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New York Yankees turned down trade for Ben Zobrist, per Brian Cashman

By Michael Natelli

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New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told reporters on Tuesday night that the club turned down a trade that would’ve sent Rob Refsnyder and Adam Warren to the Oakland Athletics for utility man Ben Zobrist. Zobrist ultimately went to the Kansas City Royals, while the Yankees were left using an inexperienced Refsnyder at second on Tuesday night and benched struggling Jacoby Ellsbury in favor of Chris Young in center field.

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This is the second time big trade news regarding the Yankees has come around since the deadline, as it was also reported this season that the club had an offer on the table to bring Craig Kimbrel to New York in a deal for top shortstop prospect Jorge Mateo. While hindsight is 20/20, one would think having Kimbrel and Zobrist in the fold could’ve gone a long way towards helping New York fend off the Blue Jays down the stretch and hang onto the American League East division title.

That being said, Ellsbury is just one of many Yankees either past their prime or set to enter that phase of their career. So having younger players like Mateo, Refsnyder and Warren will go a long way towards keeping the club competitive in future seasons as the Blue Jays continue to thrive and the Red Sox figure to turn things around. That being said, the loss on Tuesday night allows New York to turn its attention to the offseason, where Cashman may look to bring Kimbrel, Zobrist or a slew of other big names to town to keep the Yankees competitive in the short-term.

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