Yankees show interest in Bradley, remain in touch with Abreu

A couple of news items from Ken Rosenthal in his latest column.

According to the FoxSports.com writer, the Cubs are confident they'll sign Milton Bradley, but the Yankees, among others, remain interested. Bradley hit .321 with 22 home runs and 77 RBI for the Texas Rangers last year and served as the team's primary designated hitter. His .999 OPS was very nice as well.

If the Yankees can trade Hideki Matsui - they'll likely have to eat some salary - Bradley could be a nice option if talks with the Cubs fall through.

Meanwhile, Rosenthal said Bobby Abreu remains in touch with the Yankees and should be encouraged by the three-year deal Raul Ibanez signed because Abreu is younger and more productive than Ibanez has been.

What to watch for

Now that the season is essentially over, there are still Yankee-related items to pay attention to. Sports is still entertainment, right?

• For starters (see what I did there?), Mike Mussina has 16 wins thus far. He has never won 20 games in his career and needs to get rid of at least one of the "almosts" in his career. He has two seasons of 19 wins and three seasons of 18 wins. Mussina will start tonight and should have six starts in September if the Yankees stay on normal rotation.
  

• Derek Jeter has 2504 career hits, all obviously occurring in a Yankees uniform. The great Babe Ruth has 2518 career hits as a Yankee. Jeter has been rather hot lately, so look for him to pass Ruth soon.

• Johnny Damon ranks sixth in the American League in batting average. He trails leader Milton Bradley by .010 points (.323 to .313).
  
  
• Alex Rodriguez has 28 home runs and 79 RBI. He has not had a season under 35 home runs and 100 RBI since 1997 when he played in 141 games. Rodriguez spent time on the disabled list this season and can only play in 142 games this season, also his lowest number of games played since 1997.
  
  
• This can be the last go-around for players such as Jason Giambi, Bobby Abreu, fan-favorite Carl Pavano and Andy Pettitte. All are free agents (Giambi has a $22 million option or a $5 million buyout and Pavano has a $13 million club option as part of their contracts) and I doubt the Yankees will bring any of them back. If they do re-sign Abreu or Pettitte, it will certainly be for much less, as both are making $16 million this season.

Did I forget anything? Are these stories compelling enough to keep you watching? Let's hear it in the comments.