Executives agree that after a period in which prospects were hoarded like water in a desert, buyers have been more willing to deal their good farm hands than at any time in recent memory.

The Giants, Royals, Blue Jays and Astros have all been aggressive in this area.

And that is hurting the Yankees.

Because they have told teams flat-out their best prospects at the highest minor league levels — Greg Bird, Aaron Judge and Luis Severino — are off limits. Not going to happen.

So they are not willing to do what others are.

The one top player they might budge on is Single-A shortstop Jorge Mateo. There are those inside and outside the Yankees organization who actually believe the speedster is their best prospect. But because he is years away from the big leagues, the Yanks would consider including him in the right deal.

Is that for Craig Kimbrel?

The Yankees are definitely talking to San Diego, and there is some internal debate about whether to include Mateo for Kimbrel, an elite arm at the same position where the Yankees already have Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller.

The Yankees also have checked in on the other top closer in this market, Cincinnati’s Aroldis Chapman. But they did not sound encouraged that they could meet the high asking price.

That is why the Yankees were suddenly gravitating to Miami’s Carter Capps — he of the unique hop-skip-and-jump delivery that opponents have argued is not legal. Capps has a 1.21 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 26 1/3 innings. He would provide yet another power arm and, perhaps, more comfortably move Adam Warren back to the rotation to replace Michael Pineda, who went on the disabled list Thursday.

The Yankees privately insist Pineda has an injury to his forearm similar to what Masahiro Tanaka and Andrew Miller had earlier this year and will return. Still, they were looking in the trade market to see whether they could upgrade the rotation. They were doubtful it could occur, however.

That is why they were fixating on the bullpen. The theory would be to deepen that area as much as possible to protect a rotation that is suspect in performance and health. In that scenario, the Yankees would turn to Warren, Severino and Bryan Mitchell for starting depth.

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When it comes to Kimbrel, the Yanks initially were not enthused about paying $20 million-plus to late-inning pitchers between Kimbrel and Miller in 2016 and ’17. But the rotation issues have made them reconsider.

An end game of Betances, Miller and Kimbrel would challenge the Royals for supremacy in the game, plus the Yankees would still have Justin Wilson and Chasen Shreve, who have pitched well this season.

Kimbrel is making $9 million this year, $11 million in 2016, $13 million in 2017 and has a club option for 2018 for $13 million or a $1 million buyout. There is word circulating in the game that San Diego might need to cut payroll.

Can Kimbrel be obtained for a second level of prospects if the Yankees are willing to take on the salaries? Can he be obtained without including Mateo?