MLB

If Phillies deal Werth, Yankees could be interested

SEATTLE — According to several sources, the Phillies have been informed by the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays that they will be interested in outfielder Jayson Werth if the defending NL champions put him on the market later this month.

The right-handed hitting Werth is a free agent following the season and should the Phillies fall out of the NL East race before the July 31 trade deadline they will shop him.

“He is the piece for all those teams,” said a person not affiliated with any of the four teams involved.

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Don’t expect the Phillies to give Werth away. Nor are they willing to take on a veteran making significant money. It will take a better than average prospect to land Werth.

Yankees special advisor Reggie Jackson has a relationship with Werth’s family, and if he is dealt to the Yankees that could be the first step in Werth signing a long-term deal.

Werth, 31, is making $7.5 million this year and is batting .277 with 13 homers and 48 RBIs.

Werth could be used in left field, right field and as a DH.

In other trade developments, the Yankees have Baltimore infielder Ty Wigginton on their radar. Manager Joe Girardi will spend two days at the All-Star Game with the versatile right-handed bat.

With the prospects of reliever Alfredo Aceves (back) not returning this year getting smaller and Chan Ho Park struggling, the Yankees are monitoring what the A’s do with Michael Wuertz, a right-handed, slider-throwing freak.

The A’s aren’t hot to deal him but if they do, the Yankees and other teams will be interested.

Sergio Mitre is scheduled for another minor league rehab outing and the Yankees will decide if he needs a third or is ready to help in the pen.

Nick Swisher was jumping out of his skin over being named the final player on the AL All-Star team yesterday.

Swisher received almost 9.8 million votes in the on-line balloting. He is the eighth Yankee to be named to the team.

“It’s going to be great to be there, I am juiced,” said Swisher, whose first call was to his father, Steve, a one-time All-Star in his playing days. “I am excited, a father and son combo is really cool. He was proud of me. One of the greatest things is your dad saying he is proud of you.”

Swisher made no attempt to hide his feelings about becoming an All-Star.

“I felt like a politician the last four days,” Swisher said. “I am glad it’s over but it was exciting.”

Swisher celebrated by going 4-for-4 in last night’s 3-1 victory over the Mariners.

Nick Johnson is experiencing discomfort in his surgically repaired right wrist when swinging a bat.

“Still sore when swinging,” Johnson reported via text yesterday. Johnson is back in New York working on a rehab program after being in Tampa where he was swinging a fungo bat.

Asked if he experienced a setback, Johnson said, “It’s a little early” to call it that.

Nevertheless, Girardi labeled it just that.

“It’s a setback, he felt pain when he was swinging,” Girardi said of Johnson, who will be examined by Dr. Chris Ahmad.

Outside of delaying a possible return, the setback didn’t cause much of a ripple.

“I had no expectations because [the surgery] is very difficult,” Girardi said.

Johnson, the DH, has been out since early May.

Alex Rodriguez was the DH last night against lefty Jason Vargas. It was the eighth time this year Rodriguez was the DH, and Girardi said there is a possibility he could DH again before the All-Star break.

“We talked the first day in Oakland and I told him I was leaning toward Thursday,” said Girardi, who played Ramiro Pena at third.

Derek Jeter ended a 0-for-17 dive with runners in scoring position with an RBI single in the fourth inning Wednesday night when he went 2-for-5 overall.

Jeter started last night’s action in a 6-for-27 (.222) skid.

Getting Joba Chamberlain more consistent would certainly help the Yankees’ late-game bullpen. And while it’s a very small sample, Chamberlain dominated in his last two games.

The fastballs were clocked in the high 90s and the slider had a lot of bite thanks to him finishing pitches out in front instead of cutting them short by coming across his body.

He worked the ninth inning with the Yankees leading, 6-2, and hit 98 twice on the radar gun Wednesday night.