As the New York Yankees get set to face the Reds in a short two-game set, trade rumors have the Yankees as the favorites in the Sonny Gray sweepstakes.

Good morning, New York Yankees family! We find ourselves just under a week shy of the July 31 trade deadline and the rumor mill is really starting to heat up.

As of this morning, the New York Yankees own the top Wild Card spot and are a mere two games behind the Boston Red Sox for first place in the American League East, boasting a 6-3 record against their bitter rivals this season with 10 post-deadline games remaining against them.

With that in mind, New York Post’s Joel Sherman reported that the Yankees continue to be the leaders to acquire the services of Oakland Athletics’ right-hander Sonny Gray. The other teams in the mix for the young, controllable righty are said to be the Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers and Atlanta Braves.

Sherman went on to add that the Brewers have fallen back in their pursuit of Gray, saying that the Tigers scouts have been in attendance at the minor league level for a potential Justin Verlander or Justin Wilson trade.

Many wonder if a package highlighted by Jorge Mateo would be enough for the A’s to pull the trigger on a deal for their ace Gray, who is 6-4 with a 3.66 ERA in 15 starts this season. However, that’s the fun part of the last week of July: everyone has to wait and wonder in anxious anticipation until that magical 4 P.M. deadline hits.

Yu Talk, We Listen

If the Yankees fail to land Gray, there are a couple other names that could put the Yanks in a powerful playoff push, namely Yu Darvish.

Although Texas considers themselves in contention for that second Wild Card spot, a rough stretch this week could put the Texas Rangers in a position to sell. If that ends up being the case, they will undoubtedly have a myriad of pursuers for their own ace.

Our very own Daniel Federico reported yesterday that a source close to the situation confirmed that Rangers scouts were spotted at Double-A Trenton last night, with a serious focus on the aforementioned Mateo. But, if Mateo doesn’t aptly fit the bill for the A’s and Gray, I just don’t see how it would be enough for Darvish.

However, both names present problems in the health department, as both guys have spent more than their fair share of time on the Disabled List. Gray is younger (27 years old) and has two more years of control on his contract following this season. Darvish (31 years old) is set to become a free agent at season’s end, but would have to consider any team that ships off a haul of prospects to acquire him as a team certainly interested in adding him on long-term.

Whether it be Gray or Darvish, it sounds like the Yankees are not done adding to their roster and not giving up on the chances of a deep run into October.

That’s all from Yankee Universe for now. But, make sure you keep it tuned in right here for all of your New York Yankees news and up-to-the-minute trade info.