Yankees, Blue Jays, and Red Sox could battle for Astros World Series champion, says ESPN’s Jeff Passan

Around the American League East, we definitely see some of the better teams in Major League Baseball. 

The New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, and Boston Red Sox, when things are going as planned, are typically among the top teams in the American League. Over the last year, the Yankees and Blue Jays have definitely been better than the Red Sox, but that doesn't mean the Red Sox won't add at this year's trade deadline, which could mean these teams are even battling off the field this summer.

According to the latest report from ESPN's Jeff Passan, we could see a battle for Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena.

“Replenishing a bad farm system with few players close to the big leagues takes a move like trading Pena, and the only question at this point is whether it will be before Aug. 3 or before the Dec. 1 lockout. No longer are the Astros in the position they were when they held onto George Springer, Carlos Correa and Alex Bregman all the way to free agency. 

“This is a Kyle Tucker situation -- only now the Astros aren't good, either, which could precipitate moving their shortstop before the deadline. The one potential drawback from Houston's perspective: There aren't a whole lot of contenders in the market for a shortstop, and it might make more sense to wait until the winter,” Jeff Passan wrote.

There's reason to believe that all of these teams could use Pena. The Red Sox have been searching for an infielder since losing Alex Bregman in the offseason, the Yankees have to replace Anthony Volpe at some point, and the Blue Jays allowed Bo Bichette to walk this winter. 

I'd love to see these three teams go at it to add one of the better shortstops in baseball, as it would be very exciting to see what's going on behind the scenes.

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• One team is already off the Red Sox’s list for an Aroldis Chapman trade