Sports

Mets move unlikely, but Yankees may make minor deal

The trade deadline feels as if it is happening elsewhere. In Boston and Chicago, Los Angeles and Detroit, even Pittsburgh and Kansas City.

New York?

The Mets were all but certain to be inactive through today’s 4 p.m. deadline. Conversely, the Yankees were pushing to make a deal. It is in their DNA to do so. They have completed a trade on July 31 in nine of the past 10 years.

So the expectation is they will do something, even if it is just trying to turn Joba Chamberlain into a prospect — don’t laugh, Chamberlain has been throwing 94-97 mph and with his free agency looming as motivation a suitor could gamble that he is as good a bet to have 20-25 strong innings to close the season as anyone available.

The Yanks also would love to add a righty-hitting first-base type — or really offense in general since Yankees executives are insisting they have not given up on this season. Still, they are fourth in the AL East and just might recognize they have the fourth-most talent.

So how much will they be willing to give up to chase what coolstandings.com had yesterday as just a 1.3 percent chance to win the AL East and an 11.4 percent chance to even play in the one-and-possibly-done wild card?

In addition, the Yanks still are operating with the idea of getting under the $189 million luxury-tax threshold next year, so that severely curtails a desire to obtain anyone who is owed money beyond this season.

Lastly, they expect Curtis Granderson and perhaps even Alex Rodriguez back in the next week, and don’t want to have overlapping parts.

It points to more minor moves — as has been Brian Cashman’s general operating procedure at the deadline anyway — though they are the Yanks, so you never completely discount a major transaction.

Meanwhile, you could pretty much be assured the Mets will not be doing anything major.

One Mets official described “nibbles” on players, but nothing more serious. And the Mets have decided if they cannot obtain something they feel strongly about for their future, then why trade Marlon Byrd or Bobby Parnell. Outside executives have said the best the Mets could hope for on Byrd is an interested team’s 10th-15th-best prospect because the sport still eyes Byrd with suspicion since he was terrible last year, failed a PED test and has revived in his age-35 season out of nowhere.

As for Parnell, outside executives say the return for closers is just not that strong. One cited, for example, that for Jose Veras, Detroit gave Houston Danry Vazquez, an A-ball player generally viewed as a likely fourth outfielder.

With that being the case, the Mets are compelled to keep their cleanup hitter and closer and just try to win as much as possible this year to keep a good vibe with the team and try to sell more tickets.

So if not the Big Apple, where should you look for the big action? Here are a few clubs to watch:

RED SOX

They have been in an enviable position — with money and prospects. Which is why they were believed to be the lone team that could land Cliff Lee. But last night they acquired Jake Peavy in a three-way trade with the White Sox and Tigers. It gives Boston protection if Clay Buchholz does not return from his shoulder problems and makes the Red Sox all the more formidable if Buchholz does come back, perhaps by Sept. 1.

Perhaps the most intriguing part of the three-way trade was that Detroit ended up with Jose Iglesias from Boston and shipped outfield prospect Avisail Garcia to the White Sox. The Tigers have been anticipating losing their shortstop, Jhonny Peralta, to a Biogenesis-related suspension, so Iglesias is an instant replacement. And Iglesias was available because in Xander Bogaerts, Boston might have the best nearly major league ready shortstop in the minors.

PHILLIES

Speaking on the MLB Network, Phillies GM Ruben Amaro said there was “very little chance” Lee would be dealt. Outside executives had believed Boston was the only team that was emphasizing adding a starter who could absorb Lee’s remaining money — two years at $62.5 million after this season or three years at $77.5 million if a 2016 option triggers — and give up quality prospects.

One NL executive said the Red Sox’s top 10 prospects are as good a group as any organization has, going as far as to say that if Boston and Philadelphia formed to make one top-10 list, the Red Sox prospects would make up eight or nine of the slots. Now, the Phillies are not going to be able to delve into that group.

Amaro portrayed the Phillies as still trying to win this year, and unlikely to deal Lee or Michael Young. But Philadelphia broke from its go-for-it mode to trade Hunter Pence, Shane Victorino and Joe Blanton during last season. And the Phils seem in need of a youth infusion as much as the Yankees.

Young has let the Phillies know his strong first preference is to go back to Texas, would consider the Red Sox and might accept the Yankees. With the trade of Iglesias, who was playing third base, Boston could be even more interested in Young — or could possibly call up Will Middlebrooks or even Bogaerts to play third as Baltimore called up young shortstop Manny Machado to play third last year.

For the Phillies, Carlos Ruiz also could be on the move and could be of interest to the Yanks.

RANGERS

Texas was shut out in four of its first 13 games of the second half, accentuating an offensive free fall. And to make matters worse the Ranger homer leader, Nelson Cruz, could accept a Biogenesis-related suspension and be lost for the rest of the year. That is why Texas had been frantic trying to find bats, specifically outfield bats, with the Giants’ Pence and the White Sox’s Alex Rios of interest. But many teams are shopping at the same trough, including the Pirates.

ANGELS

They have raised the white flag, have moved Scott Downs (to the Braves) and Alberto Callaspo (to the A’s) already and were still shopping infielders Howie Kendrick and Erick Aybar. In return, the Angels want starting pitchers they can control past this year and were looking at Arizona’s Ian Kennedy, who is from Huntington Beach, Calif. and attended USC.

But now Arizona might hold onto Kennedy because it was hoping to clear payroll space to go after Peavy, who also interested the Cardinals and A’s before he was shipped to Boston.

Teams that had been concerned about paying the premium for Lee or Peavy — the Orioles, for example — are looking into Houston’s Bud Norris, who like Peavy was pulled from a scheduled start yesterday to avoid potential injury before a trade can be finalized.