bred player from their minor league system. Daniel Nava looks like an attractive option, but there are other young players that they can go with.
The Yankees are the other team that Fukudome would like to be traded to. Their outfield did not look solid at the beginning of the season, but right now it is looking like one of the finest.
Gardner has picked it up since the start of the season and is currently on fire. Granderson has been a nice addition to the line-up since he arrived and since he returned from the DL. Nick Swisher is looking like an All-Star outfielder and has come up clutch for the Yankees.
No matter how tempting a deal for Fukudome may seem, Brian Cashman should not make the deal. Fukudome’s numbers show that he is better before the All-Star break than afterwards. This is not good news for a team in contention for a play-off spot.
The pitching in the American League is also a step up than the pitching in the National League. This could also lead to a dip in Fukudome’s numbers coming from the Chicago Cubs.
Fukudome also comes with a hefty contract worth $21 million through 2011. The Yankees may want to keep their wallet a bit light for Carl Crawford’s possible free-agency. The Yankees may not want to give up a big prospect or too much money for Fukudome. The addition of Kosuke could harm the Yankees’ chances at Crawford.
The Nationals may seem like Fukudome’s best bet, even though they are on the no-trade list. Believe it or not, Fukudome may help Washington’s rebuilding process and add a nice veteran to the team. In the end, the image of Fukudome in pinstripes does not bode well in the mind of many Yankee fans. Maybe a cursive “w” looks better, as such was the case with Chien-Ming Wang.
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