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Victor Martinez Rumors: Friday

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12:24pm: ESPN's Jayson Stark: "The Rays continued to talk with Cleveland about Martinez Friday afternoon, but clubs they've spoken with say they're more focused on "under-the-radar" bullpen arms."  San Diego closer Heath Bell is among those names, but the Rays didn't like the price.

11:49am: MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo (via Twitter) finds a 50% chance of a Martinez trade.

7:44am: Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports describe the Indians as "pessimistic" about their chances of trading Martinez.

6:36am: Yesterday ESPN's Jayson Stark brought up Victor Martinez as part of a possible three-way trade involving the Red Sox, Indians, and another club.  Let's see what's cooking today…

SI's Jon Heyman writes of "brief talks" between the Mets and Indians for V-Mart.  However, the Mets prefer to keep their top prospects and probably already turned down an offer from Cleveland.  We know this because GM Omar Minaya admitted to turning down two offers for big-time players.  Heyman still sees Boston as the favorite for Martinez.  Joel Sherman of the New York Post expects some kind of big move out of the Sox today.  Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports agrees.

Red Sox & Indians Considering Three-Way Deal

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The Red Sox and Indians discussed a three-way deal Thursday night that would send Victor Martinez to Boston and Clay Buchholz to Cleveland, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark. The deal would include a third team and send prospects in all directions.

The Red Sox and Indians contacted other teams to find a match. The Red Sox would want to trade recently-acquired Adam LaRoche to the third team, according to one of Stark's sources. LaRoche wouldn't fit on the Red Sox anymore if they add Martinez and there don't appear to be many suitors for him, especially now that the Giants added Ryan Garko. We know a team other than the Giants made the Pirates an offer for LaRoche earlier in the month.

The Indians are "heavily scouting" the Rays' system, but it's a "long shot" that Martinez goes to Tampa because the Rays have financial limitations that would likely force them to make a preliminary deal before acquiring Martinez. With just over 14 hours left, they don't have much time.

Odds And Ends: Torre, Ross, Braves

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The rumors keep coming; here are a few tidbits for the evening…

Mets Are Buyers, Want To Keep Prospects

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Matt Cerrone of MetsBlog hears that the Mets are buyers, but may have to get creative in order to add to their current team because they don't want to give up top prospects like Fernando Martinez and Brad Holt. Cerrone hears that the Mets and Indians have been talking, but the Mets' level of interest in Victor Martinez is unclear.

Odds & Ends: Yankees, Mets, Red Sox

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Thursday linkage…

Victor Martinez Rumors: Thursday

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Indians catcher/first baseman Victor Martinez stands as one of the bigger names remaining on the trade market.  The 30 year-old, who is under control through 2010 with an affordable option, is hitting .284/.368/.464 in 435 plate appearances this season.  The option jumps to $7.5MM if he's traded, plus up to $1MM in incentives.

We've seen the Red Sox and Rays linked to V-Mart, though Joe Smith and Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times doubt the Rays' desire to add Martinez without Cliff Lee.  Sean McAdam of the Boston Herald says the Red Sox already rejected a "one-for-one proposal that would have sent Clay Buchholz to Cleveland for Martinez."

Meanwhile, Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports say "other, unidentified teams are believed to be interested in Martinez as well."

Olney’s Latest: Bell, Washburn, Martinez

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Buster Olney at ESPN with a few updates on trade chatter today:

  • The Padres are fielding all sorts of calls on Heath Bell. Of the dozen or so interested, the Marlins have probably been the most aggressive.
  • Talks have still gone on with the Red Sox about Adrian Gonzalez, but "no significant progress" has been made. The Pads will likely want Clay Buchholz among "four or five of the best and brightest" prospects in the Sox system.
  • The Mariners are listening to offers for Jarrod Washburn, but not dangling him. There are also indications they're trying to "reach an understanding" on a contract extension.
  • The Sox are definitely in the mix for Victor Martinez, but they're busy scouring the league for various needs.

Will Victor Martinez Be Next To Go?

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8:16pm: Comments from GM Mark Shapiro after the Lee deal would seem to indicate he's ready to deal Victor Martinez for the right offer. However, Rosenthal and Morosi at FOX Sports say that aside from the Red Sox, there's been a considerable lack of interest in the slugger. The Giants appear to be out of the mix with their recent upgrades, and it's apparently "doubtful" that teams will come forward with a big offer for Martinez.

2:31pm: The Indians have traded Mark DeRosa, Rafael Betancourt and, now, Cliff Lee. Who's next? Executives tell ESPN.com's Buster Olney that they fully expect Victor Martinez to be traded in the next 48 hours. In the words of one AL official:

"I don't think they'd move one without moving the other."

Martinez, 30, makes $4.5MM this year and will earn $7MM in 2010 if his team picks up his option. Most expect the switch-hitting catcher's option to be picked up, regardless of which team he plays for. Indians GM Mark Shapiro told FOX Sports that he's not under pressure to make deals for financial reasons, but some of Olney's sources say the team faces pressure to cut payroll.

Heyman On Blue Jays, Indians, Crawford

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Believe it or not, there's more to this year's deadline than Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee. Jon Heyman of SI.com has the latest on some other trade possibilities:

  • Scott Downs, Jason Frasor and Brandon League are coveted around the league, but the Jays want to figure out what to do with Halladay before dealing secondary players.
  • The Dodgers are "pressing hard" for George Sherrill.
  • Chad Qualls and Michael Wuertz are likely to stay put.
  • The Yankees aren't involved in the Cliff Lee talks after hearing the Indians wanted Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes in return.
  • It's becoming more likely that the Indians will deal Lee and Victor Martinez.
  • The Nationals requested Jonathan Sanchez for Nick Johnson.
  • One GM says the Rays briefly dangled Carl Crawford a few weeks ago. Sounds like they'll consider anything.

Rays, Red Sox Talking Blockbusters With Tribe

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4:33pm: Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports hear that the Rays may be shying away from a blockbuster deal. They're 5.0 games behind Boston in the Wild Card race, so their next two games against the Yankees could determine the team's direction.

If the Rays are discouraged after the Yankees series, they could make Dan Wheeler, Chad Bradford, Grant Balfour, Joe Nelson and Lance Cormier available, according to the FOX Sports source.

12:59pm: The Rays have shopped Scott Kazmir to the Mets and Rangers, according to Joel Sherman. The Rangers turned down an offer from the Rays and the Mets just had initial interest. The Rays would consider dealing Kazmir, Carlos Pena and even Carl Crawford to free up enough salary to make a blockbuster deal for Martinez and Lee.

The Rays still have interest in Halladay.

TUESDAY, 11:16am: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has more dish on the idea of a team acquiring both Lee and V-Mart in a blockbuster trade.  The idea has been considered in Cleveland but is considered very unlikely due to the magnitude of prospects required.  While the Red Sox could technically pull it off, the Rays wouldn't have the payroll space.

MONDAY, 4:35pm: Ed Price of AOL FanHouse hears the Rays are still "in on" V-Mart and Lee. There's still a chance that they'll trade Scott Kazmir to the Angels, too.

1:35pm: The Rays and Red Sox are each discussing blockbuster deals with the Indians for both Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Here are the details and the rest of Sherman's rumors:

  • The Rays would deal Wade Davis, but the Red Sox are hesitant to deal Clay Buchholz.
  • The Phillies, Brewers and Rangers have interest in Lee and the Giants have interest in V-Mart.  
  • One executive is "1,000%" confident the Indians will move Lee and Martinez to free up money.
  • An AL executive says the Phillies will acquire Lee, Roy Halladay or Jarrod Washburn by Friday afternoon.
  • The Padres may be more willing to deal Heath Bell than expected. As one official says, Bell will be an expensive closer on a bad team if the Padres don't trade him.   
  • The Yankees have been interested in Bell, whose value is higher than ever. 
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