Milton Bradley Rumors: Wednesday

7:05pm: Ian Browne of MLB.com says there's "no chance" the Bradley-Lowell deal goes through. Sounds about right. But ESPN.com's Gordon Edes says the Cubs really did ask.

6:43pm: A Cubs official didn't dismiss the Milton Bradley for Mike Lowell rumor, speaking to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat. Still, that swap seems unlikely.

3:10pm: Cubs president Crane Kenney implied to the Chicago Tribune's Phil Rogers that the team won't be releasing Bradley.

2:46pm: The White Sox don't consider Bradley a fit, but GM Kenny Williams had kind words for the player today (Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald reporting).

12:38pm: ESPN's Buster Olney says the Cubs would be open to swapping Bradley for Mike Lowell, but that deal is "unlikely to happen."  Lowell, like Pat Burrell, seems like someone the Cubs would have to flip.  Regardless, Sullivan talked to a Cubs official who seemed to shoot this rumor down.

9:53am: With the Cubs' desire to trade Milton Bradley by the end of the Winter Meetings common knowledge, the words "imminent" and "close" have been tossed around a little too freely.  At any rate, Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune still likes the Rays as the favorite, while noting the presence of a possible mystery team.  This is good…I always like to bust out my "Mystery Team" category on a post (although MLB.com's Carrie Muskat says there is no such team).  Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times weighs in on the Rays possibility here.

Yesterday, we saw the Mariners, Blue Jays, Rangers, and Royals pretty much dismissed as Bradley suitors.