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Rosenthal Roundup: Rays Could Make Big Move, Red Sox Out On V-Mart

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Ken Rosenthal's latest is seemingly at odds with the report we noted earlier from Bill Chastain that the Rays will not be major players at the deadline.

"The Rays are engaged in a whirlwind of activity, investigating [Cliff] Lee, [Roy] Halladay and numerous other options — 'major, major stuff,' according to one source," Rosenthal writes.

Other notes from Rosenthal:

  • The Red Sox deals "should eliminate any chance of them trading for Victor Martinez."
  • "The Phillies, Rays, Brewers and Dodgers are on Lee, and the Rangers have expressed continued interest" as well.
  • The Angels are targeting Baltimore's George Sherrill and Cleveland's Rafael Betancourt.
  • The Rockies are after Baltimore's Danys Baez.
  • The Giants want to hold onto Jonathan Sanchez, given Randy Johnson's fragility.

Rays, Rangers May Be Left Out

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While many of baseball's contenders are set to stock up on talent, the Rays and Rangers may not be among them. Oh, they're contenders, all right. They just may not add to what they have.

In Tampa Bay's case, MLB.com's Bill Chastain points out that the Rays have already dealt Jason Hammel and Edwin Jackson within the past year, making any further pitching depletion a risky move. He adds:

"Ben Zobrist's improvement has made the right field and second base situations look better, while the double-dose of Gabes in right field — Gross and Kapler — has begun to look like what the Rays hoped it would prior to the season.  Both are producing when facing either a right-hander in Gross' case or a left-hander in Kapler's.  Finally, a proven closer would be nice, but, again, look at what the bullpen is doing without one and you wonder how much better could the bullpen be with such an addition. Meanwhile, J.P. Howell appears to be taking charge of the closing role."

As for the Rangers, it simply comes down to money, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan, though Texas would like to add starting pitching.

"The Rangers are also limited in their ability to take on significant payroll with a possible sale of the club by owner Tom Hicks still pending," Sullivan writes.

Of course, it also hurts Texas that Roy Halladay won't approve a trade to Texas, and Cleveland won't trade Cliff Lee, according to Sullivan.

Odds And Ends: Timlin, Rays, Reds

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Some more links as the trading heats up…

Rosenthal On Penny, Yankees, Dodgers, Rays

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Red Sox are open to dealing Brad Penny, even with Tim Wakefield and Daisuke Matsuzaka on the DL. They could add a bat or a prospect for Penny, but it's unlikely they'll actually move him. Here are the rest of Rosenthal's rumors:

  • The Yankees could use some rotation depth, as it makes sense to keep Phil Hughes and Alfredo Aceves in the 'pen, but you can rule out a Carl Pavano acquisition. As one Yankee official says, the players would "go crazy" if the Yanks added Pavano.
  • Rosenthal says Russell Martin wouldn't qualify as the centerpiece of a Roy Halladay trade because he's faltered offensively and the Jays have J.P. Arencibia in the minors.  
  • The Phillies could trade Rodrigo Lopez if Pedro Martinez takes over in the rotation. 
  • The Rays are interested in Halladay and Cliff Lee, even if they don't have financial flexibility. However, a trade seems highly unlikely.

Price’s Latest: Red Sox, Orioles, Tigers

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Ed Price's Baseball Brunch column is up over at fanhouse.com. Let's take a look at the highlights:

  • Price names several amusing first-half awards, including the "Bg Hitter" award for Albert Pujols, in honor of Albert's mammoth home run that took out the "I" in the Big Mac Land sign at Busch Stadium.
  • The Red Sox's strategy as the deadline approaches is dependent on Mike Lowell's health. The Sox have looked at Garrett Atkins, but have found Colorado's asking price to be too much. Colorado apparently isn't impressed with Takashi Saito. If Lowell is to miss an extended period of time, Price writes that the Red Sox would have an easier time getting a first baseman and putting Kevin Youkilis at third.
  • The Orioles know they're sellers, and have good trade pieces in Aubrey Huff and Danys Baez. However, Andy MacPhail has said he wants his team to be competitive in the second half, given the September slides his team has seen the past two seasons. Price briefly speculates that Baez could intrigue the Twins.
  • The O's would have to be overwhelmed to move George Sherrill, and Jeremy Guthrie is no longer a trade candidate, with Koji Uehara ailing.
  • Huff may interest Detroit, who needs some left-handed help in the order. They'd like someone who could play in the outfield, however. Price says that the Tigers inquired on Adam Dunn, but the finances didn't line up.
  • The Rockies are in need of a quality setup man, as they've been using Joel Peralta and Matt Daley to get to Huston Street.
  • The rumors of Doug Davis going to Milwaukee have died down for now.
  • The Rays would like to upgrade in right field; they're currently using a platoon of Gabe Gross and Gabe Kapler.

Odds & Ends: Stanton, Halladay, Sonnanstine

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Even more links on a slow rumors day…

  • Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post spoke to Marlins GM Larry Beinfest about top prospect Mike Stanton. Beinfest wouldn't say as much, but it sounds like Stanton is untouchable in trade talks.
  • ESPN's Keith Law tweets that a Roy Halladay trade was unlikely two days ago, but seems even less likely now after some conversations.
  • Andy Sonnanstine has been placed on the minor league disabled list with mononucleosis according to Joe Smith of The St. Petersburg Times. If he's out for a while, could it impact the club's ability to make a deal given the lessened pitching depth?
  • Southpaw reliever Alan Embree is out for the season with a broken tibia according to MLB.com's Cheng Sio. Just two games back of the wild card, will the Rockies look to add a reliever?
  • Maury Brown at The Biz of Baseball has a complete list of 2009 All Star bonuses.

Freddy Sanchez Rumors: Saturday

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Yesterday we learned that the Pirates are "pushing hard" to trade All Star second baseman Freddy Sanchez before this year's trade deadline, but nothing appears imminent right now. Here's the latest roundup of Sanchez rumors courtesy of Dejan Kovacevic of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Rob Biertempfel of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and Gordon Edes of Yahoo! Sports.

  • Kovacevic says the Mariners and Twins remain interested in Sanchez.
  • The Rockies' interest has cooled off of late, and they're now focused on acquiring bullpen help.
  • Biertempfel adds a new team to the mix: Tampa Bay.
  • Edes reports that a NL Central team is involved, and speculates that it could be the Cubs.
  • Sanchez's $8MM vesting option based on plate appearances is an obstacle in any trade.

Odds & Ends: Halladay, Rays, Indians, Rockies, Draft

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With another round of deals today, we're reminded that the trade deadline is just three weeks away. Here's some evening linkage…

  • Joe Haggerty rounds up Peter Gammons' weekly appearance on ESPN Radio's Mike & Mike this morning. Among many other topics, Gammons touched on Roy Halladay, saying that he believes "there’s about a 20 percent chance that Halladay gets traded."
  • MLB.com's Zach Schonbrun writes that Rays owner Stuart Sternberg says the team is unlikely to cut payroll during the season, assuming they stay in the hunt of course.
  • The Indians aren't so lucky. Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer says that when "it comes to setting next year's payroll, the Indians are going to be looking to cut corners because of the economy." He mentions Rafael Betancourt and Kelly Shoppach as candidates to be moved because of their salaries.
  • The Denver Post's Troy Renck says the Rockies are unlikely to move Ryan Spilborghs and "aren't in a hurry" to trade Garrett Atkins.
  • Team president Frank Coonelly refuted a report saying that the Pirates had "essentially completed a deal" with fourth round pick Zack Dodson, according to Dejan Kovacevic.
  • Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports that the Orioles have signed four more draft picks.

Halladay And The AL East

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The Red Sox phoned the Blue Jays about Roy Halladay, according to Joe McDonald of the Providence Journal. Jon Heyman hears that the Jays are reluctant to deal within the AL East, but they'll have the option to. McDonald reports that the Red Sox and Yankees are on a list of teams Halladay has told the Jays he would accept trades to. The Blue Jays are scouting "all minor league levels" of the Yankees and Red Sox, according to McDonald.

McDonald says the Rays also phoned the Blue Jays. It's unlikely the Rays would make a play for Halladay, as they have little money to spend. However, as Marc Lancaster of the Tampa Tribune reports, they likely won't have to make in-season payroll cuts.

The Yankees are talking to the Jays about a potential deal, but Heyman says not even the Yanks think they'll actually make it happen.

Blue Jays fans, who haven't cheered on a playoff team since Joe Carter touched 'em all in 1993, would generally be infuriated by an intra-divisional trade.

Odds & Ends: Cubs, Kouzmanoff, Marlins

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A tasty handful of Monday evening links…

  • Chris DeLuca of the Chicago Sun-Times gathered a quote from Cubs GM Jim Hendry on the possibility of his club making a move: "We have a pretty good team,and if our guys all play like their capable … you don’t have to do a whole lot."
  • MLB.com's Corey Brock reports the Padres aren't "getting many hits" from other teams on Kevin Kouzmanoff, but believes that might change soon.
  • According to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon, the Reds have signed four Venezuelan amateurs.
  • Baseball America's Matt Eddy has a rundown of team-by-team minor league transactions from late June.  It's interesting reading for prospect buffs.
  • Will the Marlins be leaving their payroll issues behind when they move into their spanking new facility in 2012?  Carl Hiaasen of the Miami Herald doesn't seem to think so.  He questions whether the club will be able to fill their $634MM, 37,000-seat stadium once the luster wears off.
  • Tommy Rancel of DRaysBay.com has more on Venezuelan third baseman Cesar Perez, who was signed this afternoon by Tampa Bay for $1MM.
  • Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star reviews the Ryan Freel trade, noting that the Royals must be labeled as "buyers" as of July 6.  Of course, that could change by the time the July 31 trade deadline rolls around.
  • Remember to tune in for the weekly MLBTR live chat tomorrow at 2pm CST.
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