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Competition For Scott Downs Heating Up

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MONDAY, 11:13pm: Talks between Blue Jays and Red Sox about a potential Downs deal aren’t currently progressing, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. However, things can change quickly in the week leading up to the non-waiver trade deadline, so the Blue Jays are still scouting Red Sox single A pitcher Roman Mendez, according to Alex Speier.

SUNDAY, 12:28pm: ESPN.com's Buster Olney says the Blue Jays' discussions involving Downs are drawing "fascination" from rival executives who are curious to see what Toronto can acquire. The Jays have been asking for a significant return in part because of Downs' Type A status, but some execs don't believe that should be a factor, and feel the Jays are demanding too much for a non-closer (all Twitter links).

9:14am: The competition in the Scott Downs sweepstakes is "fierce," tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Morosi suggests that the Yankees and the Red Sox are the current front-runners, but that the Mets, Reds, and Twins are also involved.

In a year where the bullpen options are scarce, Downs stands out as not only the top left-handed arm available among an underwhelming group of southpaws, but also as one of the best overall relievers on the market. As MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith pointed out when he examined Downs' trade value, the lefty seems headed for Type A designation, meaning he could potentially be worth a pair of draft picks for whichever team he finishes the year with.

Besides the clubs Morosi names, the Dodgers, Rockies, and Phillies are among others that have been linked to Downs this month.

Yankees Trying To Trade Chan Ho Park

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The Yankees are trying to trade Chan Ho Park, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark (via Twitter). The market for relievers is thin, but adding Park to it doesn't change much for teams in search of relief help. The 37-year-old has allowed seven homers and 30 other hits in 32.1 innings for a 5.57 ERA. Park's strikeout (7.2 K/9) and walk (2.5 BB/9) numbers have been above-average, but he has been hittable in 2010.

Park earns $1.2MM this season before hitting free agency. He missed time with a hamstring injury earlier in the year and his place in the Yankees 'pen has been less than secure since May. Presumably, the Yankees would part with Park for salary relief or a fringe prospect.

Yankees Rumors: Soria, Dunn, Lilly

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11:23am: The Yankees dangled Jesus Montero in talks for Joakim Soria, reports ESPN's Jayson Stark, but the Royals weren't interested.

7:31am: SI's Jon Heyman dished Yankees rumors in yesterday's column…

  • The Yankees "made a big proposal" for Soria. With three club options, the 26-year-old righty is under team control through 2014.  Had Soria not signed a team-friendly extension in May of 2008, he'd be eligible for free agency after the 2012 season.  The only blemish on his record was missing most of May last year with a sore shoulder.  How do the Yankees and Royals match up?  You'd expect Dayton Moore to pursue Montero or Austin Romine, though the Royals already have Billy Butler and Wil Myers in the organization.
  • Heyman notes that the Yankees "have been in touch" with the Nationals about Adam Dunn, but "so far found the price prohibitive."  With six days until the trade deadline, will Mike Rizzo drop the price on Dunn?  Heyman also links the Yankees to familiar names Ty Wigginton, Jhonny Peralta, and Cody Ross.
  • Heyman doesn't see the Yankees going after Roy Oswalt, but tweets that they like Ted Lilly.  Teams like the Cubs and Astros have to hope the Diamondbacks' unimpressive return for Dan Haren doesn't have a ripple effect on their available starters.
  • Heyman tweets that the Yankees' offer for Haren consisted of righties Ivan Nova and Zach McAllister plus one or two prospects.  Baseball America viewed Nova and McAllister as future No. 4 types heading into the season.

Odds & Ends: Sweeney, Downs, Martin

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Links for Monday, as we celebrate the anniversary of the Mark DeRosa (2009), Casey Blake (2008), Xavier Nady (2008), and Ben Broussard (2006) trades.  More importantly, Chris Perez, Carlos Santana, Jose Tabata, and Shin-Soo Choo were surrendered for those veteran acquisitions.  The trade deadline is five days away; who will mortgage the future this year?

Roy Oswalt Rumors: Sunday

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The Phillies, Yankees, Dodgers, and Cardinals were among the teams that had scouts watching Roy Oswalt's start against the Reds last night. Oswalt didn't exactly dazzle, allowing six runs over five innings, but there still seems to be plenty of interest in the right-hander, according to yesterday's round of Oswalt rumors. Here are today's updates, with the latest notes being added to the top of the list throughout the day:

  • With Haren off of the trade market, Houston's asking price for Oswalt will likely be too high for the Cards' tastes, writes Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
  • MLB.com's Brian McTaggart writes that Oswalt's pursuit of becoming the all-time wins leader in Houston won't affect his trade status. One win shy of the record, Oswalt says it would be nice to reach the mark, but won't veto a trade to make it happen.
  • In an update for FOX Sports, Rosenthal says the Astros are having trouble matching up with the Cardinals and Dodgers, leaving the Phillies as the most logical suitor. However, in a pair of tweets, ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports that the Phils are exploring the possibility of swapping Werth directly for a starter if they can't work out a deal for Oswalt or Dan Haren.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the Phillies, as opposed to the Dodgers and Cards, are best positioned to acquire Oswalt if they move Jayson Werth. However, Rosenthal hears from an executive that Philadelphia's demands in a Werth deal appear to be changing daily.
  • Astros president Tal Smith tells Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that he expects Oswalt to be moved. According to Smith, the Astros' ace is drawing "considerable interest," with at least "three or four" teams attempting to acquire the 32-year-old.
  • Cafardo also hears from an Astros official that New York might be too "big time" for the quiet Oswalt, meaning there's a chance the righty may not waive his no-trade clause to play for a Big Apple team.

Dan Haren Rumors: Sunday

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The Diamondbacks' asking price for Dan Haren still exceeds what most teams are willing to offer, as the Yankees and Tigers have balked at deals centered around Joba Chamberlain and Jacob Turner respectively. However, despite being on Haren's no-trade list, the Tigers are still in play since the right-hander is expected to strongly consider playing anywhere he has a chance to win. Those were the highlights of yesterday's Haren rumors, so let's move on to today's. Any new updates will show up at the top of the page throughout the day….

  • SI's Jon Heyman tweets that in addition to Chamberlain, the Yankees are hesitant to part with pitchers Hector Noesi and Dellin Betances in a potential Haren trade.
  • John Harper of the New York Daily News writes that the Yankees are under no pressure to trade for Haren and that any deal they make will be on their own terms. ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Insider required) agrees with Harper's assessment, noting that the Yanks would take on Haren's salary and give up "B-plus prospects" in a trade, but that they won't move their best prospects.
  • If the Yankees were to acquire Haren, it would compromise their chances of signing Cliff Lee this winter, says Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Sherman also hears that the D'Backs would like to get their payroll down to about $60MM for 2011, further motivating them to move Haren now.

Roy Oswalt Rumors: Saturday

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Astros righty Roy Oswalt indicated yesterday that he would be willing to re-structure his contract to accommodate a trade to the Cardinals, and that his 2012 option worth $16MM would not be a deal-breaker if the team approached him about a deal. The Phillies are still trying to unload Jayson Werth to help facilitate a trade for Oswalt while the Dodgers and Astros have exchanged some names. The Twins, however, are not in on the 32-year-old right-hander.

That's a quick summary of what we learned yesterday, so here is today's batch of Oswalt rumors…

  • Philadelphia remains more focused on Oswalt than Haren, tweets Heyman.
  • The Phillies could swing a three-way trade involving Jayson Werth in order to land Oswalt, writes Ed Price of Fanhouse.  Earlier tonight, we learned that the Phillies could also use Werth to get the prospects needed to land Dan Haren.
  • Astros owner Drayton McLane says that there's nothing imminent right now, writes Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.
  • In addition to the aforementioned Phillies, the Yankees, Dodgers, and Cardinals will all be watching Oswalt's start tonight, according to the Houston Chronicle's Zachary Levine.
  • The Dodgers' chances of landing Astros ace Roy Oswalt do not look good, Rosenthal says in his latest Full Count.  In fact, some major league executives think that Houston won't trade Oswalt at all.  The fact that the Astros were seeking both major league-ready position players and prospects in a deal with Los Angeles may indicate that they're not all that anxious to move the hurler.
  • The Phillies, along with a dozen other clubs, will scout Oswalt tonight as he takes the mound against the Reds, tweets Jim Salisbury of CSN Philadelphia.
  • Rosenthal tweets that the Astros asked the Dodgers for both big league-ready position players and prospects in a deal for Oswalt.
  • Joe Strauss of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch says that the Astros rejected a proposal from the Cards earlier this week that would have sent Brendan Ryan and one other player to Houston. 
  • The Yankees may be in on Dan Haren, but they aren't in on Oswalt, according to FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal.

Dan Haren Rumors: Saturday

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The Diamondbacks seem determined to move ace Dan Haren before his next start on Tuesday, and it appeared as though the Yankees became the favorite to land the right-hander yesterday. D-Backs' CEO Derrick Hall hedged his bets, saying there was no front-runner, and that other clubs had offers "of at least equal value out there." The Twins, Tigers, Phillies, and Cardinals all continue to maintain interest in Haren as well. 

With all that in mind, here is today's collection of Haren rumors, with more to come…

  • Haren's no-trade list probably won't matter in the way that it has for Roy Oswalt, as Haren wants to have a chance to win, a source told Olney (via Twitter).
  • Haren would prefer to stay in the west, a source told Heyman (via Twitter).  However, the hurler is willing to consider all suitors, which is why talks continue with clubs like Detroit and Minnesota.
  • It is possible that the Phillies will trade Jayson Werth in order to get the prospects necessary to land Haren, according to Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Alternatively, the D'Backs could take advantage where the Phillies' farm system is strongest: its lower levels.  Arizona is said to have interest in one single-A player in particular, 18-year-old slugger Jonathan Singleton.
  • The Tigers don't want to give up Jacob Turner for Haren and they are also on Haren's no-trade list, tweets Heyman.  He adds that Ted Lilly is a "possible second choice" for Detroit.
  • There have been no conversations today between the D'Backs and the Yankees, says Olney (via Twitter).
  • Arizona is asking the Tigers for pitchers Jacob Turner and Andrew Oliver, tweets Olney.
  • The Dodgers were actively talking to Arizona about Haren before Josh Byrnes was fired according to FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal (Twitter link). They are not a prominent suitor now.
  • ESPN's Buster Olney says the Yankees do not value Haren as much as they did Cliff Lee, and they consider him a risk because of his performance this year (Twitter links). Hence their reluctance to take on Haren's entire contract and deal a boatload of prospects.
  • The Yankees are willing to surrender Nova, pitching prospect Zach McAllister, and two prospects for Haren, but they will not eat money and include Chamberlain in a trade, tweets SI.com's Jon Heyman. McAllister's father works in Arizona's scouting department. In a second tweet, Heyman says the Yanks would be willing to pay all of the money left on Haren's deal, but they balked at taking Chad Qualls and Chris Snyder as well.
  • ESPN's Jayson Stark says the Yankees were "never close" to a deal for a Haren, having rejected a D-Backs' proposal that would have sent Joba Chamberlain, highly regarded pitching prospect Ivan Nova, and two others to Arizona. The Yanks countered with a package built entirely around prospects. Another sticking point is the $33MM left on Haren's contract, which the D-Backs wanted the Yanks to assume in full. New York, like other interested clubs, wanted the quality of the players in the deal to be dependent on how much of Haren's contract Arizona is willing to eat.
  • Sean Brennan, Mark Feinsand, and Roger Rubin of The New York Daily News spoke to a source who indicated that while the Yankees would like to swing a deal for Haren, they won't do so "at all costs."

Odds & Ends: Hart, Angels, Blue Jays, Mariners

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Some links for Saturday as Roy Oswalt prepares to make what might be the final start of his Astros' career…

Olney’s Latest: Royals, Managers, Dunn, Berkman

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In today's blog post at ESPN (Insider req'd), Buster Olney says that even though things aren't going so well for the Royals at the big league level, rival scouts and executives gush about the quality of their farm system. "Our goal is by 2012 and 2013 to have as many homegrown guys playing as we can," said GM Dayton Moore, which Olney likens to the way the Twins and Rays are built.

Here are the rest of his rumors…

  • One scout opined that we're likely to see more managerial changes this offseason than ever before. Olney lists 12 teams that could be looking for a new manager this winter, and reminds us that Tony LaRussa, Joe Girardi, and Dusty Baker do not have contracts in place for beyond this season.
  • The Nationals are concerned about whether or not Adam Dunn's body will hold up during a three or four-year deal, but Olney spoke to one AL evaluator who pointed out that Dunn's ability to hit homers is gaining more value as time goes on. 
  • The Diamondbacks have prioritized the acquisition of a closer, hence their request for Joba Chamberlain in a potential Dan Haren trade.
  • Olney speculates that Lance Berkman could be a fit for the Rays next year, since they'll need to replace Carlos Pena.
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