No, not Roger Bannister. Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star reports that the Yankees are looking at Royals starter Brian Bannister as an alternative to Jarrod Washburn, if that deal falls through. He mentions Melky as the prime chip on the Yankees side in such a deal.

Bannister is 27 years old and had his rookie season in 2007. It was an impressive campaign where he went 12-9 with a 3.87 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and .249 BAA in 165 innings over 27 starts (a little over 6 innings a start).

However, much has gone wrong for Bannister in '08. In 21 starts, he is 7-9 with a 5.40 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and .284 BAA. July has been the worst month of all, as he is 0-2 with an 8.10/1.65/.321 line in 4 starts. Of course, it's not like Melky's smoking the ball, either. Could a change of scenery give Bannister a boost?

As an aside, the article also has this:

The Yankees, like several teams, previously contacted the Royals regarding pitcher Zack Greinke. One major-league source said New York had offered Cabrera and second baseman Robinson Cano in exchange for Greinke and a position player thought to be outfielder Mark Teahen.

Via Peter Abraham.