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Stark On Headley, Braves, Marlins, Reds

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The Athletics, Orioles, Pirates and Indians are pursuing Chase Headley most aggressively, ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark reports. The Pirates and Indians seem less motivated to complete a deal now, but the A’s and Orioles haven’t backed off. The Diamondbacks, Phillies and Yankees checked in on Headley, and the Dodgers were seriously interested until they traded for Hanley Ramirez. Here are the rest of Stark’s rumors…

  • The Braves are telling teams they’re shifting their focus away from the rotation to possible bullpen and bench upgrades, Stark reports.
  • The Marlins are working hard to trade Carlos Zambrano and Carlos Lee, Stark writes. Ricky Nolasco is also available.
  • The Rangers are mainly focused on Zack Greinke and James Shields, but the odds of a trade involving Shields are diminishing because Evan Longoria is on his way back to the Rays’ lineup.
  • The Cubs are offering to absorb all but $2MM of Alfonso Soriano’s contract, Stark writes. The left fielder earns $18MM per season through 2014 and the Cubs might take it all on for the right prospect.
  • The Phillies are still considering trading Shane Victorino, but they are likely to wait a few days before making a decision on his future.
  • The Padres have told teams they are likely to trade Huston Street if they can’t sign him to an extension. The Padres are expected to attempt to lock Street up to a one-year extension.
  • Reds GM Walt Jocketty "feels a need to do something" and has asked around for a middle-of-the-order hitter, Stark reports.

A’s Rumors: Rollins, Hanley, Drew, Escobar

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The A's were nine games below .500 in mid-June, but they're now 51-44 following an impressive six-week stretch that's positioned them as contenders for a playoff berth. Here are the latest A’s-related notes and rumors…

  • Rollins is not currently an option for the A's, Slusser reports. Slusser hears from two people who aren't convinced Rollins would approve a deal to Oakland (Twitter links).
  • The A’s pursued Hanley Ramirez aggressively before the Marlins sent him to Los Angeles, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle confirms that the A’s were “very much in on” Ramirez (Twitter link). The Marlins recently offered Oakland a “sweet deal” that would have sent Ramirez to the A's for a couple of minor leaguers and enough cash to cover half of Ramirez’s contract, Knobler writes. But the A’s held off on the deal, and the Dodgers agreed to take on all of Ramirez’s salary.
  • The A’s are still looking to add, Knobler reports. They have been scouting Stephen Drew, have had interest in Yunel Escobar, and have considered the possibility of bringing Oakland native Jimmy Rollins back to the Bay Area.

Rays Acquire Ryan Roberts From Diamondbacks

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The Rays have acquired utility infielder Ryan Roberts from the Diamondbacks in exchange for minor league second baseman Tyler Bortnick, the clubs announced.

Roberts, 32 in September, was designated for assignment earlier today in what was a procedural move to clear space on Arizona's 40-man roster. The right-handed hitter owns a .250/.330/.398 career batting line in 1,288 plate appearances, most of which came with the Snakes. He enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2011, when he mashed 19 homers and became something of a cult hero for his all-out style of play and trademark tattoos.

Bortnick, 25, was a 16th-round pick of the Rays in 2009 and has posted a career minor league batting line of .289/.396/.431 in 1,773 plate appearances, none above the Double-A level.

Roberts, meanwhile, will be under the Rays' control through 2015.

Quick Hits: Drew, Arrieta, Pirates, Mariners

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A few odds and ends to pass along as this busy Tuesday night winds down …

  • The Diamondbacks are less likely to trade shortstop Stephen Drew now that they've removed Ryan Roberts from the roster, tweets Jack Magruder of FOXSportsArizona.com. GM Kevin Towers said there's no deal out there for Drew "that's going to make us better."
  • The Orioles may not have a choice but to trade starter Jake Arrieta if they'd like to improve their Major League roster without dealing any of their prized prospects, a source tells Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com. Baltimore has told potential trade partners that Dylan Bundy and Manny Machado are off the table, tweets Britt Ghiroli of MLB.com.
  • The Pirates made a bid to acquire Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino, but talks hit a snag when Philly asked for right-hander Brad Lincoln, tweets Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
  • The Pirates are "definitely going for it" and would like to acquire an outfielder or first baseman, tweets Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.
  • The Mariners have released minor league pitcher Jeff Marquez, tweets Triple-A Tacoma announcer Mike Curto. In his place, D.J. Mitchell, acquired from the Yankees in the Ichiro Suzuki trade, will start.

D’Backs Designate Ryan Roberts For Assignment

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4:58pm: Roberts has been told a trade is on the one yard line, MLB.com's Steve Gilbert reports (on Twitter).

4:39pm: The Diamondbacks announced that they designated Ryan Roberts for assignment. The move creates roster space for John McDonald, who's returning from the 15-day disabled list, and will spark trade talk involving Roberts.

The Tigers and Rays appear to have interest in Roberts, so Arizona GM Kevin Towers has at least two potential trade partners (the Tigers' interest was reported before they acquired Omar Infante; it may have faded since). Roberts, 31, has handled second and third for the Diamondbacks this year while posting a .250/.306/.357 batting line in 280 plate appearances. He earns $2.01MM in 2012 and will remain under team control through 2015.

Rosenthal & Morosi On White Sox, Tigers, Angels

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White Sox GM Kenny Williams has already traded for Kevin Youkilis and Brett Myers, but he may not be done dealing yet, Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports write. The White Sox want to add a starting pitcher and Zack Greinke is high on their list of potentially available arms, Rosenthal and Morosi report. Here are the rest of the notes and rumors from the FOX reporters…

  • The White Sox are eager to move Gavin Floyd, Rosenthal and Morosi report. 
  • Though the White Sox don’t have a deep farm system, they could flip Floyd for prospects and use those prospects to acquire Greinke from Milwaukee, Rosenthal and Morosi suggest.
  • A National League executive suggested to Morosi that Anibal Sanchez will be the third-best free agent starter this offseason behind Greinke and Cole Hamels (Twitter link). 
  • Morosi expects the Tigers to extend catcher Alex Avila at some point (Twitter link). Avila, the son of Tigers assistant GM Al Avila, has a .237/.339/.381 batting line this year. He has battled hamstring issues in 2012, his final year as a pre-arbitration eligible catcher.
  • The Blue Jays remain in buy mode, Morosi notes. Toronto executives believe a second-place finish in the AL East is possible (Twitter link).
  • The Blue Jays, Yankees, Giants, Indians, Diamondbacks and Cardinals all had scouts at last night’s Marlins game, according to Morosi (Twitter link).
  • Josh Willingham is available, but prohibitively expensive, one GM told Rosenthal (Twitter link).
  • Josh Johnson, James Shields and Greinke are among the starting pitching options the Angels could consider, Rosenthal writes.

D’Backs Don’t Expect To Trade Upton Mid-Season

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It sounds like Justin Upton isn’t going to be traded — at least not any time soon. Diamondbacks managing partner Ken Kendrick told Scott Bordow of the Arizona Republic that it’s a “reasonable assumption” that Upton will stay put for the rest of the season.

"I think we're better off with him on our team," Kendrick said. "I this whole thing has gotten way more attention than it deserves."

Rumors and speculation have followed Upton for much of the past month, as the Diamondbacks publicly acknowledged their willingness to listen to trade offers for their 24-year-old right fielder. Kendrick, who expressed disappointment in Upton earlier this year, didn’t deny that the Diamondbacks could consider trade offers again after the season ends.

Kendrick predicted Arizona won't make a major trade in the week leading up to the July 31st non-waiver trade deadline. But he doesn’t expect GM Kevin Towers to be inactive. “I just wouldn't expect anything dramatic," Kendrick said.

Kendrick made similar comments about Upton last week, as Jack Magruder of FOXSportsArizona.com reported.

Rays Interested In Ryan Roberts

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The Rays are interested in Diamondbacks infielder Ryan Roberts, according to Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). Roberts, who fits the typical Rays mold of being able to play multiple positions, could fill in at third base with Evan Longoria on the disabled list.

The 31-year-old Roberts enjoyed a breakout season in 2011, hitting .249./.341/.427 with 19 homers and 18 steals, but has failed to replicate his success in 2012. Through 276 plate appearances this year, he's batting .252/.307/.360 with six homers and six steals.

Roberts avoided arbitration this offseason, signing for a $2.0125MM salary as a Super Two player who was eligible for the first time. Roberts is controlled through the 2015 season, and has also drawn interest from the Tigers, although their interest is almost assuredly gone now that they've acquired Omar Infante.

Brown & Passan On Olt, Braves, Morneau

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A handful of teams still don't know whether to buy, hold or sell with eight days remaining before the non-waiver trade deadline, Yahoo’s Jeff Passan reports. Expanded playoffs are on the horizon for the first time, so more teams than ever are within striking distance of a postseason berth, and the trade market is unsettled as a result. Here are the latest notes from Passan and colleague Tim Brown…

  • The Diamondbacks “adore” Rangers third base prospect Mike Olt, Passan writes. Olt could help the Rangers put together a competitive trade offer for 24-year-old right-fielder Justin Upton.
  • Rival executives know the Braves are looking for pitching, which means Atlanta is up against extra-high asking prices, according to Passan. The Braves will acquire Ryan Dempster from the Cubs for Randall Delgado if Dempster approves the trade.
  • The Twins are listening on Justin Morneau, Tim Brown reports. Minnesota wants teams to surrender a big leaguer for Morneau, while absorbing his entire contract ($14MM per season through 2013). That's a high asking price for a player with a history of concussion issues and a .744 OPS.

Heyman On Upton, Hanley, Twins, Lannan

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Arizona GM Kevin Towers could wait until the offseason to trade Justin Upton instead of moving him within the next eight days. A patient approach makes sense for the Diamondbacks if it allows them to maximize their return, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com writes. Here are some more notes from Heyman…

  • One general manager doesn’t know where he’d play Hanley Ramirez on defense. "He's not a third baseman, he's not a shortstop anymore. I wouldn't know where to hide him," the GM told Heyman.
  • The Twins don’t seem interested in trading Josh Willingham, but a long list of teams would have interest if Minnesota makes the outfielder available.
  • John Lannan made a successful spot start for Washington over the weekend, but it’s clear he’s not in the team’s long-term plans. Heyman suggests it’d be best if the Nationals can find a way to trade the left-hander, who earns a $5MM salary in 2012.
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