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Cliff Lee Rumors: Thursday

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10:43am: According to Jim Duquette of Sirius XM Radio (Twitter link), Lee "told people around the club" that Tuesday's start may have been his last as a Mariner.

8:20am: The Rangers' acquisition of Bengie Molina might be a preview of how Texas could work out a deal for Cliff Lee, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The team's financial situation didn't prevent them from adding Molina because they didn't take on any salary in the process, which is a strategy they'll likely try to employ again in negotiations for Lee.

In a series of tweets, Olney explains how the Rangers avoided a payroll increase in the Molina deal, and speculates that the Mariners could be persuaded to provide the Rangers salary relief in a Lee trade for a stronger package of prospects. Rosenthal agrees, writing that Texas is "so loaded with prospects" that a cash-neutral deal is a possibility for them. He also cites major-league sources who say that the club is "pushing hard" for Lee.

It remains to be seen, of course, if the Rangers would be willing to part with multiple top prospects for what would likely be a two- or three-month rental of the left-hander. In yesterday's round of Lee rumors, we heard that a few rival GMs think the Rangers would be better off holding onto those prospects.

Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reiterates that if the Rangers do make a deal for pitching, they'll be aiming for a top-tier arm like Lee or Roy Oswalt rather than an "everyman starter." Grant notes that Fausto Carmona could be a possibility as well, with the Rangers scouting the right-hander's start against the Blue Jays earlier this week.

Mike MacDougal Opts Out Of Nationals Contract

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Mike MacDougal has opted out of his minor league contract with the Nationals, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The right-hander is now a free agent and will attempt to find a spot on another team's major league roster.

The Nationals signed MacDougal in March, shortly after he was released by the Marlins. At the time, MLB.com's Bill Ladson reported that the contract would include an out clause if the 33-year-old wasn't in the majors by a certain date. MacDougal didn't crack the Nationals' 25-man roster this season, instead spending time at the club's Double-A and Triple-A affiliates. He posted a 4.71 ERA in 18 appearances between the two levels.

Given his dwindling strikeout rate (5.6 K/9) and his continued control issues (4.7 BB/9), it's unlikely MacDougal lands more than another minor league deal from a team searching for bullpen help.

Phillies Interested In Dan Haren

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The Phillies have Dan Haren "on their radar," according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com. Crasnick tweets that the Diamondbacks are scouting Phillies' prospects for a possible deal.

ESPN.com's Buster Olney reported (via Twitter) earlier in the week that the Phils would like to add an arm "higher in caliber" than Jeremy Guthrie, and Haren certainly qualifies. However, Philadelphia is far from the only team looking into acquiring the 29-year-old. We heard yesterday that the Nationals expressed interest in Haren, and that the Cardinals also covet the right-hander. Those two clubs, along with the Yankees, Tigers, and Twins, have scouted the Diamondbacks' ace recently.

The Phillies' fourth and fifth starters behind Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, and Jamie Moyer have had their struggles this year. Kyle Kendrick has posted a 4.88 ERA in 15 starts, and even after three straight quality starts, Joe Blanton's ERA still sits at 6.19. Given the question marks in their rotation, the Phillies have made starting pitching depth a priority as the trade deadline approaches.

Olney’s Latest: Sabean, Dunn, Red Sox

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ESPN.com's Buster Olney has a new Insider-only blog entry up, so let's dive in and take a look at the highlights….

  • One American League general manager says that many of the trades we see this July will look like the Bengie Molina deal, in which the Giants picked up the remaining cost of Molina's salary. "There's going to be a lot of salary relief," the GM predicted.
  • Expanding on a point from an earlier column, Olney writes that rival general managers consider Brian Sabean the most difficult GM to trade with simply because they can't get him on the phone. According to Olney, many GMs contact assistant Bobby Evans rather than Sabean, since the Giants GM doesn't return calls.
  • Sometime this month, the Nationals will have to decide whether to trade Adam Dunn or to fully commit to locking him up with an extension. Olney speculates that four years for about $48MM would get it done.
  • Replying to a Nick Cafardo piece for the Boston Globe in which Theo Epstein addresses how the Red Sox will replace Dustin Pedroia, Olney says Mike Aviles, Mike Fontenot, or Ty Wigginton might be good fits for the Sox. If Epstein makes a move, he'll be looking for a player who will have value elsewhere on the field when Pedroia returns to second base.

Charlie Haeger Clears Waivers

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WEDNESDAY: Haeger cleared waivers and the Dodgers assigned him to Triple A, according to MLB.com's transactions page.

FRIDAY: The Dodgers have designated Charlie Haeger for assignment, tweets Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times. As the Times' Steve Dilbeck speculated earlier today, Jon Link will take Haeger's place on the roster, likely only until Monday, when Chad Billingsley should be activated from the disabled list.

Since opening his 2010 season with an impressive 12-strikeout performance, Haeger has struggled mightily, compiling a 9.38 ERA between the rotation and the bullpen. In 24 IP over those eight appearances, the 26-year-old walked 22 batters and allowed hitters to post a 1.001 OPS.

Russell Branyan Trade Reactions

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The Mariners' acquisition of Russell Branyan last night came as the first major surprise of this year's trading season, given Seattle's place in the standings. Here's a collection of a few early reactions to the move, examining both teams' perspectives:

Cafardo On Baylor, Haren, Konerko, Bedard

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With the Marlins and Orioles searching for new managers, Don Baylor wonders why he isn't being considered for either job, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Baylor would love a chance to manage Baltimore, the franchise that drafted him over four decades ago, in the second round of the 1967 amateur draft. Let's check out Cafardo's other notes….

  • The Yankees, Twins, Nationals, Cardinals, and Tigers had scouts watching Dan Haren's most recent start.
  • There were a few teams hoping Paul Konerko would be available this summer, but with the White Sox suddenly just a game and a half out of first place, they obviously don't plan to trade their home run leader.
  • Cliff Lee may not be the only Seattle left-hander on the trade block next month. Erik Bedard is due back soon, and Cafardo thinks that the Mariners could try to move him if he looks healthy in July.
  • Scott Schoeneweis would like to catch on with a club as a situational lefty, but "his phone isn't ringing."
  • D.J. Carrasco could be traded before the deadline. Carrasco's numbers this season haven't been overly impressive (4.12 ERA, 1.76 K/BB), but if the relief market is as thin as Buster Olney indicated this morning, the right-hander should draw some interest.

Olney’s Latest: Giants, Zambrano, Fielder, Orioles

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In today's Insider-only blog entry, ESPN.com's Buster Olney ranks baseball's most irreplaceable players, with Albert Pujols and Adrian Gonzalez heading his list. Here are a few other highlights from the column:

  • Responding to Henry Schulman's San Francisco Chronicle piece about the Giants' need for bullpen help, Olney identifies two roadblocks. According to general managers, the relief market is "very, very thin." On top of that, a group of GMs polled by Olney named Brian Sabean as the most difficult GM to trade with.
  • The Cubs have tried to deal with Carlos Zambrano's past outbursts because of his talent and his $91.5MM contract. After the latest blow-up though, it appears the club has run out of patience. According to Olney, there's "an overriding perception within the organization" that Zambrano hasn't cared about living up to his end of the deal.
  • Given the non-existent extension negotiations between Prince Fielder and the Brewers, Olney says the team has two options: trade Fielder and receive a lesser return than fans would expect, or keep the 26-year-old and try to re-sign him after 2011.
  • Buck Showalter had a very good interview with the Orioles, who will also interview Eric Wedge this week (Twitter link).

Brewers Not Discussing Fielder Extension With Boras

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Brewers GM Doug Melvin isn't currently engaged in discussions with Scott Boras about a possible extension for Prince Fielder, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Though Melvin didn't speculate about whether negotiations could re-open in the future, he confirmed that "there's nothing going on at this time."

Haudricourt suggests "word around Miller Park" is that Fielder and Boras shut down contract talks after declining the team's initial offer. For his part, Fielder seems unaware of any negotiations: "I haven't really heard anything about it. I'm not sure if it's a hiatus or not. I'm just focusing on playing baseball right now."

In one of our recent polls, many of you opined that the Brewers ought to trade both Fielder and Corey Hart, but Melvin might be more inclined to explore deals in the offseason rather than before July 31st.

"A position player has to be a perfect fit. There are only so many teams competing for the players [during the season]," Melvin explained. "A lot of them have certain positions filled. So, you're only talking about one or two teams [to trade with]. In the off-season, things change. Players go to other teams as free agents. Teams lose players. You can get more teams involved."

Fielder will earn $10.5MM this year and will be eligible for arbitration for the last time in 2011. Assuming he hits free agency following that season, the slugger figures to be looking for Mark Teixeira money.

Chad Moeller Clears Waivers

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SATURDAY, 7:37pm: Mark Feinsand of The New York Daily News tweets that Moeller has cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A. 

MONDAY, 6:15pm: The Yankees have designated Chad Moeller for assignment, tweets Sweeny Murti of WFAN. Colin Curtis, who was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, will take Moeller's place on the roster.

Moeller joined the big-league club after Jorge Posada's injury, starting just four games and hitting .182/.250/.364 in 12 plate appearances. The 35-year-old backstop has been well-traveled over the past few years, spending time with the Orioles, Dodgers, Reds, Brewers, and Yanks (twice) since 2006.

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