Yankees get 'good news' from ESPN insider on pursuit of Eugenio Suárez

There are a lot of people out there who really want to see Eugenio Suárez in pinstripes.

The New York Yankees need a third baseman, and Suárez, in the final year of his contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks, might be the best player at the position right now. He's leading the National League with 36 home runs, and his .924 OPS is eighth-best in the sport.

There will be at least a handful of other teams bidding on Suárez, assuming the 50-52 Diamondbacks make him available. That seems more likely by the day, as Arizona sits 5 1/2 games out of Wild Card position at the time of publication.

So the Yankees need an edge in the negotiations if they want to win the battle for Suárez. And according to ESPN's Jeff Passan, they have one.

On Wednesday, Passan asserted that the Yankees' deep minor-league pitching stable should help provide exactly what the Diamondbacks are looking for in a potential swap.

"The good news for the Yankees is that they line up very well with what the Arizona Diamondbacks are seeking as they consider moving Suárez, the most coveted player on the market. New York's ability to develop starting pitchers with excellent minor league numbers is near unmatched in the industry," wrote Passan.

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"What worries some front offices is the rarity with which those arms have turned into quality big leaguers. Still, it's the sort of thing that allows the Yankees to rebuff interest in Spencer Jones, who has been the hottest hitter in the minor leagues since his promotion to Triple-A and looks like an impactful bat despite his strikeout issues."

Arms like Cam Schlittler, Ben Hess, Carlos Lagrange, Bryce Cunningham, and Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz all have to be considered strong candidates to be moved, though perhaps Schlittler will be spared because the Yankees need him in the rotation right now.

It's hard to doubt the Yankees' ability to land Suárez if they really want him. That makes the real question whether some other team out there might want him more.

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