Padres Aren’t Discussing Gonzalez
The Red Sox have asked about Adrian Gonzalez, but the Padres steadfastly refuse to discuss him, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. Boston has enough top prospects to entice most teams, but the Padres "just won't budge."
Heyman On Halladay, Holliday, Indians, Nats
9:34am: Heyman says the Yankees inquired about Cliff Lee and were told they'd have to give up Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes, plus other players.
8:34am: Jon Heyman of SI.com has the latest on the biggest stars available:
- The Phillies are the frontrunners to acquire Roy Halladay. Heyman says the Jays are expected to ask for one of J.A. Happ and Kyle Drabek, one of Dominic Brown and Michael Taylor, plus others.
- The Brewers may be the Phillies' biggest threat, but they'd probably have to part with Alcides Escobar, and maybe Mat Gamel, too.
- The Mets bowed out of the Halladay talks once Fernando Martinez's name came up.
- There's a "good chance" the Cardinals trade for Matt Holliday, according to one of Heyman's sources.
- Indians GM Mark Shapiro wonders if teams are holding onto their prospects too tightly: "It's almost to the point where there's an over-evaluation of these guys. There's almost an over-correction."
- Heyman says the Nats should trade Nick Johnson, Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham.
Odds & Ends: Garland, Washburn, Giants
Lots of interesting rumblings from around the league–could be an exciting evening here at ol' MLBTR. Here are some intriguing links to feed the insatiable frenzy:
- After Mark Reynolds criticized his D'Backs teammates a few weeks ago, Jon Garland took it a step further Wednesday, saying he "doesn't see any fight" in his teammates. As Bob Romantic at the East Valley Tribune notes, this could accelerate trade rumors already surrounding Garland.
- The Dallas Morning News asks Rangers fans who they'd deal for Cliff Lee.
- Buster Olney at ESPN gives a video-blog rundown of what the Red Sox have done in the trade market and what they plan to undertake.
- Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse says that a number of scouts reported to the Dodgers' Double-A affiliate, including two from the Braves.
- Geoff Baker at the Seattle Times talked with trade target Jarrod Washburn, who expresses interest in signing a contract extension with the Mariners.
- Henry Schulman at the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the Nationals are scouting the Giants' Double-A affiliate, and speculates that Adam Dunn, Joe Beimel, Ron Villone or Nick Johnson might be on the Giants' radar.
- Chris Haft at MLB.com answers fans' questions about the Giants' stance at the upcoming deadline.
- Anthony Castrovince at MLB.com wonders if improved play would make Ryan Garko the next to leave the Indians, as Matt LaPorta waits in the wings.
Major Indians Deal “Doubtful”
According to Ken Rosenthal at FOX Sports, despite the swirl around a possible blockbuster involving Cliff Lee or Victor Martinez, sources say it's "doubtful" either one is traded. The source calls a Lee deal "a longshot" and a Martinez one "more of a longshot."
The Indians are still pushing for a young, MLB-ready starter, but the Red Sox have been reluctant to deal Clay Buchholz. As noted earlier, the Rays have been in on both Lee and Martinez.
“Slim” Chance Rays Make Blockbuster Deal
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Rays are pursuing the biggest stars available, but remain unlikely to acquire any of them. Payroll limitations could prevent the Rays from adding Victor Martinez, Cliff Lee or Roy Halladay. The Rays would consider parting with Scott Kazmir and Carl Crawford, though the chances they deal their star left fielder are "close to zero."
Rockies Acquire Rafael Betancourt
2:52pm: Troy Renck of the Denver Post says the Rockies traded Single A pitcher Connor Graham to the Indians for Betancourt.
2:32pm: Ed Price of AOL FanHouse says the Rockies acquired Rafael Betancourt from the Indians.
1:01pm: MLB.com reports that the Rockies will trade for right-handed bullpen help today. We'll update you as information becomes available.
Rays Pursuing Victor Martinez
The Rays are now pursuing Victor Martinez, Jon Heyman of SI.com reports. They have Jeff Niemann, Wade Davis and Jeremy Hellickson to offer the Indians, though the clubs aren't believed to have exchanged names. The Red Sox have many top young pitchers as well and have been discussing Martinez for weeks with the Indians. Boston remains interested in V-Mart, even after adding Adam LaRoche, but one GM believes the two clubs would have completed a deal weeks ago if one was going to happen.
Rays catcher Dioner Navarro has been a disappointment this year, hitting just .223/.253/.327. He has five homers, but his strikeout to walk ratio has deteriorated badly.
The Rays are also discussing Cliff Lee with the Indians and R.J. Anderson of DRaysBay hears that the club has interest in Chad Qualls.
Rays Talked To Indians About Acquiring Lee
1:07pm: Ken Rosenthal now hears that the Rays may involve a third team in the deal to provide the Indians with more pitching.
8:25am: No deal is imminent, but the Rays and Indians discussed a deal that would send Cliff Lee to the Rays for prospects, accoding to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Wade Davis is believed to be among the top prospects that interest Indians GM Mark Shapiro, but the Rays have been reluctant to deal the 23-year-old righty.
Stark: Cliff Lee Is “Quasi-Available”
ESPN.com's Jayson Stark says the Indians could deal Cliff Lee, but don't particularly want to. In other words, he's "quasi-available." We heard that the Rays and Indians discussed Lee and Stark says it's "not impossible" that the Rangers could pursue the Indians ace. Both teams would be able to trade the Indians the young, high-upside talent they seek.
Rosenthal Roundup: Rays Could Make Big Move, Red Sox Out On V-Mart
Ken Rosenthal's latest is seemingly at odds with the report we noted earlier from Bill Chastain that the Rays will not be major players at the deadline.
"The Rays are engaged in a whirlwind of activity, investigating [Cliff] Lee, [Roy] Halladay and numerous other options — 'major, major stuff,' according to one source," Rosenthal writes.
Other notes from Rosenthal:
- The Red Sox deals "should eliminate any chance of them trading for Victor Martinez."
- "The Phillies, Rays, Brewers and Dodgers are on Lee, and the Rangers have expressed continued interest" as well.
- The Angels are targeting Baltimore's George Sherrill and Cleveland's Rafael Betancourt.
- The Rockies are after Baltimore's Danys Baez.
- The Giants want to hold onto Jonathan Sanchez, given Randy Johnson's fragility.