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Kevin Correia Requests Trade

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6:38pm: The Pirates have put a high price tag on Correia, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (on Twitter).

5:40pm: Right-hander Kevin Correia, who lost his rotation spot to the newly acquired Wandy Rodriguez, has asked the Pirates for a trade, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

The 31-year-old Correia has pitched to a 4.24 ERA with 4.2 K/9, 2.5 BB/9 and a solid 51 percent ground-ball rate entering play today. Correia is making $3MM in the final season of a two-year, $8MM deal that he signed with the Pirates in December of 2010.

General manager Neal Huntington said that the plan for Correia is to work out of the bullpen for now, but he predicts Correia will be used for some spot starts down the line. Huntington did acknowledge that a move to the bullpen could damage Correia's free agent value this offseason. Huntington went on record as saying the team is open to trading Correia, but only if it makes the Major League team better.

Biertempfel writes that the Pirates are still looking for an upgrade at a corner outfield spot, first base, or shortstop as well as bench help. Several teams are searching for starting pitching, including the Orioles and Braves, although it's not clear that buyers would view Correia as an upgrade to their current options. Correia made his first relief appearance today and allowed four runs on five hits and a walk in just two innings, which certainly doesn't make him any more attractive to other teams.

Rafael Betancourt, Matt Reynolds Drawing Interest

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6:26pm: Matt Reynolds is also drawing trade interest, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Reynolds, 27, has a 3.61 ERA, 8.9 K/9, 2.1 BB/9 and 46.3 percent ground-ball rate in 42 1/3 innings of work this season. 

6:15pm: Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports that the Rangers, Braves, Red Sox and Blue Jays are all inquiring on Betancourt (Twitter link).

Sunday, 6:02pm: Betancourt continues drawing trade interest but nothing is imminent, according to Renck (Twitter link). It's probably fair to assume that several of the teams who are currently discussing Brandon League with the Mariners are also intrigued by Betancourt, though that's my own speculation. — Steve Adams

Saturday: The Orioles, Yankees, and Athletics are among the teams with interest in Rockies reliever Rafael Betancourt according to Troy Renck of The Denver Post. The Red Sox had interest earlier this month and both the White Sox and Angels are digging around for bullpen help.

Betancourt, 37, has pitched to a 3.00 ERA and gone 17-for-21 in save chances. His strikeout (9.3 K/9) and walk (2.5 BB/9) rates are superb as usual. Betancourt is owned approximately $1.5M for the rest of the season and is under contract for $4.25MM next year. His deal includes a $4.25MM mutual option ($250K buyout) for 2014 as well.

Steve Adams contributed to this post.

Mariners Close To Trading Brandon League

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5:15pm: The Giants and Mariners have definitely discussed League, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). It's still not clear where League will be traded, though, according to Morosi.

4:06pm: The Mariners were discussing League with multiple teams as of this afternoon, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter).

3:03pm: There's some scuttlebutt in high circles that the Giants are the team getting League, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports (on Twitter). But it's not a sure thing.

2:52pm: The Braves and Rangers aren't in the mix for League, Crasnick tweets.

2:46pm: The Angels and Mariners are in talks for League, Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com reports. The Mariners could be close to trading League to the Giants or the Angels, Gonzalez writes.

2:24pm: The White Sox have been talking to the Mariners about League and the Angels continue seeking relief help, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports (Twitter links).

2:05pm: The Mariners are close to trading Brandon League to an unknown team, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick reports (on Twitter). The Giants, Angels and Mets are known to have some interest in the right-hander.

League is earning $5MM this year and will hit free agency this offseason. The 29-year-old has a 3.05 ERA with 5.3 K/9, 3.9 BB/9 and a 46.4% ground ball rate in 42 1/3 innings for Seattle. He lost the closer's job in May, but has pitched to a 1.96 ERA with twice as many strikeouts as walks since the beginning of June. His fastball averages 95.2 mph, according to FanGraphs.

Steve Adams contributed to this post.

James Shields Rumors: Sunday

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If the Rays trade James Shields, they'd be looking to exceed the package of prospects the Brewers obtained for Zack Greinke, according to Jon Heyman. Greinke, who was traded for prospects Jean Segura, Ariel Pena and John Hellweg, is headed for free agency, but Shields is under team control through 2014 with a pair of club options. The Cardinals, Braves, Dodgers, Indians and Rangers are among the teams with interest in Shields. Here are the latest rumors surrounding the 30-year-old. The most recent items are up top:

  • Teams have started to wonder how serious the Rays are about trading Shields, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports.
  • The Rangers don't believe Shields will be traded, so they could focus on relief help instead of attempting to add to their rotation, MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan reports.
  • The Rangers were far more interested in Shields than Josh Johnson even before Johnson walked six Padres today, Scott Miller of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter).
  • Manager Joe Maddon says he doesn't expect the Rays to make any deals, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. "We talk a lot and it always takes two to dance, and at the end of the day it's difficult to match up all the time," Maddon said. "So I would bet that nothing really happens.''
  • ESPN.com's Buster Olney reported today that some executives believe the Rays will trade Shields before the trade deadline.

Quick Hits: Span, White Sox, Soriano

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The Phillies acquired Hunter Pence from the Astros for prospects Jarred Cosart, Jonathan Singleton and Josh Zeid and a player to be named later on this date last year. Here are the latest links as we look forward to yet another busy trade deadline…

Josh Johnson Rumors: Sunday

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Cole Hamels, Zack Greinke and Matt Garza are off the trade market, which leaves Josh Johnson at or near the top of the list of potentially available starting pitchers. The Marlins will listen to trade offers for Johnson, who's under contract through 2013 at $13.75MM per season, but the team’s asking price remains high. Here are the latest updates on Johnson and the Marlins, with the most recent notes up top:

  • The Rangers aren't interested in Johnson and the Red Sox are "not engaged," Peter Gammons of MLB Network writes (on Twitter). It's unlikely that any team will offer a package that tempts the Marlins to part with him.
  • The Rangers aren't that high on Johnson, MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan reports.
  • The Rangers have interest in Johnson, but they aren't close to meeting the Marlins' asking price, Jim Bowden of ESPN.com and MLB Network Radio reports (on Twitter).
  • The Red Sox sent top scout Gary Hughes to see Johnson's start today, Bowden reports (on Twitter).
  • ESPN.com's Buster Olney reported today that the Marlins aren't especially motivated to trade Johnson.

Mets, Cubs Discussed Geovany Soto

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The Mets talked with the Cubs about the possibility of trading for catcher Geovany Soto, Andy Martino of the New York Daily News reports. However, the sides aren’t likely to complete a trade.

While the Mets are comfortable entering the 2013 season with Josh Thole as their everyday catcher, they’d like to add a proven backstop who bats from the right side to complement Thole. The Mets could re-start talks for Soto or another right-handed hitter this offseason, Martino reports. The Mets also had some interest in Ramon Hernandez and Kelly Shoppach, but couldn’t agree on a price with the Rockies or Red Sox.

Soto, 29, has a .195/.278/.345 batting line in 194 plate appearances for the Cubs this year. The 2008 NL Rookie of the Year earns $4.3MM in 2012 and will go to arbitration for the third time this offseason unless he's non-tendered.

Mariners Seek Controllable Hitters

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2:35pm: The Mariners are trying hard to obtain Brandon Belt, Dave Cameron of FanGraphs reports (on Twitter).

1:32pm: Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik is looking to acquire hitters who could contribute for the next two or three seasons, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports. The Mariners aim to improve an offense that currently ranks last in the American League with just 3.9 runs per game. 

The Mariners are more focused on players such as Josh Willingham and Allen Craig than players like Shin-Soo Choo and Hunter Pence. Choo and Pence are eligible for free agency after the 2013 season, while Willingham is under contract through 2014 and Craig won't even be arbitration eligible before the 2013-14 offseason.

Nationals Sign Mike MacDougal

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The Nationals signed Mike MacDougal to a minor league contract, according to the transactions page at CBSSports.com. The right-hander will provide the Nationals with bullpen depth, presumably at the minor league level.

The Dodgers signed MacDougal to a one-year, $1MM deal before the season, but released him in May. The 35-year-old then signed a minor league deal with the Cubs, posted a 7.85 ERA with more walks than strikeouts at Triple-A, and got released again. The Hendricks Sports client has been a free agent since July 11th.

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