What exactly does "quietly interested" mean? Well, then again you want to know why we ask. We ask because the New York Yankees are "quietly interested" in free-agent center fielder Michael Bourn, according to a recent report from Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.

Does "quietly interested" mean you are meeting in shady places and discussing a deal while hoping nobody finds out? Does it mean the Yankees are just watching, waiting and seeing if the market for the speedy 29-year-old center fielder continues to be barren, hoping the price will drop to a point where the pauper Steinbrenners might be able to make a bid? Does it mean Bourn's agent is simply floating 'Bourn to the Yankees' rumors to drum up some interest in his client?

We don't know any of that?

We don't even know if the Yankees are really interested in Bourn, and if they are where or how he fits into their outfield. He is a left-handed hitter who really is a carbon copy of Brett Gardner. He has six straight seasons of 40+ stolen bases and a .272/.339/.365 career slash line. Gardner's, incidentally, is .266/.365/.368 with 40+ stolen bases in 2010 and 2011, his last two full seasons. Bourn also hits left-handed, as do Gardner, Curtis Granderson and the recently-resigned Ichiro Suzuki.

So, unless the Yankees trade Granderson what would they do with Bourn. And can you actually see the Yankees filling our their lineup with a trio of speedy, slap hitters? I can't, so this seems like a very odd rumor.

Yankees “quietly interested” in Michael Bourn? | It's About The Money

Rumor: Yankees believed to be quietly interested in Michael Bourn | Bronx Baseball Daily