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Zack Greinke Rumors: Wednesday

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Zack Greinke made his first start in ten days last night in what might turn out to be his final start in a Brewers uniform. He allowed one run on three hits over seven innings against the Phillies, striking out five.

It’s looking increasingly likely that the Brewers will consider trade offers for the right-hander, who has drawn interest from the Rangers, Orioles, Braves, Angels, White Sox, Blue Jays, and Dodgers. Greinke earns a $13.5MM salary this year and will be in line for a considerably larger contract when he hits free agency a few months from now — the Brewers have already offered him a nine-figure deal. Here are today’s Greinke rumors with the most recent updates up top:

  • The price tag for Greinke is extremely high, interested teams told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.  The Brewers are said to have a particular interest in a top young shortstop, and a source said they asked the Orioles about Manny Machado, a request that was rebuffed.
  • The Rangers, Angels, Braves and White Sox are most interested in Greinke, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (Twitter links). The White Sox want him badly and the Nationals are on the periphery of the talks at best.
  • There’s an "excellent chance" Greinke will be dealt, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports. Many scouts watched his outing last night and some came away impressed. Greinke is said to admire the Angels and Braves organizations, Morosi notes.
  • Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe hears that the Red Sox will not target Greinke (Twitter link).
  • Greinke will be a big focus for the Braves, who are moving on from Ryan Dempster, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter).
  • Greinke says he enjoys playing in Milwaukee, but won't take it personally if he's traded, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. “I don’t really look forward to being traded from this place, but it could happen,” Greinke said.
  • The Red Sox had a scout watching Greinke last night, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports.

AL East Notes: Rays, Shields, Red Sox, Oliver

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Last night we learned that the Rays discussed a deal with the Angels to send right-hander James Shields to Anaheim for Peter Bourjos, Hank Conger, and possibly Ervin Santana.  Here's more on the Rays and other items out of the AL East..

  • The Rays are telling teams Rays that they're getting encouraging reports on Evan Longoria and if he's back sooner than originally thought, they'll be less likely to move Shields and others, tweets Jayson Stark of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
  • ESPN.com's Buster Olney told Mut & Merloni of WEEI Radio that he doesn't expect the Red Sox to make a move before the deadline, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com.  Olney also said that rumors of Boston being interested in acquiring Hanley Ramirez were overstated, though reports suggested that their intent was to flip him to a third club.
  • A league source told Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com that the five most sought-after Red Sox are pitcher Matt Barnes, shortstop Jose Iglesias, outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr., infielder Xander Bogaerts, and catcher Ryan Lavarnway.  However, Boston hasn't internally discussed making any of them available, making their chances of landing an elite starter slim.
  • The Blue Jays hold a $3MM option on Darren Oliver for next season, but the soon-to-be 42-year-old hasn't thought about whether he wants to pitch in 2013, writes Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.

Quick Hits: Giants, Dodgers, Mets, Red Sox

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The latest trade rumors from around MLB…

  • The Giants are still looking for bullpen help, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter), They had some interest in Francisco Rodriguez until they saw him pitch recently and they don't view Jonathan Broxton as the solution, Knobler reports.
  • GM Ned Colletti says the Dodgers are far from done, and will continue to look for a starter and a position player, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets.
  • The Mets would listen to offers for Scott Hairston and Tim Byrdak, but only for pieces who could help them next year, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports (on Twitter).
  • The Red Sox would like to obtain a right-handed bat, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe tweets. We covered more Red Sox rumors in a pair of AL East posts today.

Stark On Marlins, Phillies, Dodgers, Garza, Twins

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Here's the latest from ESPN's Jayson Stark…

  • One official who spoke with the Marlins brass estimates that the odds Josh Johnson remains with Miami are "95 percent." The Red Sox, Angels, Rangers, White Sox, Blue Jays, and Royals have all checked in.
  • Carlos Lee, Ricky Nolasco, Heath Bell, and Gaby Sanchez are all very available. Other than Johnson, Giancarlo Stanton will be the toughest player to pry away from the Fish.
  • The Phillies have talked about trading Cliff Lee following the Cole Hamels extension and they haven't discouraged other teams from inquiring, but their game plan right now is to keep their trio of aces intact.
  • Shane Victorino and Joe Blanton are good bets to be dealt and the Phillies will listen on Hunter Pence. They want multiple young big leaguers to plug holes at third base, in the outfield, and in the bullpen in return.
  • The Dodgers are in on a number of starting pitchers, including Nolasco, Blanton, Kevin Millwood, and Jason Vargas in addition to Ryan Dempster and Matt Garza. They've also checked in on outfield and first base help, including Victorino and Justin Morneau.
  • Clubs have not been assured by the Cubs that Garza will make another start before the trade deadline due to his triceps issue. He's more likely to be dealt in the offseason.
  • In the wake of acquiring Wandy Rodriguez, the Pirates are sending signals that they could trade away a starter like Jeff Karstens or Kevin Correia.
  • The Twins' asking prices for Morneau ("pricey"), Denard Span ("more pricey"), and Josh Willingham ("it made me laugh") are high. Minnesota insists they will listen on anyone and Stark says Morneau is the bat they're most likely to move. Francisco Liriano is "nearly 100 percent" likely to be traded.
  • The Orioles continue to look for pitching, someone they consider a number three starter or better. Garza and Vargas have their eye but Dylan Bundy and Manny Machado are off the table. They've gotten hits on Jake Arrieta but won't move him unless they get a similar young arm with several years of team control remaining in return.
  • The Brewers will trade Randy Wolf "for nothing if you take the money," according to one official. 
  • The Rays have "got a big market" for Wade Davis. 

AL East Notes: Lester, Blue Jays, Aramis

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We checked in on the AL East this morning, but with less than a week remaining before the trade deadline, the rumors don’t stop coming. Here’s the latest…

AL East Notes: Yankees, Hanley, Orioles

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Alex Rodriguez broke his hand last night, when he was hit by a pitch from Felix Hernandez in Seattle. The injury is expected to sideline Rodriguez for six to eight weeks, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). Not surprisingly, the news will affect the Yankees' summer shopping list. Here are the latest notes from the AL East…

  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman said he’ll engage the market for a third baseman, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.  The Yankees will consider all third base options, including Chase Headley of the Padres, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reports (on Twitter). It seems unlikely that the Yankees would meet the Padres' asking price for Headley, Heyman writes (on Twitter).
  • The Red Sox asked the Marlins about Hanley Ramirez before last night’s trade, but Boston’s interest was in acquiring the infielder and flipping him to a third team, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports. It sounds as though the Red Sox were going to flip Ramirez to either the A’s or the Dodgers, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports (on Twitter).
  • The Orioles announced that they signed 25-year-old Cuban outfielder Henry Urrutia to a minor league contract. The Orioles will assign the 6’5”, 195-pound switch-hitter to Double-A Bowie. Urrutia did not play in 2011 following an unsuccessful attempt at defection, according to the Orioles. He established residency in Haiti after successfully defecting from Cuba.

Indians Acquire Brent Lillibridge

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The Indians announced that they acquired Brent Lillibridge from the Red Sox for right-hander Jose De La Torre. The Indians transferred Lonnie Chisenhall to the 60-day disabled list to create roster space for Lillibridge, who was recently designated for assignment by Boston.

Boston acquired Lillibridge in the trade that sent Kevin Youkilis to Chicago last month. Lillibridge, 28, has a .165/.212/.177 line in 86 total plate appearances this year. He has a career batting line of .212/.279/.351 in five seasons with the Braves, White Sox and Red Sox.

De La Torre, 26, posted a 2.91 ERA with 9.4 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 55 2/3 innings for Cleveland's Double-A and Triple-A affiliates this year. He had signed with the Indians as a minor league free agent in January.

Hanley, Lee, Nolasco, Choate Drawing Interest

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The Marlins traded Omar Infante and Anibal Sanchez to Detroit yesterday in what could be the first in a series of trades. Marlins officials have told other teams they are “open for business,” Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports. Hanley Ramirez, Carlos Lee, Josh Johnson, Ricky Nolasco and Randy Choate are already drawing trade interest.

The Marlins intend to complete trades that make sense from an on-field perspective, Rosenthal reports. Miami, which now has a 45-51 record, isn’t looking to dump salaries. The Marlins will absolutely try hard to move Heath Bell, but they’re not optimistic about the chances of completing a trade involving their newly-signed closer, Rosenthal reports. Bell is in the first year of a three-year, $27MM contract signed last offseason. 

The Athletics have jumped into trade talks for Ramirez, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports (on Twitter). The Blue Jays and Red Sox are also involved, according to Nightengale. The Marlins are open to moving Ramirez, but they’re likely to keep Johnson, who’s coveted by other teams.

AL East Notes: Ichiro, Span, Hanley

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After 11-plus seasons in Seattle, Ichiro Suzuki has been traded to the Yankees. The Mariners responded to Ichiro’s trade request last night, sending the outfielder to New York for right-handers D.J. Mitchell and Danny Farquhar. Here’s the latest from the AL East, starting with some reactions to the big trade…

Angels, Rangers, Red Sox Scouting Josh Johnson

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9:42pm: Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com adds that Angels pro scouting director Hal Morris was also present for Johnson's start tonight (Twitter link). Johnson fired a gem, allowing just one hit and striking out nine hitters in six innings. Johnson did leave the start early with what he told reporters (including MLB.com's Joe Frisaro) was a cut near his fingernail. He's expected to make his next start.

7:25pm: The Rangers also have a scout in attendance to watch Johnson's start this evening, tweets Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.

7:00pm: The Marlins have already traded one starting pitcher (and their second baseman) today, and the Red Sox are hopeful they'll consider moving another. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports that the Red Sox are scouting Josh Johnson (Twitter link). No deal is close, according to Cafardo.

Johnson, 28, has struggled in 2012, pitching to a 4.35 ERA in 113 2/3 innings. Johnson has a 7.6 K/9, 2.8 BB/9, and 46.5% groundball rate. Both FIP (3.13) and SIERA (3.79) suggest that Johnson has been the victim of some poor luck. The right-hander is in the third year of a four-year, $39MM contract he signed in January of 2010. He's making $13.75MM this season and will be paid the same salary in 2013.

The Red Sox were said to be pursuing Ryan Dempster aggressively at one point, but Boston reportedly turned its interest to Matt Garza. They've also reportedly had internal discussions surrounding Francisco Liriano. MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith recently ran down some other potentially available starters.

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