Giants In Talks For Kelly Johnson
The Giants are in talks for Diamondbacks second baseman Kelly Johnson, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. He says the Giants like that Johnson can also play left field. I imagine they're also keen on the fact that he's under team control for 2011. SI's Jon Heyman tweets that the Diamondbacks rejected an offer of Joe Martinez plus another player for Johnson.
Giants, Blue Jays In Serious Talks For Downs Or Frasor?
The Giants and Blue Jays are in serious talks for either Scott Downs or Jason Frasor, tweets SI's Jon Heyman. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports disagees, saying the Giants have no interest in Frasor and can't find common ground on Downs.
ESPN's Jayson Stark tweets that the Blue Jays have lowered the price on Frasor, but not on Downs or Jose Bautista.
Dodgers Acquire Lilly, Theriot For DeWitt
1:15pm: Stark tweets that the pitching prospects going to the Cubs are Brett Wallach and Kyle Smit.
1:09pm: The Cubs will get DeWitt and two minor league pitchers for Lilly, Theriot, and $2.5MM tweets Yahoo's Tim Brown.
1:03pm: Lilly and Theriot for DeWitt is done, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
12:53pm: Stark tweets that the Dodgers and Cubs are on the verge of a deal that would send Lilly and Theriot to L.A. Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times agrees.
12:34pm: Blake DeWitt and at least one other player would go to the Cubs as part of a Lilly-Theriot deal if the sides can reach an agreement, tweets Rosenthal. The inclusion of Theriot will seal the deal from the Cubs' point of view, tweets Chris De Luca of the Chicago Sun-Times. Lilly doesn't appear to have many suitors aside from the Dodgers.
11:39am: The latest on Cubs southpaw Ted Lilly…
- The Cubs are likely to send Lilly and Ryan Theriot to the Dodgers, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark.
- The Dodgers are growing more optimistic about acquiring Lilly, tweets Yahoo's Tim Brown.
- The Yankees are not pursuing Lilly, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney, unless the Cubs "put him on a platter and give him away."
- The Dodgers, Twins, Tigers, and Yankees have varying degrees of interest in Lilly, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. A deal with the Dodgers seemed fairly close last night.
White Sox, Twins Exploring Deal For Brett Myers
SATURDAY, 2:53am: The Twins are in the mix to land Myers, writes Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. He says the Astros became more open to trading Myers in recent hours.
FRIDAY, 1:37pm: The White Sox are including Jackson in their offer for Adam Dunn, tweets Nightengale. If they pull that off, they'll try for Myers.
10:56am: We know the White Sox are seeking a mid-rotation starter and might pull off a deal for Edwin Jackson. But GM Kenny Williams is also quietly exploring acquiring Brett Myers from the Astros, tweets USA Today's Bob Nightengale. Myers is thought to be mostly unavailable, as the Astros hope to re-sign him and perhaps would prefer not to decimate their rotation for the rest of this year. The Chicago Sun-Times' Joe Cowley cautions not to get too excited about the White Sox-Myers talk (Twitter link).
Williams might be burning up the phone lines with Ed Wade for multiple players, as AOL FanHouse's Ed Price tweets that there's buzz about the Sox going after Lance Berkman. It certainly seems that the White Sox will make some noise in the 28 hours leading up to the trade deadline.
Adam Dunn Rumors: Friday
The latest on Nationals slugger Adam Dunn…
- The Giants are involved a number of pursuits, but do not seem serious about Dunn, writes Rosenthal.
- The White Sox are once again saying that they're out of the Dunn sweepstakes, according to Rosenthal (Twitter links). Barring a mystery team, Rosenthal finds it hard to envision a Dunn trade.
- The Nationals told teams that Edwin Jackson was key to obtaining Adam Dunn from them, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney. Many teams tried to obtain Jackson, the White Sox got him and now the Nationals say they aren't so sure they want the righty. Obviously, teams are frustrated with the Nationals (all Twitter links).
- The Nats are becoming frustrated as they try to obtain equal value for Dunn, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Twitter links). Rival teams say that Washington's asking price is enormous.
- Nats GM Mike Rizzo told MASNSports.com's Ben Goessling that he won't lower his asking price for Dunn (Twitter link).
- Dunn says he'd be comfortable DHing for the rest of the year, according to multiple reporters, including Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post (Twitter link). That is music to the ears of White Sox, Rays and Yankees fans.
- The Rays are convinced that the Yankees will acquire Dunn, Peter Gammons told WEEI.com. Gammons suspects that if the Nationals trade Dunn, the Yankees will acquire him. The Rays haven't given up hope, since they have had a special assignment scout watching Dunn all week, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse (Twitter link).
- The White Sox remain in talks with the Nationals for Dunn even after the Edwin Jackson trade, write Rosenthal and Morosi. Yahoo's Tim Brown tweets that the Nationals want Jackson in a Dunn trade, but the White Sox hope to keep him out of the deal.
- The White Sox are focused only on Dunn and not Prince Fielder or Lance Berkman, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has heard varying opinions about whether the Yankees are truly out on Dunn.
- Yesterday's Dunn rumors are tough to sort out, rife with conflicting reports. The White Sox, Yankees, Rays, Giants, and Tigers were linked, though the Tigers might be out.
Cardinals Close To Jake Westbrook Trade
11:13am: Westbrook has agreed to lower the $2MM trade bonus, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. It's currently unclear whether the Padres are involved in this as part of a three-team deal, though Sherman thinks they may have dropped out.
10:53am: A third team might be involved in the deal, reports MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince.
10:19am: The Cardinals are close to acquiring starter Jake Westbrook from the Indians, tweets Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Westbrook is scheduled to start against the Blue Jays a few hours from now.
Westbrook is pricey – he has $3.89MM remaining in base salary this year, and a $2MM bonus and $353K salary bump for being traded. That's a total of $6.24MM remaining. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the deal is at the union level as the teams try to sort through the financials.
Westbrook, 32, will solidify the back end of the Cardinals' rotation given the injuries to Kyle Lohse and Brad Penny. Westbrook has a 4.65 ERA, 5.1 K/9, 3.1 BB/9, and 53.3% groundball rate this season. He had Tommy John surgery in June of '08, and wasn't healthy until this year.
Padres, Cardinals, Indians Agree To Deal Involving Ludwick, Westbrook
11:44am: The Padres are sending pitching prospect Corey Kluber to the Indians in the deal, tweets Nightengale. Krasovic adds that the Padres will send pitching prospect Nicholas Greenwood to the Cardinals.
11:38am: The union has approved the trade, tweets Krasovic. The Padres get Ludwick, the Cardinals get Westbrook, and the Padres give up two prospects. Bob Nightengale of USA Today says the deal is official.
11:36am: Westbrook to the Cardinals is agreed to, tweets Heyman. He adds that the Padres still appear likely to get Ludwick.
11:28am: Ludwick to the Padres has a 90% chance of going down, tweets Dan Hayes of the North County Times. The Padres would send money and a prospect to the Indians in the potential three-team deal, tweets Olney. Westbrook has officially been scratched, tweets Castrovince.
11:16am: ESPN's Buster Olney tweets/counters that this thing still has life as of two minutes ago. Sherman is backing off his earlier tweet and now thinks the Padres are still in it too.
11:08am: Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that he thinks the Padres have fallen out of this deal and it's just going to be the Cardinals and Indians in a Westbrook trade.
10:58am: Krasovic tweets that a three-team deal is pending the union's OK: the Padres get Ludwick, the Cardinals get Jake Westbrook and a Padres prospect, and the Indians get prospects.
10:39am: The Padres are deep in talks with the Cardinals for outfielder Ryan Ludwick, tweets Tom Krasovic of AOL FanHouse. The Cardinals were not known to be willing to discuss Ludwick, but perhaps the strong play of Jon Jay swayed them.
Ludwick, 32, has settled at a level between his stellar '08 and disappointing '09 seasons. He's under team control for next year, and we know the Padres prefer to get more than a rental.
Multiple Teams Discussing Paul Maholm
SATURDAY, 1:44am: In a deal for Maholm, the Pirates want a starting pitcher who is ready to contribute, two high-ranking team sources told Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
FRIDAY, 8:23pm: The Dodgers and Pirates aren't necessarily close to a Maholm deal, but the sides believe there's a genuine possibility that a trade happens, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link).
4:19pm: The Padres are not close to acquiring Maholm, according to Kovacevic (Twitter link).
3:46pm: The Dodgers and Padres are not the only clubs discussing deals with the Pirates, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (on Twitter). The Mets appear to be involved in discussions for Maholm, according to Scott Miller of CBS Sports.
3:12pm: The two teams look close to a deal, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown (on Twitter).
3:10pm: The Padres are discussing Maholm with the Pirates, according to Scott Miller of CBS Sports (on Twitter).
2:59: The Pirates are "close" to trading Maholm, according to Jim Bowden of Sirius XM Radio (on Twitter). However, Tom Krasovic of AOL FanHouse hears that the Padres are not discussing a deal for Maholm (Twitter link). Meanwhile, ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears that the Padres are making progress on a Maholm deal (Twitter link).
2:36pm: The Padres are discussing Maholm with the Pirates, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
1:29pm: The Pirates are willing to trade a starting pitcher for the right price, GM Neal Huntington told Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Huntington referred to starters close to free agency, which implies Paul Maholm or Zach Duke.
Kovacevic figures Maholm to be more popular than Duke, since the latter spent time on the DL this year with an elbow strain. Maholm is signed reasonably through next year with a club option for 2012, making him appealing to the Dodgers. The Mets, Cardinals, Padres, Twins, and Tigers may also be in the hunt for a starter.
Dodgers, Cubs Discussing Ted Lilly Deal
12:29am: The Cubs are sitting on multiple proposals for Lilly, tweets Rosenthal. The Dodgers are in the mix, but the two sides are still apart on money and players. He adds that the Dodgers find themselves in a similar position with the Pirates' Paul Maholm.
11:49pm: It's unlikely that the two sides get a deal done tonight, but talks are moving in a "positive" direction, a source tells Jayson Stark of ESPN (via Twitter).
10:53pm: The Dodgers and Cubs are closing in on a deal, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (via Twitter).
10:37pm: The Cubs are discussing two possible scenarios with the Dodgers, according to ESPNLosAngeles.com's Tony Jackson. One would send Lilly to LA and the other would send Lilly to LA along with teammate Ryan Theriot. FOX Sports reported early this morning that the Dodgers could acquire Theriot. ESPN.com's Jayson Stark confirms that the Yankees are in on Lilly and notes that they also inquired on Theriot (Twitter link).
10:21pm: The Cubs continue discussing Lilly with the Yankees and Dodgers, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse (Twitter link).
9:49pm: The only thing preventing the Cubs from sending Lilly to the Dodgers is money, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark (via Twitter). The clubs can't agree on how much money the Cubs would take on, but it could be enough to prevent a deal from happening.
8:59pm: The Yankees are still in on Lilly, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter link). The Padres had discussions about Lilly, but nothing is imminent, according to Dan Hayes of the North County Times (Twitter link).
8:24pm: The Dodgers remain active on Lilly and seem intent on acquiring him or Pirates lefty Paul Maholm, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Click here for the latest on Maholm.
3:18pm: The Reds have a "remote" chance of obtaining Lilly, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter links). The clubs haven't spoken in recent days, but the Reds are not on Lilly's no-trade list.
2:10pm: The Tigers still aren't out on Lilly, reports ESPN's Jayson Stark. He adds that a mystery team is in the mix. Hard to pin down a reasonable match, with the Padres not interested.
Rosenthal tweets that the Dodgers are more inclined to get Lilly without Theriot.
2:05pm: The Dodgers are talking to the Cubs about a multiplayer deal that would include Lilly and a position player, tweets Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times. Hernandez does not believe Theriot would be the position player. By the way, Tom Krasovic of AOL FanHouse tweets that the Padres are not a fit for Lilly.
11:58am: The Dodgers are waiting for Lilly's cost to come down, tweets Yahoo's Tim Brown. He notes that they're also monitoring Paul Maholm and Jason Frasor. The Pirates are willing to move a starting pitcher for the right price, GM Neal Huntington told Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
7:10am: The Dodgers and Cubs are discussing a trade that could send Ted Lilly and Ryan Theriot to Los Angeles, report Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. They say it's not known whether a deal is close. The Cubs would need to kick in cash – Lilly has $4.3MM remaining and Theriot has $933K.
Theriot received a $2.6MM salary for 2010 after losing an arbitration case to the Cubs in February. He's under team control through 2012; the FOX writers see him taking over at second base for the Dodgers. It doesn't seem to be the strongest need for them, with Blake DeWitt currently outperforming Theriot and Jamey Carroll and Ronnie Belliard also on the roster.
There aren't a ton of great matches for Lilly at this point, as action with the Tigers, Twins, and Mets has cooled and the Phillies are out of the mix. I wonder if we'll hear anything about the Cardinals and Padres looking at the lefty.
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