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Latest On Orioles, Joe Blanton

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31-year-old innings eater Joe Blanton has about $3MM left on his contract, and the Orioles are his most interested suitor.  The latest: 

  • The Phillies are coming off the $3MM demands, tweets Connolly, and Blanton to the Orioles is picking up steam again.
  • The Orioles would have to take on $3MM to acquire Blanton, and they aren't comfortable with that amount, so they're considering other options, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports (all Twitter links).  The Mariners want a lot in return for Jason Vargas, Connolly writes.  Joe Saunders and Bud Norris are alternatives, but it's not clear whether they're fits for Baltimore.  The Orioles don't want to give up much in a trade for starting pitching, Connolly writes.
  • The Orioles tried to get Paul Maholm from the Cubs, Ghiroli reports.  She confirms the team's interest in Saunders and Vargas.  The Orioles are looking on the relief market as well, Ghiroli reports.
  • The Orioles are turning their attention back toward other starters, tweets MLB.com's Britt Ghiroli.
  • The Orioles were sent medicals on Blanton as well as two Phillies minor leaguers, tweets Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com.
  • Money continues to be a stumbling block on a Blanton deal, tweets MLB.com's Todd Zolecki.  The chances of the deal dying have increased since yesterday.

Latest On Athletics’ Search For Infielders

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11:18am: It doesn't look like the Athletics will acquire a shortstop today, ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports (on Twitter).

TUESDAY, 10:55am: MLB Network's Peter Gammons is a hearing a flat "no" on the idea of Drew going to the A's.

MONDAY, 6:03pm: Trade talk about a potential deal that would send Stephen Drew from Arizona to Oakland still has life, ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports (Twitter link). However, Peter Gammons of MLB Network reported today that the Athletics have backed off their pursuit of Drew and Yunel Escobar for now, (Twitter link). 

Ken Rosenthal recently reported that the Athletics aren't favored to acquire Drew if the Diamondbacks trade him. Oakland is reluctant to match Toronto's asking price on Escobar, according to Rosenthal. Drew and Escobar are Oakland's top two choices for a shortstop upgrade, Jon Heyman reported today.

The A's looked into the possibility of acquiring Jimmy Rollins, but would have had to take on his entire contract ($11MM per season through 2014 with a vesting option for 2015) to complete a deal, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports. The price in terms of prospects wasn't high, but there's no guarantee Rollins, a Bay Area native, would approve a trade to Oakland. The Dodgers are no longer a fit for Rollins, Knobler writes.

D’Backs Designate Lyle Overbay For Assignment

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TUESDAY, 12:47am: The Orioles have some interest in Overbay, reports Jack Magruder of FOXSportsArizona.com (on Twitter).

MONDAY, 11:12pm: The Reds and Diamondbacks are discussing a trade that would send Overbay to Cincinnati, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter).

5:54pm: The Diamondbacks announced that they designated first baseman Lyle Overbay for assignment. The move creates roster space for newly-acquired infielder Chris Johnson.

Overbay, 35, posted a .292/.367/.448 batting line in 110 plate appearances this year. Manager Kirk Gibson made sure to limit Overbay's exposure to left-handed pitching (95 plate appearances vs. RHP, 15 plate appearances vs. LHP), using him as a part-time complement to Paul Goldschmidt. Overbay, who's signed to a one-year, $1MM contract, has a .271/.354/.439 batting line in 12 MLB seasons.

NL West Notes: Miley, Overbay, Dodgers

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The Rockies sent Ubaldo Jimenez to Cleveland on this date last year, acquiring prospects Alex White, Drew Pomeranz, Joe Gardner and Matt McBride. Jimenez has pitched to a 5.08 ERA with disappointing peripheral numbers since leaving the Rockies, who are probably pleased they traded him when they did. Here's the latest on the NL West…

  • Diamondbacks rookie Wade Miley is not in play as the trade deadline nears, Jack Magruder of FOXSportsArizona.com writes (on Twitter). Ken Rosenthal suggested yesterday that the Diamondbacks might listen on Miley.
  • ESPN.com's Buster Olney guesses the Reds might be a fit for Lyle Overbay, who was recently designated for assignment by the Diamondbacks (Twitter link). The Reds are expected to pursue Overbay, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter).
  • Arizona GM Kevin Towers says he's focused on adding pitching leading up to the deadline, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports (on Twitter). Towers will consider trading a position player for an arm.
  • Dodgers pitching prospects Jose Dominguez and Yimi Garcia are drawing the attention of scouts at Class A, Ben Badler of Baseball America writes (on Twitter).
  • Former Dodgers general manager Dan Evans explains how the trade deadline works from the perspective of a GM in an article at Baseball Prospectus.

Heyman On Morneau, Dodgers, Athletics, Mets

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The latest from Jon Heyman of CBS Sports:

  • The Dodgers, Blue Jays, and Giants "appear to have some interest" in Twins first baseman Justin Morneau.  Heyman notes that the Dodgers are looking at many offensive options, possibly as many as 10.  Morneau, 31, has somewhat bounced back to a .260/.322/.457 line after a 2011 season lost to concussion symptoms and other injuries.  He has $5MM in salary remaining this year and is owed $14MM in 2013.
  • The Athletics' top two choices for a shortstop upgrade are still Stephen Drew of the Diamondbacks and Yunel Escobar of the Blue Jays.  The A's remain interested in Padres third baseman Chase Headley as well, but Heyman finds a match unlikely.
  • The Mets have talked about Geovany Soto of the Cubs, Kelly Shoppach of the Red Sox, and Ramon Hernandez of the Rockies, but the prices are too high on these catchers.  Heyman says the Mets may be willing to delay their catcher search until the winter.

West Notes: D-Backs, Drew, Yunel, Headley

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It's been a busy weekend in baseball's Western divisions; the Angels have landed Zack Greinke, the Padres have extended Huston Street, the Giants have landed Marco Scutaro and the Diamondbacks have acquired Chris Johnson. There's still plenty of news and potential action out west, however… here are tonight's links:

  • The Diamondbacks may not be finished dealing yet, writes Scott Bordow of the Arizona Republic. Arizona GM Kevin Towers told reporters on Sunday that he could pursue additional pitching prior to Tuesday's deadline. Towers also hinted that one of the club's infielders could be on the move: "As it stands now it will be tough to get them all at-bats, but we'll see what happens the next two to three days."
  • There's no guarantee that the Diamondbacks trade Stephen Drew, sources tell Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The D-backs are currently deciding whether they want to give the bulk of the playing time at shortstop to Drew or Willie Bloomquist.
  • If they go with Bloomquist, the Athletics are not the favorites to land Drew; an unspecified mystery team would be most likely, according to Rosenthal's source.
  • Within the same piece, Rosenthal notes that the Athletics are reluctant to match the Blue Jays' asking price for Yunel Escobar.
  • The Padres are weighing several offers for Chase Headley, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, but San Diego isn't sure if they want to move him.
  • Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow felt that the high asking price on Headley had a beneficial effect on the market for Johnson, according to Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).

Diamondbacks Acquire Chris Johnson

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The Diamondbacks have acquired third baseman Chris Johnson from the Astros for minor league outfielders Marc Krauss and Bobby Borchering, the teams announced. Borchering, 21, was Arizona's first round pick in the 2009 draft while Krauss, 24, was taken in the second round of the same draft.

Johnson, 27, has a slash line of .279/.329/.428 with eight homers in 368 plate appearances this season. The right-handed hitter, who also played a handful of games at first base for Houston this year, won't be arbitration eligible until after the 2013 season unless he qualifies for super two status this coming offseason.

The Diamondbacks dealt from an area from strength in this trade as they are rather deep in the outfield. While Krauss and Borchering were standouts at the Double-A level, they also have prospects Adam Eaton and A.J. Pollock in Triple-A Reno. 

GM Jeff Luhnow continues to sell off Major League pieces as a part of the club's rebuilding effort. In the last ten days, the Astros have traded Wandy Rodriguez to the Pirates, Brett Myers to the White Sox, and J.A. Happ to the Blue Jays.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Rosenthal On Garza, Reds, Miley

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Demand for starting pitching exceeds supply right now, so Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports suggests it'd make sense for teams to listen to offers for certain starters. Pitchers such as Felix Hernandez, Matt Garza, Bartolo Colon, Jon Lester, Phil Hughes, Homer Bailey, Wade Miley, Justin Masterson and Bud Norris could draw considerable interest if they were made available. Here are some of Rosenthal’s notes on the starting pitching market:

  • Teams continue calling the Cubs to check in on Garza, Rosenthal reports. However, the Cubs won’t offer a discount based on the fluid buildup in Garza’s triceps and a trade remains “doubtful.” Garza isn’t expected to pitch until after the trade deadline.
  • The Reds have relied on just five starters this year, and their rotation ranks fifth in MLB with a 3.58 ERA, but Rosenthal senses that the team isn’t completely comfortable with its rotation. They’ve asked about starting pitchers and are “all over the place” this summer, in the words of one MLB executive.
  • Rosenthal suggests Arizona GM Kevin Towers would listen on Miley, as starting pitching is an area of strength for the Diamondbacks.
  • Norris could be a fit for the Orioles, Blue Jays or Cardinals, Rosenthal writes.

Rosenthal On Orioles, Liriano, Soriano, Diamondbacks

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Let's take a look at the latest edition of Full Count from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (video link)..

  • The Orioles figure to make at least one trade before the non-waiver deadline and one source says they are the most aggressive team on Francisco Liriano of the Twins.  Multiple sources also say they're also aggressive on the Padres' Chase Headley.  Unfortunately for the O's, they lack chips beyond Manny Machado and Dylan Bundy, and aren't moving either player.  As a result, they could be open to discussing major league pieces like Jake Arrieta or even Zach Britton.
  • Alfonso Soriano's name has surfaced in the Cubs' discussions with the Dodgers, but the Cubs might prefer to wait until the offseason and make a better deal.  The veteran is on pace to hit 31 homers and post a .831 OPS.  After this season, he'll have two years and $36MM remaining and the Cubs could find him a home in the AL if they pay that down to about $12MM per year.
  • The D'Backs don't plan to trade Justin Upton now but they will likely move an outfielder this offseason between Upton, Chris Young, and Gerardo Parra.  Arizona has two young outfielders that they like in Triple-A in Adam Eaton and A.J. Pollock.

Olney’s Latest: Shields, Greinke, Reds, Headley, Drew

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In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney says the Rays have a tough decision to make about trading James Shields. Clubs interested in acquiring him have to figure out how to value him – as an ace who finished third in the Cy Young voting last year, or as an innings-eater with a 4.52 ERA like this year. Similar questions are being asked about Josh Johnson of the Marlins. Here are the rest of Olney's rumors…

  • Rival executives don't believe the Angels gave up any blue-chippers for Zack Greinke and that they have a good chance to retain him beyond this season.
  • Olney believes the Reds and Phillies could match up well in a trade. Cincinnati is seeking a leadoff-type hitter type and Philadelphia has Shane Victorino or Juan Pierre to offer.
  • The Orioles and Phillies are two teams to watch in the race for Chase Headley. Both clubs are seeking long-term third base solutions.
  • Other clubs have called the Diamondbacks about Stephen Drew, but those teams now sense that Arizona will keep its shortstop according to Olney (on Twitter).
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