Deadline Rumors: Yankees asked the Cubs about Justin Ruggiano and Jake Arrieta

One team at a time, Brian Cashman is looking around the league at possible upgrades for his team with the trade deadline coming up on Thursday afternoon.

According to reports, the Yankees recently asked about Cubs right-hander Jake Arrieta, as well as outfielder Justin Ruggiano. The Cubs told Cashman that it would take a large offer to pry Arriet away from Chicago, and regarding Ruggiano, it was a simple no and that he's not on the market.

Ruggiano would have been a nice upgrade in right field for the Yankees, who simply can afford to have Ichiro Suzuki running out there anymore. The 32-year-old is hitting .293/.358/.449 with the Cubs this season after coming over from the Miami Marlins during the winter. He only has four homeruns this season, as he's showing far less power than he did a year ago when he hit 18 with Miami.

Ruggiano can play all three outfield spots, and is great against lefties. It's a shame that he's not on the market, because he would be a good upgrade in the lineup over Ichiro any day of the week.

As for Arrieta, he was traded to the Cubs last July in the trade that sent Scott Feldman to the Baltimore Orioles. A prospect with a high upside, Arrieta was a big disappointment for the O's, and the Cubs hoped that he was turn things around in their system.

The 28-year-old right-hander has a 2.18 ERA with a career-high 9.8 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 with the Cubs this season. Maybe it's that he's no longer pitching in the AL East, but Arriet has looked a lot better. It's because of those struggles that I wouldn't risk giving up a ton of talent for him, and think Cashman will be better off staying away from that deal.

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