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Morosi On Nationals, Angels, Pirates, White Sox

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The Nationals will win the NL East this year, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports writes. Bryce Harper appears to have solved the team's center field dilemma in the short term and the team's run prevention has been tremendous. General manager Mike Rizzo says his team's first half success isn't a fluke. “I’m very pleased with it — don’t get me wrong — but I’m not shocked by it," he told Morosi. Here are more of Morosi’s notes from around MLB:

NL East Notes: Cole Hamels, Scott Hairston

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The Marlins acquired Carlos Lee from the Astros for Matt Dominguez and Rob Rasmussen earlier tonight in a trade that shows Miami's leadership still intends to win this year. The Marlins should obtain some additional offense from Lee at first base, while the Astros acquire a pair of intriguing prospects for their minor league system. Here are today’s NL East links…

  • Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. met privately with Cole Hamels yesterday, but the left-hander said the meeting didn’t have to do with his contract status, according to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. Hamels, who’s set to hit free agency this coming offseason, isn't intent on leaving the Phillies because of the team's disappointing 2012 season. He understands that the Phillies are talking to other clubs about him and remains optimistic that he and Amaro can reach a long-term agreement, Zolecki reports.
  • Lefty masher Scott Hairston would be the most in-demand player on the Mets if New York were selling, a scout told Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter). However, the 44-37 Mets are looking to add to the big league team this summer.

Yanks Have “No Intention Of Joining” Hamels Bidding

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The Yankees are currently in wait-and-see mode despite injuries to both CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte, though they could make a move for a starter before the trade deadline. ESPN's Buster Olney reports (on Twitter) that the team has "no intention of joining" the bidding for Cole Hamels unless the asking price diminishes dramatically, however.

Over the weekend we heard that the Phillies had started to gauge trade interest in their homegrown ace left-hander, and that they're looking for a package of four or five prospects with an emphasis on help at third base and in the outfield. Since the Yankees are aiming to get below the $189MM luxury tax threshold by 2014, trading prospects for the southpaw and then keeping him long-term may not be feasible.

Phillies Notes: Hamels, Victorino, Manuel

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The Phillies' trades in the past week are signs that the club is getting ready to send off even more pieces, opines Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (video link).  Philly hasn't quite put Cole Hamels out on the trade market yet, but as they sit far behind the first-place Nationals, it seems inevitable.  Morosi says that moves involving Hamels and Shane Victorino look likelier by the day.  More on the Phillies..

  • The Phillies might be saying publicly that they're not prepared to sell, but that doesn't appear to truly be the case, writes Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.  One rival executive who talked to a high-ranking Phillies official told Knobler, "They told me, 'If we lose any more games, we could be selling soon.'"
  • Phillies skipper Charlie Manuel agreed with a reporter’s observation that the team's season riding on these next three weeks, writes Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com.  Meanwhile, Victorino argued that the returns of Roy Halladay and Ryan Howard will make a major impact on the club and will be bigger than any two acquisitions the Phillies could possibly make.
  • Victorino also told reporters, including Todd Zolecki of MLB.com (via Twitter) that he doesn't think his days in Philly are numbered and it's up to the team to show the front office that they can win as-is.

Latest On Yankees’ Search For Pitching

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The Yankees are in wait-and-see mode for now, but could pursue starting pitching before July 31st, Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports write. With C.C. Sabathia and Andy Pettitte on the disabled list, the Yankees’ rotation now includes Freddy Garcia and David Phelps.

Zack Greinke doesn’t interest the Yankees, who are concerned about how players will adjust to playing in New York. The Yankees could pursue Cole Hamels, but they aim to lower payroll below $189MM by 2014 to avoid the luxury tax, so keeping the left-hander long term wouldn’t be easy given the team’s existing commitments. The Yankees like Matt Garza and he may be their most realistic option if they’re willing to meet the Cubs’ steep asking price.

Phillies Gauging Trade Interest In Cole Hamels

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Monday: Olney adds that the Phillies are focused on acquiring help at third base and in the outfield in any trade for Hamels (Twitter link). 

Sunday, 2:30 pm: The Phillies' asking price for Hamels is said to be a package of four to five prospects, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.com. Olney adds rival executives believe such a package could be hard to come by with the new rule preventing teams from offering arbitration to potential free agents acquired in trade (via Twitter). 

12:22 pm: The Phillies have begun calling teams to see about trade interest in Cole Hamels, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.  The left-hander will be eligible for free agency after earning $15MM in his walk year. Heyman writes there has been no progress made in contract negotiations.

It's possible that the Phillies are just scoping out early interest in Hamels just in case, Heyman tweets, but the calls make the odds of a trade seem real at this point.  Less than a week ago, it was reported that the club was not ready to put Hamels or outfielder Shane Victorino on the block.

There should be no shortage of interest in the 28-year-old and the Rangers could be one of the more aggressive suitors for him.  Texas is said to be scouting Hamels as well as Brewers pitcher Zack Greinke.

Steve Adams contributed to this post.

Phillies Notes: Hamels, Howard, Halladay

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Yesterday we learned that the Phillies have begun calling teams to see about trade interest in Cole Hamels.  Here's the latest on the left-hander..

  • An executive who spoke with the Phillies‬ says he can't see them unloading Cole Hamels and other pieces until after Ryan Howard and Roy Halladay return in mid-July, according to Jayson Stark of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
  • General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr. denounced rumors of the club shopping Hamels and told reporters, including Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer, that he plans to keep the pitcher in Philly in the "short term and long term."  When asked if he believes re-signing Hamels is realistic, he answered in the affirmative.  Meanwhile, a baseball source says contact between the GM and Hamels' agent, John Boggs, has been almost nonexistent.
  • The Phillies will not be trading any major piece anytime soon, opines Gelb.  Gelb believes that Amaro has simply been gauging interest in his top pieces and won't necessarily move anyone.

Quick Hits: Jon Daniels, Cole Hamels, Matt Kemp

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Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo has delivered three game-winning RBIs in his five games since being called up from Triple-A last week. Here's the latest news and headlines from around the big leagues…

  • The Rangers will take a business-as-usual approach to the upcoming trade deadline meaning Jon Daniels and his associates plan to consider the best players available, writes Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News. Daniels hopes his team will benefit from getting four pitchers back from the disabled list before the end of the month. "… I’m hoping we’re not big players at the deadline. Hopefully, we get our guys back, get healthy and stay healthy. That’s the biggest thing."
  • The Phillies will make at least one more attempt to sign Cole Hamels to a long-term contract before the team fully commits to dealing the left-hander, reports Buster Olney of ESPN.com (via Twitter). As mentioned earlier today, opposing clubs believe Philadelphia has an asking price of four to five prospects for Hamels, which makes a deal unlikely at this point. The 28-year-old was selected for his third All-Star team on Sunday after posting a 3.08 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 through 16 starts this season.
  • Dodgers star Matt Kemp remains confident in his team's ability to be successful on the field after Los Angeles' deal with the Astros for Carlos Lee fell through on Sunday, says Alex Angert of MLB.com. "It's always good to get people to make your team better," Kemp said. "I don't know exactly what people think we need. We did a great job with what we have here. If we get somebody, that's good. But if we don't, it keeps going on and we have to keep playing the way we have in the first half."
  • The Rays, depleted by a series of injuries, will determine how they approach the trade deadline based upon the health of Evan Longoria and Matt Joyce, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. If Longoria and Joyce return from the disabled list shortly after the All-Star break, it would free up the Rays to bolster their weak spots at catcher and shortstop. More likely, Tampa Bay will pursue an offensive weapon that adds power to the lineup, such as Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano, who has 15 home runs since May 15.

Phillies Notes: Fire Sale, Amaro, Hamels

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Earlier tonight the Phillies traded Jim Thome to the Orioles for a pair of Single-A prospects. Here's the latest from the City of Brotherly Love…

  • The Phillies are not yet ready to start a full-scale fire sale according to ESPN's Buster Olney (on Twitter). The Thome deal figures to be the first in a series of moves, however.
  • GM Ruben Amaro Jr. told reporters (including MLB.com's Todd Zolecki) that they'll get both Roy Halladay and Ryan Howard back in the coming weeks, and the duo will be "pretty big factors" in the club's trade deadline plans.
  • When asked if the team's losing would impact his upcoming free agent decision, Cole Hamels told Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com that he's not thinking about it (Twitter link). The Phillies went 9-19 in June.
  • Earlier tonight we heard that the Rangers are scouting Hamels, but that the Phillies trading Shane Victorino may be more likely.

Rosenthal On Victorino, Red Sox, Braves, Brewers

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has a new Full Count video up, so let's round up the rumors…

  • The chances of the Phillies trading Shane Victorino may be greater than the chances of them trading Cole Hamels. The Dodgers, Reds, and possibly the Yankees could be fits for the outfielder, who originally asked Philadelphia for a five-year extension. They're unwilling to give him a contract that long.
  • The Red Sox are likely to be one of the most active teams at the trade deadline. If they keep Franklin Morales in the rotation, they're likely to seek another left-hander for the bullpen. They could also acquire a starter and shift Morales back into a relief role.
  • The Braves are not as adamant about not trading their top young pitchers as they were at this time last year mostly because there are more appealing choices on the market. They're looking for consistency and could part with one of Mike Minor, Julio Teheran, or Randall Delgado if they view someone like Matt Garza as a difference-maker.
  • The Brewers remain more likely to sell than not, but they would still like to return to contention quickly. They could ask for big league pitching instead of prospects for Zack Greinke, plus Francisco Rodriguez figures to have value on the trade market. GM Doug Melvin is getting calls about John Axford and Jose Veras, and the trio of Randy Wolf, George Kottaras, and Shaun Marcum (if healthy) remain trade bait.
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