New York Yankees Trade Rumors: Jose Quintana, Zack Cozart, Greg Bird Make News

New York Yankees trade rumors mention names like Jose Quintana and Zack Cozart as the team winds down Spring Training 2017. Additional Yankees news has come in about Greg Bird, who has received a lot of attention from fans and the media during Grapefruit League action. With an eye on competing in the short-term, these latest Yankees trade rumors aren’t as surprising as they may have been last year.

A report by MLB analyst Jim Bowden expressed that the asking price from the Chicago White Sox is still quite high for starting pitcher Jose Quintana. This is not surprising, as the Washington Nationals paid a lot to acquire outfielder Adam Eaton and the Boston Red Sox paid a hefty price for starting pitcher Chris Sale. Looking at it from that angle, any team mentioned in the Quintana sweepstakes should expect to pay a lot for the All-Star pitcher.

Another report by baseball analyst Jeff Passon confirmed the Chicago White Sox trade rumors, as the team patiently waits for another franchise to overpay for Quintana. So which team is willing to ship out what has been described as a “boatload of prospects” in order to get a top-tier starting pitcher? Teams still getting mentioned as possible destinations for Quintana include the New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, Atlanta Braves, and Houston Astros. Several other teams are on the peripheral hoping the price goes down.

These also aren’t the only New York Yankees trade rumors, as the team is getting linked to Cincinnati Reds shortstop Zack Cozart. A New York Post report states that the Reds contacted the Yankees as soon as news about the Didi Gregorius injury became public knowledge. The Detroit Tigers did the same with shortstop Jose Iglesias, just to see if the Yankees had interest. Both offers were reportedly rejected on the spot due to the salaries of Cozart and Iglesias. It appears that the Yankees would rather find an option that would allow Gregorius to take back the position soon.

Regarding the Didi Gregorius injury, there are a lot of questions about who will play shortstop for the Yankees. Possibilities include Tyler Wade, Starlin Castro, Ronald Torreyes, Pete Kozma, Rob Refsnyder, and Ruben Tejada. It wasn’t expected that Refsynder would even start out as a member of the 25-man roster in New York this year, but with Gregorius heading to the disabled list, his odds just got better. As for the most realistic option at shortstop, that might simply be Castro, as he played there often as a member of the Chicago Cubs.

As for the New York Yankees rumors about who is going to play first base during the 2017 MLB season, that was just answered by manager Joe Girardi. While there was some competition coming into Spring Training, Greg Bird’s stats have won him the Opening Day job. In his first 17 games this spring, Bird went 18-for-41 at the plate for a 0.439 batting average. That includes six home runs, 11 RBIs, six doubles, a triple, and nine runs scored. He also has six walks to his credit. This has caused a lot of fantasy baseball owners to take notice.

The Yankees’ Spring Training stats have been impressive from other young players as well, giving fans a lot of hope that this team is ready to make a run at another American League East title. Shortstop Gleyber Torres has posted a 0.448 batting average with nine RBIs, while catcher Gary Sanchez has a 0.475 batting average, four home runs, and 13 RBIs on his stat line. Even Clint Frazier has been impressive with a 0.316 batting average through 19 games, most of which he played center field.

While the Yankees may be set at first base and control a number of options to play shortstop, the team still has a lot of questions in the starting rotation. Most of the Jose Quintana rumors have suggested that New York would have to give up Gleyber Torres as part of any deal to get the All-Star. That might be a price that the front office of the Yankees is unwilling to pay. As the Chicago White Sox continue to play the “waiting game” for significant offers to come in, the asking price might need to come down before fans put stock in these New York Yankees trade rumors.

[Featured Image by Andy Marlin/Getty Images]