Toronto left-hander Scott Downs is one of the top relief pitchers on the trade market, and apparently the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox both want him.
John Morosi of Fox Sports commented on his Twitter page Sunday saying that the competition to land the lefty remains “fierce” while adding that the Red Sox and Yankees are leading the sweepstakes, but also noted that the Mets, Reds and Twins have all shown interest as well.
Both the Red Sox and the Yankees would love to add a reliever like Downs (who wouldn’t, really?), but early indications are making it look like acquiring Downs won’t be easy.
ESPN’s Buster Olney reported on his Twitter that so far the Blue Jays have "… asked for high-end return for Downs because they think they should be compensated for the fact that he could be a Type A free agent.
After the fruitless Cliff Lee and Dan Haren speculation, I am a little tired of hearing the Yankees called ‘front-runners’ or ‘leaders’ in the discussion to acquire players. There is really no such thing as a leader — there is the team that gets the player, then there is everyone else.
That said, I would love to see the Yankees acquire Downs. He is having an exceptional season, holding lefty hitters to a .189 batting average. Beyond that, he has been a quality pitcher for several seasons, and the Yankees unquestionably could use some late-inning bullpen help.
Just, please, no more ‘front-runner’ talk.