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West Notes: Giants, Chavez, Dodgers, A’s

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Last night, Dodgers right-hander Chad Billingsley held the Cubs to four hits over seven innings en route to the club's 6-1 victory at home.  With Cliff Lee reportedly off the market and Ted Lilly perhaps out for the season, Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com writes that the Dodgers will have to bank on more solid pitching out of the 28-year-old.  Here's more out of the Western divisions..

  • Before the trade deadline, the Giants offered Nate Schierholtz to the Yankees in an effort to land veteran Eric Chavez, according to Buster Olney of ESPN.com (via Twitter).  The Giants presumably pursued Chavez prior to acquiring Marco Scutaro, who has been plugged in at third base.  Chavez, 34, is hitting .269/.332..486 with ten homers on the year.
  • After trading for Joe Blanton and putting a claim in on Lee, the Dodgers continue to show that money is no object, writes Steve Henson of Yahoo Sports.  GM Ned Colletti seems to be happy with his newly-found flexibility, but it seems unlikely that the Phillies will part with Lee.
  • Catcher Kurt Suzuki was surprised to hear that the Athletics traded him to Washington but the veteran believes that the trade will work out for him as he will play every day, write John Shea and Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. 

Heyman On Cliff Lee, Carlos Lee

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Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com has the latest on a pair of August trade candidates…

  • MLB executives say they don’t expect Cliff Lee to be claimed by this afternoon, the deadline for clubs to submit a waiver claim on the left-hander. However, one AL exec said someone might claim him since many teams are short on pitching. The Dodgers seem like the most likely candidate to claim Lee, according to the executives Heyman surveyed.
  • Lee could prevent the Phillies from assigning his contract to any one of the 21 teams on his no-trade list if he is claimed on waivers, Heyman adds. Approximately 59% of 12,000 MLBTR readers expect Lee to be claimed.
  • The Yankees agreed to pay the Marlins $1MM in exchange for Carlos Lee before the trade deadline, but Lee blocked the deal as Jayson Stark reported this week. The Marlins tried to get $2.5MM from the Orioles for Lee, Heyman reports. However, the Orioles declined the offer (it’s unclear if the Orioles are on Lee’s 14-team no-trade list).
  • The Astros are paying Lee all but the pro-rated portion of the MLB minimum salary, so the Marlins would have turned a profit had they completed a deal with either AL East team. Lee, who is now on waivers, could be traded in August.

Yankees Designate Ramiro Pena For Assignment

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The Yankees have designated Ramiro Pena for assignment according to the transactions page at MLB.com. The move cleared room on the roster for the recently-acquired Casey McGehee.

Pena, 27, had one single in four plate appearances with New York this year and is a career .233/.266/.288 hitter in 338 big league plate appearances. The infielder hit .249/.302/.316 in Triple-A this year and has seen time at second, short, third, and right field during his career. 

Minor Moves: Jack Cust, Dewayne Wise

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The latest minor moves from around MLB…

AL East Notes: Qualls, Blanton, Blue Jays, Beckett

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The Yankees acquired Casey McGehee and the Red Sox acquired Craig Breslow, but the Blue Jays, Orioles and Rays remained relatively quiet on trade deadline day. Here’s the latest from the AL East…

  • The Yankees had planned to designate Chad Qualls for assignment to create roster space for Joba Chamberlain, so trading him to Pittsburgh wasn't a problem for the club, Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News reports (on Twitter).
  • The Yankees were in on Ryan Dempster, but talks "never got to crunch time," Marc Carig of the Star Ledger reports (on Twitter).
  • The Orioles continued general discussions about a possible Joe Blanton trade, but never took the next step, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports (on Twitter). "We would have liked to have done a deal or two today, but I don't think we're done adding to the team," executive VP Dan Duquette said, according to Eduardo A. Encina of the Sun (on Twitter).
  • The Blue Jays were discussing a trade late Monday, only to see the deal fall apart, GM Alex Anthopoulos said, according to Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star (on Twitter). Griffin suggests the deal was with the Cubs, who were discussing trades involving Matt Garza last night.
  • Red Sox GM Ben Cherington said he didn’t ask Josh Beckett if he’d waive his ten and five rights, according to Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal (on Twitter).

Marlins Tried To Unload Carlos Lee

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5:05pm: Two teams told ESPN.com's Jayson Stark that the Marlins thought they had traded Lee to the Yankees today (Twitter link).  However, Lee wouldn't waive his no-trade clause.  The sides were never close to completing a trade, ESPN.com's Buster Olney writes (on Twitter).

10:40am: The Marlins are trying to unload first baseman Carlos Lee, tweets Danny Knobler of CBS Sports.  At this stage in his career, Lee is a low-power 36-year-old with little defensive value, so teams might view him as a right-handed bench bat.  The Marlins added Lee earlier this month, with the Astros paying most of his $18.5MM salary.

Pirates, Yankees Swap McGehee, Qualls

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The Yankees acquired corner infielder Casey McGehee and $250K from the Pirates for reliever Chad Qualls, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

For all the talk of the Yankees seeking a defense-first third baseman to fill in for Alex Rodriguez, they went with right-handed power in McGehee.  Perhaps the Yanks liked McGehee's versatility, with Mark Teixeira ailing as well.  McGehee, 29, is hitting .230/.297/.377 in 293 plate appearances for the Pirates. They acquired him from the Brewers for Jose Veras in December; McGehee has about $890K remaining on his contract.  He's arbitration eligible for 2013, but may be non-tendered.  He was made more expendable by the Pirates' acquisition of first baseman Gaby Sanchez from the Marlins earlier today.

Qualls, 33, has a 4.89 ERA, 4.9 K/9, 2.8 BB/9, 1.63 HR/9, and 54% groundball rate for the Phillies and Yankees this year.  The Yankees acquired Qualls from the Phils on July 1st after he'd been designated for assignment, and Qualls was a likely roster casualty had he remained with the Yanks.

Dodgers Out On Dempster

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Cubs righty Ryan Dempster is scheduled to start tonight at Wrigley Field opposite A.J. Burnett, but a little thing called the trade deadline looms four hours prior to that contest.  As a 10-and-5 player, however, Dempster must approve any trade.  The latest:

  • The Dodgers are out on Dempster, tweets Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times.
  • Straight from the horse's mouth: Dempster told Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com he has expanded his list to include the Yankees and Rangers, in addition to the Dodgers.
  • The Dodgers are pursuing starting pitching on multiple fronts, notes Goldstein.
  • Money would have to be involved for Dempster to land with the Yankees, and with 90 minutes until the deadline there's been no talk of financials yet, tweets Sherman.  The Cubs are said to like Yankees second base prospect Angelo Gumbs and third base prospect Dante Bichette Jr., but Sherman is not sure the Yankees would do that just to upgrade on Freddy Garcia.  Reports are unclear on whether Dempster would approve a trade to the Yankees.
  • Echoing Kaplan, Nightengale tweets that the Cubs are engaged in heavy discussions with the Yankees on Dempster and are still talking to the Dodgers and Rangers.  No one is copping to it on the Yankees' side, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  The Yankees have indeed contacted the Cubs about Dempster, tweet Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, but the teams are not talking seriously yet.
  • The Dodgers are not the only team discussing Dempster with the Cubs, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
  • The deal is not done yet, tweets Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus, as the Cubs really want prospect Allen Webster and are trying to add to Dempster to get him.  Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports concurs: there is no agreement yet.
  • The Cubs and Dodgers are "finally closing in on the Dempster deal," a source close to the negotations tells Jim Bowden of ESPN and MLB Network Radio.
  • The Dodgers remain focused on Dempster and want him even if they add another pitcher, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  They're also looking at hitters, and money does not seem to be a concern.  Rosenthal notes that the Dodgers have worked on two massive deals over the last several days, both of which are now less likely. 
  • There's no evidence of Dempster talk with the Yankees, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
  • The Dodgers, Rangers, and Yankees are in play for Dempster, reports David Kaplan of CSNChicago.com.  The Rangers and Yankees stepped up their pursuit over the last 48 hours.  Furthermore, Kaplan says Dempster is willing to approve a trade to any of the three teams.
  • Nothing was close late Monday between the Dodgers and Cubs, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
  • Dempster "remains adamant that he will only approve a trade to the Dodgers," reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Rosenthal says the Cubs and Dodgers are discussing Dempster and left fielder Alfonso Soriano.  However, if the Dodgers acquire another target in outfielder Shane Victorino, they'd have little use for Soriano.  With only one suitor, the Cubs' only leverage is weak: their alternative is to keep Dempster and make him a qualifying offer in the $12.5MM range after the season, with an eye on scoring one compensatory draft pick if he declines.
  • The Cubs and Braves' previous dialogue about Dempster made yesterday's Paul Maholm trade a little easier, Cubs GM Jed Hoyer told reporters including MLB.com's Carrie Muskat.  As the centerpiece of that deal, the Cubs snagged Tommy John-rehabbing pitching prospect Arodys Vizcaino.

AL East Notes: Red Sox, Teixeira, Blue Jays

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The Blue Jays traded two outfielders for two relievers in a pair of late-night trades Monday, while the Orioles continued engaging the Phillies on Joe Blanton. Here’s the latest from the AL East as today’s 3pm CDT trade deadline draws closer…

  • Though some fans and analysts insist it's time for the Red Sox to trade Josh Beckett, he's not the negative clubhouse presence Manny Ramirez was, Alex Speier of WEEI.com writes. The Red Sox don't feel compelled to move Beckett, who's still well-respected by many teammates and club officials. Speier breaks down the reasons for and against a Beckett trade in detail at WEEI.com. It doesn't sound as though the Red Sox will move him today.
  • The Red Sox are on the lookout for an outfielder who bats from the right side, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports (on Twitter). Scott Hairston and Alfonso Soriano are among the potentially available outfielders who bat right-handed.
  • The Red Sox aren't involved on Matt Garza, Nick Cafardo reports (on Twitter).
  • Mark Teixeira's left wrist injury shouldn't affect the Yankees' trade plans, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter). The Yankees continue looking for a third baseman who plays strong defense.
  • Brad Lincoln probably can't start for the Blue Jays, but he can be a strong setup man and won't be worse than a right-handed specialist, ESPN.com's Keith Law writes. Travis Snider, the player Toronto gave up to acquire Lincoln, still has flaws, but could become an everyday outfielder with power. Law doesn't anticipate either Eric Thames or Steve Delabar will have a major impact on his new team. Within the Insider-only piece, Law also breaks down the Chris Johnson and Francisco Liriano trades.
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