D-backs hear from Yanks on Drury, Corbin

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The rumor mill surrounding the D-backs at the Winter Meetings appears to be heating up, but whether that adds up to a deal before teams head home Thursday afternoon remains to be seen.
"It's hard to say still," D-backs GM Mike Hazen said. "Things can go pretty quickly. I think for the volume of conversation that we've had, something could happen quickly if it came together, but we're not anticipating that right now."
A free-agent signing seems more likely than a trade before Thursday given that the D-backs currently have offers out to relief pitchers.
The D-backs are still in the mix for trades, with rumors involving them picking up Wednesday.
In addition to talking to the Yankees about lefty Patrick Corbin, the two teams have also discussed infielder Brandon Drury, according to a New York Post report confirmed by MLB.com.
According to a source, the D-backs have also been engaged by more than just the Rangers about ace pitcher Zack Greinke, though it doesn't seem like those discussions have had a lot of traction.
Moving Greinke and the $138.5 million that he's still owed through 2021 would free up payroll to make other moves, but the D-backs are not looking to simply dump salary, and they are hesitant to part with their ace as they plan on contending in '18.

The prospect of moving Greinke is even less attractive if they have to eat some of the contract or take on another large contract in return. Moving Corbin and/or Drury would seem like a much easier proposition.
Corbin is in his final year of salary arbitration, and he will likely make around $8 million in 2018 before hitting free agency. If the D-backs could save that money by trading him, they could free up some funds to fill other needs in the bullpen, behind the plate or in the outfield.
D-backs general manager Mike Hazen said Tuesday that while he was possibly open to trading one of his starters, he would want to know that he had a clear path toward acquiring a replacement.
Dealing Drury would make sense, given the D-backs' surplus of middle infielders, which includes Ketel Marte, Chris Owings, Nick Ahmed and Daniel Descalso.
Given Drury's age (25) and the fact that he is not yet eligible for arbitration, he is an attractive player to a number of teams, and the D-backs have fielded numerous inquiries about him.