Stark's Latest: Zito, Anthony Reyes, Varitek, Inoa

ESPN's Jayson Stark has been working the phones, and the result is his latest Rumblings and Grumblings column. Stark talked to an official from a "pitching-starved" team. This person said the Giants would have to eat at least $80MM of Barry Zito's remaining $112.5MM if they want to trade him. One scout suggested Zito's only chance at revival is a reunion with Rick Peterson. The Cards' Anthony Reyes is "eminently available." Problem is, John Mozeliak has a high asking price for the 26 year-old hurler. Edwin Jackson remains a hot commodity, but there's no reason for the Rays to move...

Rosenthal's Latest: Krivsky, Scherzer, Edwin Jackson

Ken Rosenthal has a new column up; let's take a look. Rosenthal gives a good refresher on July trade candidates; pretty much the names you'd expect. Reasons for Wayne Krivsky's firing are discussed. By the way check out John Fay's blog for some candid final comments from Krivsky. One interesting note is that he had no extension talks with Adam Dunn. The D'Backs could use Max Scherzer to strengthen their bullpen, or they could shop Chad Tracy for a reliever. Rosenthal wonders whether the Nationals might consider the under-30 segment of the next free agent class. Plenty of teams continue...

Odds and Ends: Darvish, Maddux

Let's kick off the day with some random links. Baseball America's Jim Callis profiles young phenom Yu Darvish, currently pitching in Japan. If he were MLB-bound, he'd be the third-best prospect in the game. DRays Bay would like to see Edwin Jackson traded rather than Jason Hammel, if there's a roster squeeze. Greg Maddux has told some teammates that this is his last season. That nugget is only a small part of Tim Keown's fantastic article about the legendary Professor.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In

Bunch of random topics so let's just get to it and see what it being said in the Blogosphere... Big League Stew talks to Bless You Boys about the idea of Barry Bonds signing with the Tigers. BYB argues against signing Bonds noting that the Tigers already have a bunch of slow players (base cloggers?) and what they really need is some more speed in the lineup...Although we keep hearing about collusion and have not heard any numbers bandied about, Bonds has always made it very clear how much he values the almighty dollar. Does anybody else think that Bonds...

Rays Looking To Deal Jackson Or Hammel?

We're getting towards rosters becoming finalized, and that means making a number of decisions on guys who are out of options. The Rays have a bit of a good problem. WIth James Shields, Matt Garza, Andy Sonnanstine, and eventually Scott Kazmir in their rotation, there is only room for one of Edwin Jackson and Jason Hammel. With Kazmir slated to start the season on the DL, they could have room for both temporarily. But they'll eventually have to cut back. This could coincide with GM Andrew Friedman's desire to acquire an outfielder. He's said that they'll "be aggressive if something...

Rays Likely To Fill Outfield Void Through Trade

According to Marc Lancaster, the Rays would prefer to fill their need for a fourth outfielder via trade as opposed to signing a free agent such as Kenny Lofton. Lancaster notes the Rays are likely to offer one of their surplus of starting pitchers. The Rays have five pitchers competing for the final two spots in the rotation and two of those pitchers (Edwin Jackson and Jason Hammel) are out of options. In addition Lancaster mentions that the Rays have a number of pitching prospects at AA and AAA that could be included in a deal. The Rays would prefer...