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Latest On Athletics’ Search For Infielders

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11:18am: It doesn't look like the Athletics will acquire a shortstop today, ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports (on Twitter).

TUESDAY, 10:55am: MLB Network's Peter Gammons is a hearing a flat "no" on the idea of Drew going to the A's.

MONDAY, 6:03pm: Trade talk about a potential deal that would send Stephen Drew from Arizona to Oakland still has life, ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports (Twitter link). However, Peter Gammons of MLB Network reported today that the Athletics have backed off their pursuit of Drew and Yunel Escobar for now, (Twitter link). 

Ken Rosenthal recently reported that the Athletics aren't favored to acquire Drew if the Diamondbacks trade him. Oakland is reluctant to match Toronto's asking price on Escobar, according to Rosenthal. Drew and Escobar are Oakland's top two choices for a shortstop upgrade, Jon Heyman reported today.

The A's looked into the possibility of acquiring Jimmy Rollins, but would have had to take on his entire contract ($11MM per season through 2014 with a vesting option for 2015) to complete a deal, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports. The price in terms of prospects wasn't high, but there's no guarantee Rollins, a Bay Area native, would approve a trade to Oakland. The Dodgers are no longer a fit for Rollins, Knobler writes.

Blue Jays, Mariners Swap Thames For Delabar

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The Mariners have acquired outfielder Eric Thames from the Blue Jays for reliever Steve Delabar, the team announced. Just yesterday we learned that Seattle was looking to acquire young, cost-controlled hitters.

Thames, 25, hit .243/.288/.365 in 160 big league plate appearances and .335/.412/.536 in 228 Triple-A plate appearances this season. The left-handed swinger has played primarily left field in the show. The 29-year-old Delabar is a hard-throwing right-handed reliever with a 3.92 ERA and 10.9 K/9 with 3.1 BB/9 in 43 2/3 career innings with Seattle. Both players are under team control through 2017.

Blue Jays, Pirates Swap Snider, Lincoln

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The Blue Jays and Pirates have agreed to swap outfielder Travis Snider for right-hander Brad Lincoln, the teams announced. Both players were selected in the first half of the first round of the 2006 amateur draft.

Snider, now 24, has spent considerable time in the Major Leagues since debuting as a 20-year-old in 2008. However, he has battled injuries and the Blue Jays have optioned him to the minor leagues for extended periods, so his career high in games is 82 (reached in 2010). The left-handed hitter has a career batting line of .247/.305/.429. He has a .235/.270/.559 line in 37 plate appearances this year, including three homers against left-handed pitching.

Snider is on track for arbitration eligibility following the 2013 season. He's under team control through 2016. He joins a left field mix that currently includes Starling Marte, Drew Sutton and Alex Presley.

Lincoln has developed into a dependable late inning reliever for the Pirates, though that's not necessarily what they had in mind when they selected him fourth overall six years ago. He has a 2.73 ERA with 9.1 K/9, 2.1 BB/9 and a 37% ground ball rate in 59 1/3 innings for Pittsburgh this year. The 27-year-old has also started at least five games in three consecutive seasons. His average fastball checks in at 93.2 mph.

Lincoln could be arbitration eligible as a super two following the 2013 season, but he'll remain under team control though 2017. He'll join a Blue Jays bullpen that doesn't have many sure things other than Casey Janssen going forward.

Reds, Blue Jays, Rangers Eyeing Matt Garza

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The Cubs agreed to two significant deals today, and they might not be done yet. They sent Paul Maholm and Reed Johnson to Atlanta in one trade and dealt Geovany Soto to Texas in another. Meanwhile, Matt Garza continues drawing interest despite a fluid buildup in his triceps that will keep him from pitching until after the trade deadline passes. Here are the latest rumors surrounding the right-hander…

  • The Reds are talking to the Cubs about Garza, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports. A team such as the Reds could complete a deal if it determines the injury is relatively minor.
  • The Cubs have tried to trade Garza to the Reds, but it's doubtful the sides will complete a deal, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter).
  • The Blue Jays remain interested in Garza despite his current condition, Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star reports.
  • There's a "very high chance" Garza gets traded, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reports (Twitter links). The Blue Jays have been bearing down on him. The Cubs are still trying to move Garza, Stark writes.
  • The Rangers and Blue Jays are interested, Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com reports.
  • The Cubs are fielding calls on Garza and working on a Ryan Dempster deal, David Kaplan of CSNChicago.com reports (on Twitter).

AL East Notes: Shields, Wigginton, Betancourt

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Links from the AL East, which remains the only division without a sub-.500 team…

  • The Rays are 'cooler' on the idea of trading James Shields, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (onTwitter). It's difficult for Tampa Bay to act as a buyer because the positions at which they might seek upgrades, shortstop and catcher, are positions of scarcity in MLB.
  • Ty Wigginton isn't at the top of the Yankees' list of potentially useful third basemen, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). The Yankees are looking for someone who can provide defense at the hot corner.
  • The Yankees haven't contacted the Rockies about Rafael Betancourt, and it's doubtful the Rockies will trade him at all, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports (on Twitter). The Orioles, Athletics, Rangers,Braves, Red Sox and Blue Jays have all been linked to Betancourt.
  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman said the Yankees can't take on a substantial contract, so Bryan Hoch of MLB.com says Yankees fans shouldn't expect to see Cliff Lee in navy pinstripes anytime soon (Twitter links). Cashman said it's possible but unlikely that the Yankees will make a trade before tomorrow's deadline, Hoch writes. "I highly doubt it," the GM said.
  • The Blue Jays are unlikely to complete a trade for Marlins right-hander Josh Johnson, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter). The Marlins expect to keep Johnson instead of trading him.
  • Here are the latest Red Sox-related rumors.

Heyman On Morneau, Dodgers, Athletics, Mets

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The latest from Jon Heyman of CBS Sports:

  • The Dodgers, Blue Jays, and Giants "appear to have some interest" in Twins first baseman Justin Morneau.  Heyman notes that the Dodgers are looking at many offensive options, possibly as many as 10.  Morneau, 31, has somewhat bounced back to a .260/.322/.457 line after a 2011 season lost to concussion symptoms and other injuries.  He has $5MM in salary remaining this year and is owed $14MM in 2013.
  • The Athletics' top two choices for a shortstop upgrade are still Stephen Drew of the Diamondbacks and Yunel Escobar of the Blue Jays.  The A's remain interested in Padres third baseman Chase Headley as well, but Heyman finds a match unlikely.
  • The Mets have talked about Geovany Soto of the Cubs, Kelly Shoppach of the Red Sox, and Ramon Hernandez of the Rockies, but the prices are too high on these catchers.  Heyman says the Mets may be willing to delay their catcher search until the winter.

West Notes: D-Backs, Drew, Yunel, Headley

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It's been a busy weekend in baseball's Western divisions; the Angels have landed Zack Greinke, the Padres have extended Huston Street, the Giants have landed Marco Scutaro and the Diamondbacks have acquired Chris Johnson. There's still plenty of news and potential action out west, however… here are tonight's links:

  • The Diamondbacks may not be finished dealing yet, writes Scott Bordow of the Arizona Republic. Arizona GM Kevin Towers told reporters on Sunday that he could pursue additional pitching prior to Tuesday's deadline. Towers also hinted that one of the club's infielders could be on the move: "As it stands now it will be tough to get them all at-bats, but we'll see what happens the next two to three days."
  • There's no guarantee that the Diamondbacks trade Stephen Drew, sources tell Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The D-backs are currently deciding whether they want to give the bulk of the playing time at shortstop to Drew or Willie Bloomquist.
  • If they go with Bloomquist, the Athletics are not the favorites to land Drew; an unspecified mystery team would be most likely, according to Rosenthal's source.
  • Within the same piece, Rosenthal notes that the Athletics are reluctant to match the Blue Jays' asking price for Yunel Escobar.
  • The Padres are weighing several offers for Chase Headley, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, but San Diego isn't sure if they want to move him.
  • Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow felt that the high asking price on Headley had a beneficial effect on the market for Johnson, according to Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).

Rafael Betancourt, Matt Reynolds Drawing Interest

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6:26pm: Matt Reynolds is also drawing trade interest, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Reynolds, 27, has a 3.61 ERA, 8.9 K/9, 2.1 BB/9 and 46.3 percent ground-ball rate in 42 1/3 innings of work this season. 

6:15pm: Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports that the Rangers, Braves, Red Sox and Blue Jays are all inquiring on Betancourt (Twitter link).

Sunday, 6:02pm: Betancourt continues drawing trade interest but nothing is imminent, according to Renck (Twitter link). It's probably fair to assume that several of the teams who are currently discussing Brandon League with the Mariners are also intrigued by Betancourt, though that's my own speculation. — Steve Adams

Saturday: The Orioles, Yankees, and Athletics are among the teams with interest in Rockies reliever Rafael Betancourt according to Troy Renck of The Denver Post. The Red Sox had interest earlier this month and both the White Sox and Angels are digging around for bullpen help.

Betancourt, 37, has pitched to a 3.00 ERA and gone 17-for-21 in save chances. His strikeout (9.3 K/9) and walk (2.5 BB/9) rates are superb as usual. Betancourt is owned approximately $1.5M for the rest of the season and is under contract for $4.25MM next year. His deal includes a $4.25MM mutual option ($250K buyout) for 2014 as well.

Steve Adams contributed to this post.

Olney On Span, Shields, Johnson, Padres

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A player’s contract status can affect his trade value substantially this time of year, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney writes. Players under team-friendly contracts, like Denard Span, are much harder to acquire in trades. "It's really hard to place a value on a contract like that," one GM told Olney. Here are Olney’s latest notes from around MLB:

  • The Blue Jays say Yunel Escobar has been a good team guy for them, despite his reputation as a difficult player. Escobar is under contract for $5MM per season through 2013 and his contract includes two club options valued at $5MM each for 2014-15. That’s good value for a 29-year-old who handles an up-the-middle position and has a history of providing league-average offense, Olney writes.
  • There’s interest in James Shields, but the Rays could decide to hold their pitching staff together to make a run at the playoffs if Evan Longoria’s rehab assignment goes well. Some executives believe the Rays will trade Shields this month, according to Olney.
  • The Marlins aren’t especially motivated to trade Josh Johnson, Olney writes. They’re content to keep him if they don’t get the trade offers they’re looking for.
  • Anything the Indians do now will be done to help them win in 2013, not just in 2012.
  • The Padres aren’t far down the road in trade talks regarding Chase Headley, Olney tweets. San Diego might table trade talks until the winter, he suggests.
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