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Multiple Teams Eyeing Brandon League

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2:06pm: Aside from the Dodgers and Rays, add the Marlins to the mix for League according to Stark.  Not a big surprise.

1:51pm: The Rays are unlikely to make a deal today, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark.

1:41pm: The Dodgers are also in on League, tweets Ken Rosenthal.

1:13pm: The Rays are interested in Scott Downs and Brandon League, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter links). Tampa Bay added Chad Qualls this morning, but lost Grant Balfour to the DL for 4-6 weeks with an intercostal strain (Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times reporting on Twitter). 

Downs and his former teammate, League, will not come cheap, according to Sherman, but the Rays continue looking for relief help despite a thin, highly-priced market. The Giants may be in serious talks with the Blue Jays regarding Downs and reportedly have interest in League, too.

Rays Acquire Chad Qualls

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The unloading of veteran Diamondbacks continues, as they've shipped reliever Chad Qualls to the Rays for a player to be named later.  The Rays will pay the entire $1.48MM remaining on Qualls' contract, keeping interim GM Jerry Dipoto's streak alive of not sending cash in his transactions.

Qualls, 31, began the season as Arizona's closer but lost the gig by mid-June.  He has an 8.29 ERA, 8.1 K/9, and 3.6 BB/9 in 38 innings on the season with five home runs allowed.  Silver lining: he tossed a scoreless inning last night and there's almost no way his batting average on balls in play remains at .434.  The Rays' pen is in good shape, especially from the right side, so Qualls is something of a luxury for the wild card leaders. 

FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal first reported the Rays' serious interest in Qualls, with MLB.com's Steve Gilbert reporting the agreement.

Lance Berkman Rumors: Friday

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Yesterday we heard Lance Berkman could be the next big-name Astro to go, especially with Brett Wallace now in the fold.  The latest:

  • The Yankees are telling teams they can take on salary, but don’t want to hand over prospects, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. They’re now taking a long, hard look at Berkman.
  • Berkman would accept a deal to the Yankees, according to Sherman (via Twitter). Earlier today we heard that Berkman would like to play with former teammate Andy Pettitte.
  • The Yankees are seriously considering Berkman, tweets Sherman. Berkman is one of many bats the Yankees are considering, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
  • ESPN's Jayson Stark notes that Berkman could be traded in August given his large salary.  He says the White Sox, Yankees, Red Sox, and Rays have checked in.
  • Berkman could be in play for the Yankees under the right circumstances, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Rosenthal feels Berkman would probably waive his no-trade rights for a chance to reunite with old friend Andy Pettitte.  A word of caution: an exec who talked to Joel Sherman of the New York Post wondered how Berkman would fare in the American League.
  • Are the White Sox in on Berkman, perhaps as a backup plan for Adam Dunn?  Ed Price of AOL FanHouse tweets yes, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets no.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Berkman, Dunn, Dodgers

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On this date two years ago, Ichiro Suzuki picked up his 3,000th career hit with a first inning single against the Rangers. The hit was his 1,722nd in the big leagues, which came after he racked up 1,278 hits with the Orix Blue Wave in Japan's Pacific League. Including the postseason, the 36-year-old Ichiro has 3,456 career base hits to his credit, a staggering number no matter how you look at it.

Here is the latest from around the baseball blogosphere, a day before the non-waiver trade deadline…

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.

Adam Dunn Rumors: Thursday

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The latest on Adam Dunn, with more updates to come throughout the day…

  • The Nats are believed to have requested either Gordon Beckham or both Daniel Hudson and Dayan Viciedo in exchange for Dunn, tweets Heyman. That price was too high for the Sox, who told Beckham he wouldn't be on the move this week.
  • The price for Dunn is high, but not ridiculous, according to Heyman (via Twitter). The White Sox and Rays are still involved.
  • The Giants have minimal interest in Dunn at his current price, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Morosi notes that the Tigers are not pursuing Dunn.
  • The White Sox and Tigers have plenty of interest in Dunn, according to Heyman (on Twitter).
  • Three-way scenarios involving the Nationals, White Sox, Diamondbacks and Edwin Jackson are in play, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (via Twitter). Rosenthal reported that such talks were underway earlier in the week.
  • The Rays are the favorites to acquire Dunn, according to one executive who spoke to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The Giants are the only other team Sherman hears in connection to Dunn (Twitter links).
  • The Tigers are not pursuing Dunn, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link).
  • The White Sox are saying internally that they're out of the Dunn sweepstakes, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). 
  • Earlier today, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported that the Yankees are now out on Dunn. Joel Sherman of the New York Post explains that the Yankees would give up top prospects for a piece they need, but not for a luxury like Dunn. The Yanks lead the majors in scoring, so Dunn's bat is not an absolute necessity for the Bronx Bombers.

Odds & Ends: Joba, Orioles, White Sox, Mets

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Big names have traditionally been traded on July 29th, including Cliff Lee and Mark Teixeira in recent years.  Perhaps today we'll add Roy Oswalt to the list.  Links for Thursday with about 51 hours until the deadline…

Adam Dunn Rumors: Wednesday

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The Angels, Tigers, Rangers, Giants, Rays and Rockies were all connected to Adam Dunn in yesterday's round of rumors, but the White Sox may be the best fit of all. Dunn's left-handed bat would fit well into Ozzie Guillen's lineup, but the Nats are asking for Daniel Hudson plus a prospect. Washington could still extend Dunn, who says he'd consider three or four-year deals. Here's the latest on the slugger; we'll add more bullets throughout the evening.

  • The Yankees are interested in Dunn, but the Yanks and Nationals haven't had serious talks yet, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (via Twitter).
  • Dunn is a "bit of a longshot" for the Rockies, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Twitter link).
  • Lots of baseball people expect the Nationals to trade Dunn, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via Twitter). The White Sox and Giants appear to be stronger players for Dunn than the Yankees, according to Sherman (Twitter link).
  • The Rays remain "in the mix" for Dunn, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link).

Desmond Jennings Switches To Scott Boras

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Desmond Jennings has switched representation from SFX to Scott Boras, MLBTR has learned.  Jennings, one of the top prospects in the minors, has a .283/.356/.409 line for the Rays' Triple A club this year.  His scorching June has been sandwiched by unimpressive months.

Perhaps the switch to Boras kills any chance of Jennings signing a team-friendly multiyear deal, but it's not worth worrying about before he even makes his big league debut.

Adam Dunn Rumors: Tuesday

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New teams inquired about Nationals slugger Adam Dunn within the past day, tweets Ed Price of AOL FanHouse.  FOX Sports' Jon Paul Morosi tweets that the Nats are more likely to trade Dunn than Josh Willingham, while ESPN's Jayson Stark hears that Washington might trade one but not both. 

Check back throughout the day for updates, as the Nationals discuss possible deals with other teams and consider keeping their first baseman in Washington long-term:

  • Dunn wants a four-year deal, but would consider a three-year offer if the Nationals make him one, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Dunn explained to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that he does his best to ignore trade rumors and understands the business side of the game.
  • The Nationals want Daniel Hudson plus one of Jordan Danks, Tyler Flowers or Brent Morel for Dunn, a source told Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago. The Nationals offered Dunn for Gordon Beckham, but the White Sox turned the proposal down.
  • Another source told Levine that six teams are bidding for Dunn: The White Sox, Angels, Tigers, Rangers and two NL clubs. As you can see below, the Rockies and Giants have been linked to Dunn, but it’s not certain that those two teams are pursuing him now.
  • The Rays like Dunn, but don't want to push him into a DH role, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. As much as the Rays likes Dunn's bat, they don't want to risk conflict with the slugger. Danny Knobler of CBS Sports reports that the Nationals asked the Rays for Matt Garza last week. Despite those demands, the Rays will keep an eye on Dunn and Jayson Werth this week, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (Twitter link).
  • The Giants also expressed interest in Dunn, according to Knobler.
  • Sherman says the Rockies talked about Dunn, but don't like his poor defense.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that the Nationals have yet to offer Dunn an extension in any form, so the trade market is likely to heat up.  Rosenthal and colleague Jon Paul Morosi name the White Sox as the most serious suitor, and add that the Tigers, Rangers, and Yankees maintain interest. 

Stark On Werth, Willingham, Cantu, Theriot

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Phillies outfielder Jayson Werth told ESPN's Jayson Stark he's "not up late reading the blog sites" regarding trade rumors, but he doesn't expect to be dealt.  Stark agrees, though he notes that the Phillies did toss Werth's name out there to many teams.  On to Stark's other rumors…

  • The Dodgers are looking at Ted Lilly, but they haven't completely abandoned the idea of acquiring Roy Oswalt.  Still, the impediments to an Oswalt deal remain significant.  Lilly appears certain to be traded.
  • Josh Willingham is drawing interest from the Braves, Rays, and Red Sox.  Adam Dunn remains a trade candidate as well, but the Nationals would only deal one of the two.
  • Money might be holding up a Jorge Cantu-Rangers deal, as the Rangers can't add any payroll and would want the Marlins to pick up the entire $2.25MM tab.
  • The Padres have been linked to infielders Ryan Theriot and Jeff Keppinger, as outfield targets such as David DeJesus, Corey Hart, and Jayson Werth drop out of the picture for various reasons.
  • Don't look for anything major from the Red Sox outside of some bullpen tweaking.  They will prowl the waiver wire in August, though.
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