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West Links: Giants, Guthrie, Frieri, Amarista

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Dodgers right-hander Todd Coffey will miss the rest of the season and undergo his second Tommy John surgery according to multiple reports. Los Angeles figures to be in the hunt for a bat at the deadline, but relief help could also be a priority with Coffey, Javy Guerra, and Matt Guerrier all hurt. Here are some links from baseball's two West divisions…

  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says it's time for the Giants to explore the trade market for a starting pitcher given Tim Lincecum's continued struggles. He allowed eight runs in 3 1/3 innings to Nationals last night and now owns a 6.08 ERA.
  • Jeremy Guthrie will return to the Rockies' rotation tonight and Troy Renck of The Denver Post says he has a chance to reignite trade interest. Guthrie has pitched to a 6.56 ERA in 11 starts and four relief appearances for Colorado this season.
  • MLB.com's Tyler Emerick writes that both the Angels and Padres are benefitting from last month's Ernesto Frieri trade. Frieri has yet to allow an earned run in 24 appearances with his new team while Alexi Amarista is hitting .290/.320/.527 for San Diego.

Mets Designate Justin Hampson For Assignment

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The Mets have designated Justin Hampson for assignment, the team announced (on Twitter). The move clears a roster spot for Jordany Valdespin.

Hampson, 32, appeared in three games and faced eight batters for New York. The left-hander allowed three hits and a walk in his first big league action since 2008.

Olney’s Latest: NL Trade Market, Darvish

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In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney compares the current state of the trade market to shopping at an airport, where priced are designed to gouge customers. Buyers want more sellers and sellers want more buyers. Olney also previewed the NL trade market, so let's dive in…

  • The Mets are among teams looking for bullpen help and are waiting for the market develop. The division-rival Nationals are also in the market for relief help but do have Drew Storen on the mend. Olney wonders if they'll look for a starter given Stephen Strasburg's inning limit.
  • Executives expect the Padres to deal Carlos Quentin and Huston Street, plus they continue to get calls about Chase Headley. Olney speculates that the Reds could be a fit for Quentin.
  • The Braves are looking to add a veteran starting pitcher, but Olney says they're unlikely to swing a trade for Zack Greinke without having some kind of long-term contract agreement in place.
  • Olney wonders if the Diamondbacks could become surprise buyers for pitching help given Joe Saunders' injury and Trevor Bauer's early struggles. The Cardinals figure to jump into the pitching market given Chris Carpenter's season-ending shoulder surgery.
  • The Cubs, Astros, and Rockies are among the clubs in sell mode. The Brewers will wait a little longer before deciding to sell, and while Greinke, Shaun Marcum, and others could be on the block, Corey Hart will not.
  • Olney says the Blue Jays actually finished third in the bidding for Yu Darvish behind the Rangers and Cubs. No bid was within $35MM of the $51.7MM Texas submitted.

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.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Cardinals, Greinke, Astros, Rasmus

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With Chris Carpenter set to undergo season-ending surgery to repair a nerve condition in his shoulder, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes that the Cardinals are in the market for at least one starter and one reliever. St. Louis has trade chips though the new collective bargaining agreement doesn't allow teams to recoup draft pick compensation for rental players, changing the landscape.

Let's round up the rest of Rosenthal's rumors…

  • Zack Greinke would likely welcome a trade to – and a chance to sign long-term with – the Cardinals, though it's unclear if the Brewers would be willing to trade him within the division.
  • The Astros are prepared to move Wandy Rodriguez and Brett Myers, though Jed Lowrie is essentially unavailable. Rosenthal says they could be an obvious trade partner for St. Louis since GM Jeff Luhnow spent nine years in the Cardinals' front office.
  • The Cardinals may not want to invest $20MM+ annually into a pitcher, but both Lance Berkman ($12MM) and Kyle Lohse ($11.875MM) will be off the books after this season.
  • The Blue Jays' immediate strategy may be to acquire a modest rotation upgrade before reassessing at the trade deadline, shortly before Brandon Morrow returns from his oblique injury. Rosenthal believes they should consider selling high on Colby Rasmus.
  • Teams continue to call the Angels about Peter Bourjos and some believe he could be the centerpiece of a deal for a quality starting pitcher. The Halos believe the young outfielder is a building block for the future, however. They do not appear to be in the market for a pitcher at the moment.
  • The difference in income tax rates between Texas (none) and California (among the highest in the country) was an issue for Astros first baseman Carlos Lee as he mulled over a potential trade to the Dodgers. Los Angeles may have been willing to help "bridge the gap" had he shown enthusiasm for the deal.

Mariners Expected To Sign Mike Zunino Shortly

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July 1: ESPN's Keith Law tweeted Zunino is on his way to Seattle to sign with the Mariners. Jerry Crasnick confirms his colleague's report tweeting Zunino is heading to Seattle to take his physical.

June 26: The Mariners are expected to sign third overall pick Mike Zunino shortly, reports Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times. The announcement could come in early-July after the catcher from Florida attends two awards ceremonies.

Slot money for the third overall selection is $5.2MM. Baseball America says Zunino's hitting ability "projects to be above-average for a major league catcher" while noting that he offers strong intangibles that draw Jason Varitek comparisons. Zunino is the highest unsigned pick and is one of ten unsigned first rounders.

Minor Moves: Shane Lindsay, Daryl Jones

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Here are Saturday's minor moves…

  • The White Sox have signed Shane Lindsay according to the MLB.com transactions page. The 27-year-old right-hander signed with the Cubs last month but only made three appearances in their farm system before being released. Lindsay has allowed eight runs in six career big league innings, all coming with the ChiSox last year.
  • The Reds have released Daryl Jones according to the International League transactions page. The 25-year-old outfielder hit .187/.282/.363 in 104 Triple-A plate appearances this season. Baseball America ranked Jones as the fourth best prospect in the Cardinals system prior to the 2010 season.

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.

Carlos Lee Rumors: Saturday

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Last night we learned that the Dodgers and Astros are in serious talks about a trade involving Carlos Lee, though the two sides also discussed Jed Lowrie at one point as well. Dodgers' pitching prospect Garrett Gould was rumored to be involved and he was scratched from last night's start, perhaps an indication of how far along things are at the moment. Here's the latest on Lee, the Astros, and Dodgers, with the latest up top…

  • Lee told reporters (including McTaggart) that he expects to make his decision about waiving the no-trade clause by tomorrow.
  • Olney hears that the Dodgers' attitude toward the trade is: "Something else will come up (if it falls through). We'll get somebody." (Twitter link)
  • Sources tell Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that the deal would be Lee and cash to ‪the Dodgers‬ for Gould (Twitter links). It's still unclear if Lee will waive his no-trade clause.
  • As of early-afternoon today, Lee continues to tell the Astros that he will not waive his no-trade clause according to ESPN's Buster Olney (on Twitter).
  • Lee met with GM Jeff Luhnow this morning and told reporters (including MLB.com's Brian McTaggart and The Houston Chronicle's Zachary Levine) that the Dodgers have made an offer (Twitter links). He is going to take some time to decide if he wants to accept the trade, and he has not been given a deadline for his decision. He's unsure if he'll have an answer this weekend.
  • The Astros "will do cartwheels'' if the trade is completed according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. The hard part won't be agreeing to the pieces involved, but getting Lee's approval. Heyman mentions that Houston is willing to trade just about anyone on their roster, but it'll take quite a bit to part with Lowrie.
  • The Dodgers prefer to take on salary rather than give up quality prospects under their new ownership, write Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Lee is owed just under $9MM for the remainder of the season.
  • As a reminder, the Dodgers are one of the 14 teams on Lee's no-trade list, so he can veto a deal. Lee does not have traditional 10-and-5 protection, having essentially traded it for a full no-trade clause during the first four years of his six-year, $100MM contract back in 2007.

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