By Tim Kelly, Sports Talk Philly editor 
However hot the trade market can be for a 36-year-old righty specialist that is an impending free-agent, that's how hot it is for Philadelphia Phillies reliever Pat Neshek.
A day after noting that the Tampa Bay Rays had been linked to Philadelphia Phillies reliever Pat Neshek, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports added the New York Yankees and Milwaukee Brewers to the list of teams in on the National League All-Star:
Sources: #Brewers, #Rays, #Yankees among the many teams in mix for #Phillies' Neshek. Talks fluid. No clear leader.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 18, 2017
Yesterday, I wondered how seriously interested the Rays would be in Neshek when their biggest need seemed to be a lefty specialist, but this is a more definitive report of interest from Rosenthal. ESPN's Jerry Crasnick also reported Tuesday that while the Rays are very interested in adding a left-handed reliever, they do also have interest in adding a 'veteran righty.' Neshek would seem to fit that mold well, and because he's a free-agent at the end of the season, wouldn't be too much to take on for the small-market Rays.
This isn't the first time that the Yankees have been linked to Neshek, as Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe reported earlier this month that the Yankees, Kansas City Royals and Boston Red Sox were all scouting Neshek. If the Yankees hope to make the American League playoffs, and then compete with deep bullpens like the Cleveland Indians, they first need Aroldis Chapman and Dellin Betances to pitch as well as they are capable of. Adding someone like Neshek to those two, if they pitch like they were expected to entering the season, would give the Yankees a potentially dominant bullpen.
Cafardo wasn't the only person to report on the Red Sox' interest in Neshek, as Rob Bradford of WEEI Sports Radio reported that the team has 'keen' interest in Neshek. Adding someone with as much playoff experience as Neshek to a bullpen that already includes Craig Kimbrel and Joe Kelly would make the Red Sox one of the winners of the non-waiver trade deadline.
Rosenthal is the first person to connect the Milwaukee Brewers to Neshek. Neshek was an All-Star in 2014 while pitching for the St. Louis Cardinals, so he's very familiar with the National League Central. As the Phillies found out this past weekend, the Brewers can really hit, and adding Neshek to a bullpen where Corey Knebel and Jared Hughes are having strong seasons would be a good addition for the team. They are also a team relatively thin on playoff experience, making the idea of adding Neshek even more enticing.
The Washington Nationals, who Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reported yesterday continue to look for bullpen help, have also been linked to Neshek by Rosenthal.
After being acquired from the Houston Astros this past offseason, Neshek is having the finest season of his career. In 40 games, he's posted a 1.21 ERA, a 2.10 FIP and a 3.31 xFIP (per FanGraphs).
The MLB's non-waiver trade deadline is July 31.
