I ran across this little tidbit in the Newark Star-Ledger, and it gave me a chuckle. It's a piece on what to expect from the Yankees in the second half, and among the items discussed is a list of "Three Guys Who Could Soon Be Yankees," among them, Ken Griffey Jr., A.J. Burnett, and...

Cubs center fielder Corey Patterson, who has fallen out of favor in Chicago but can at least catch the ball.

And who has, if this article can be believed, fallen so out of favor that the Cubs are willing to deal him for an "Official Brooklyn Bridge Certificate of Ownership."

I don't doubt that the Cubs will be interested in dealing Patterson at some point in the future, but for it to be the near future, there are two conditions that have to be met:

1. Patterson must perform well enough to raise his value significantly
2. A partner with something worth having, who is willing to part with it, must be found

I honestly doubt that condition the first can be met by the end of the month, and even if it was, the Yankees are a long way from meeting condition the second.

Not that they wouldn't be willing to part with something of value, if they had it, but there's simply nothing I can see in their organization that the Cubs would want or need without venturing into the territory of the ludicrous ("Sure, you can have Corey. That'll be one Blue-Lipped Wonder, please.").

I have no idea how much longer Corey Patterson will be a Cub, or where he will go if he departs, but there's one thing I'm certain about: he won't be a Yankee this year.