Yankees could target deal with D-Backs for J.J. Putz

The Yankees have a few more moves they need to make before gathering in Tampa for Spring Training in mid-February, and their to-do list still includes acquiring another bullpen arm after losing to the Detroit Tigers and Mariano Rivera, who retired this offseason.

As FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal points out, the Arizona Diamondbacks might be willing to trade reliever J.J. Putz after the team's recent addition of former Chicago White Sox closer Addison Reed.

Putz is owed $7 million next season, and Rosenthal says they would likely need to make a move that brings them something worth, or near, Putz's value in 2014, and the Yankees' Ichiro Suzuki could be a good fit, assuming the Yankees want to trade Ichiro, and if he's willing to accept a lesser role in Arizona.

A trade like that between the teams would make quite a lot of sense. The D-Backs could be looking to add another outfielder after trading away Adam Eaton, and the Yanks would be able to patch up one of their bullpen openings by adding the 37-year-old Putz. He was the 20th best reliever over the past three seasons in terms of WAR (Wins Above Replacement) with a 3.2. But 2013 wasn't a great year for him, with a War of 0.1.

The Yankees' trade for Ichiro a couple years ago was worth it at the time, but signing him to a two-year deal last offseason was too much. Ichiro had a terrible 2013 season, hitting .262/.297/.342, the worst batting average of his major league career. And now they could be stuck with him for noe more season.

If the Yankees kept him for the upcoming season, he'd most likely be the team's fifth outfielder behind Jacoby Ellsbury, Brett Gardner, Carlos Beltran and Alfonso Soriano.

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