It hasn't been a good week for Alex Rodriguez, who endured a three-error game, a four-strikeout performance, cost the Yankees a game Thursday with a bad throw home and took a lot of heat from the press for being seen sunbathing in Central Park on a very hot day before a night game. Now there is buzz on ESPN that the Yankees should deal A-Rod, though it's doubtful there would be a taker unless the Yankees paid a large share of his salary. The thought of New York being a seller is an interesting notion, however, even though the Yankees could only be a buyer in the final days of July under George Steinbrenner. Of course, the Yankees could trade with the idea of changing the dynamics and team makeup, rather than bailing on the 2006 season. With Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield out and the rotation not particularly strong, New York has plenty of needs right now. Keep in mind that this is an old team that has drained its farm system of a boatload of young talent to stay competitive every summer. While doing a deal that might look like the Yankees are cashing in could spark riots from Manhattan to the Bronx, it might make sense to take a step back one year instead of contemplating trades that involve right-hander Phillip Hughes and other top prospects. Might the aging Yankees improve their long-term outlook if they could garner some young talent or pitching depth for A-Rod, who has lost his confidence and is struggling mightily with the rough treatment he's getting from Yankee fans and the media? What if the Yankees could find a desperate team willing to overpay for Randy Johnson, whose strikeout rate has shown a marked decline while allowing home runs at an alarming rate since the start of the 2005 season? Perhaps it's losing touch with reality to think these moves are possible in the Bronx. No-trade clauses also may make them improbable, but a well-executed trade or two could bolster the farm system or add depth to the major league roster, which might temporarily slow the Steinbrenner compulsion to stock his team each winter by simply buying the best free agents available, regardless of cost. Maybe it's crazy to think this could happen, but it's no crazier than paying tens of millions of dollars for Jaret Wright and Carl Pavano.