New York Yankees

Anything that doesn't involve LeBron James in sports talk right now has my attention and the Cliff Lee rumors are at the top of that list.

Though it isn't the magnitude of the 1919 World Series, we have a very odd situation brewing in Seattle tonight, and it isn't their coffee.

Cliff Lee is rumored to be headed to the Bronx for Yankees prospect catcher Jesus Montero and possibly second base prospect David Adams as well.

The problem? Cliff Lee faces the New York Yankees tonight.

"Hey Alex, here comes a fastball middle-in, see if you can hit it!"

When Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano received an invitation to participate in this years Home Run Derby, the All-Star was surprised and excited.

He did not think twice about it. Cano accepted the invitation and had every intention of participating. Then the Yankees stepped in. The problem however is that it seems the Yankees stepped in without Cano knowing.

The other day, the Yankees got bad bullpen news when Alfredo Aceves suffered a setback. Today they get some more, as Nick Johnson felt pain in his wrist while taking batting practice. He is being sent back to New York for further tests; this could mean the end of his season.

Nick Swisher narrowly won the Final Vote over Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis and will be on the 2010 American League All-Star Team.

Swisher made a big push on Twitter today using #SendSwish to get followers to choose him. He also gave his fans a big thanks after it was announced that he’d be playing in the midsummer classic.

Mike Axisa of River Ave Blues came up with a crazy idea for a trade that I don’t think is so crazy: Javier Vazquez to the Phillies for Jayson Werth . Furthermore, the trade would open up a spot in the rotation for the Yankees to land Cliff Lee .

The Yankees have targeted the bench as their area of weakness, but they continue to monitor the Cliff Lee trade talks just in case he falls to within their asking range.

So far, according to Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated , the Mariners have asked for minor league catcher Jesus Montero plus two other prospects for Lee.

After we analyzed the National League earlier in the week, now it’s time to take a look at the American League. We will start with the powerhouses in the American League East.

When it comes to the July 31st trade deadline, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox are usually “in” on all the top trade candidates. This year should be no different. The Tampa Bay Rays will be active this trade season as well.

Here are the trade deadline needs of the Yankees, Red Sox, and Rays…

After a miserable June, A.J. Burnett has apparently returned to form.

Burnett limited Oakland to two runs over seven innings as New York topped Oakland, 6-2, Wednesday night at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

These rankings are based on a 300 point system, 150 for offensive production and 150 for pitching production. 30 points (one point for each team) is the highest total any team can receive in a given category. For instance, if the Rays lead the league in HR’s, they will get 30 points for that category.

The five offensive categories used:HR’s, RBI, Runs, Average, and SB’s

The five pitching categories used:

Most people make way too big a deal about the drop-off players experience after participating in the Home Run Derby. It’s more likely statistical regression than anything else.

Nevertheless, Yankee coaches did not want Robinson Cano participating in this year’s Home Run Derby, and it looks like they are getting their way.