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Heyman On Washburn, Halladay, Red Sox

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1:21pm: Heyman hears that Adrian Gonzalez may be Boston's top target now, especially since discussions about Victor Martinez aren't progressing.

11:51am: Jon Heyman of SI.com has the latest on Roy Halladay and the next-best options for pitching-starved teams. Here are the details:

  • The Yankees called the Mariners about Jarrod Washburn over the weekend. The Mariners say they aren't selling now, but that could change this week.
  • The Yanks would have to give up "a top prospect or two" to acquire Washburn.
  • Bronson Arroyo could be an option for the Yankees, but the Reds haven't offered to take on any of the $17MM remaining on his deal.
  • The Yankees have a miniscule chance of acquiring Halladay. They wouldn't part with both Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain for him, but they might trade one.
  • An executive involved in the Halladay talks says "it's early," since no one's taking tomorrow's pre-deadline too seriously. 
  • Sensing they don't have much of a chance at Halladay, the Dodgers are more focused on Cliff Lee.
  • The Red Sox could still make a big move, but don't expect them to deal for Halladay. The Blue Jays could ask for Clay Buchholz, Jed Lowrie and Daniel Bard, according to one of Heyman's sources.  
  • Victor Martinez remains an option for the Red Sox, who talk with the Indians "all the time."
  • The Red Sox are keeping an eye on Adrian Gonzalez, who's not available now. 
  • Bud Selig says he won't prevent the Rangers from taking on payroll even though the commissioner's office has helped Rangers owner Tom Hicks make payments. 
  • The Rangers have inquired on Halladay and Lee. 
  • The Cardinals will try hard to extend Matt Holliday.
  • The Rockies are still looking for a reliever. 
  • The Giants scouted Nick Johnson and Josh Willingham this weekend.

Talkin’ Giants Baseball

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As we cruise closer to the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, the Giants still boast one of baseball's most intriguing situations.  The club is 52-46 — 10 games behind the Dodgers in the National League West, but just two games back in the Wild Card.  Most experts agree they need a bat to continue contending, and they've been linked recently to sluggers like Victor Martinez, Ryan Garko and Nick Johnson.

Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle recently heard "word from [Giants] general manager Brian Sabean that chances for a deal are 50-50."

"We're talking," manager Bruce Bochy said Sunday as his club prepared to head home after a long road trip. "I'll talk to Brian. I'll discuss it with the staff on the plane on the way back and see what we can do to get this thing going again."

Schulman believes the Giants might also have interest in Toronto's Marco Scutaro or Baltimore's Aubrey Huff.  Either way, it's pretty clear what San Francisco is seeking as Friday's deadline nears: offense.

Heyman On Halladay, Holliday, Indians, Nats

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9:34am: Heyman says the Yankees inquired about Cliff Lee and were told they'd have to give up Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes, plus other players.

8:34am: Jon Heyman of SI.com has the latest on the biggest stars available:

  • The Phillies are the frontrunners to acquire Roy Halladay. Heyman says the Jays are expected to ask for one of J.A. Happ and Kyle Drabek, one of Dominic Brown and Michael Taylor, plus others.
  • The Brewers may be the Phillies' biggest threat, but they'd probably have to part with Alcides Escobar, and maybe Mat Gamel, too. 
  • The Mets bowed out of the Halladay talks once Fernando Martinez's name came up. 
  • There's a "good chance" the Cardinals trade for Matt Holliday, according to one of Heyman's sources.  
  • Indians GM Mark Shapiro wonders if teams are holding onto their prospects too tightly: "It's almost to the point where there's an over-evaluation of these guys. There's almost an over-correction."
  • Heyman says the Nats should trade Nick Johnson, Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham. 

Knobler On Holliday, Giants, Tigers

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A number of baseball officials tell Danny Knobler of CBS Sports that they expect plenty of activity in the final week before next Friday's trade deadline.

  • Billy Beane is apparently looking for young position players if he trades Matt Holliday. 
  • The Giants are "very interested" in Holliday. 
  • The Giants and Tigers have both checked out the Pirates and Nationals in their respective searches for bats. Adam Dunn and Nick Johnson have appeal, but the Giants would prefer a right-handed bat and the Tigers are hesitant to take on Dunn's $12MM salary for next season.  
  • Knobler says Tigers owner Mike Ilitch could always make a last-minute push for Holliday or Roy Halladay.  
  • There's no way to know how much flexibility the Rays, Rangers and Braves have until the deadline passes.

Edes On Lee, Feliciano, Pirates

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Yahoo's Gordon Edes says the Phillies and Dodgers are interested in Cliff Lee, but the Indians aren't anxious to move him. Not only would it mean trading Cy Young Award winners in back-to-back years, it would diminish the team's chances at contending next season. Here are the rest of Edes' rumors:

  • The Dodgers would have interest in Pedro Feliciano if the Mets become sellers.
  • The Brewers scouted Brad Penny over the weekend, but a trade seems unlikely now that Tim Wakefield's on the DL.  
  • At least one NL executive believes the Pirates are ready to move almost anyone. Zach Duke, Paul Maholm, Matt Capps, John Grabow, Freddy Sanchez, Adam LaRoche and Jack Wilson could all be targets.
  • It looks like the Reds would listen to offers for Francisco Cordero. However, he has no-trade protection and an big contract. 
  • The Red Sox had a scout watch Nick Johnson this weekend.

Odds And Ends: Nats, Schedule, Wang

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Some links for the afternoon…

  • Jay Jaffe of Baseball Prospectus (via ESPN)  determines that among contenders, the Yankees, Rays and Rangers will have the toughest opposition the rest of the way.
  • ESPN.com's Rob Neyer suspects the Pirates extended offers to Freddy Sanchez and Jack Wilson so they could say they did. Realistically, Neyer says it's hard for the Pirates to pay veteran players fair market value.
  • Count Nationals interim manager Jim Riggleman among those who believe teams will continue to trade well into August, according to Tracee Hamilton of the Washington Post.
  • Within the piece, acting GM Mike Rizzo hints that Nick Johnson could return to the Nats next year.
  • Tyler Kepner of the New York Times suggests we shouldn't expect Chien-Ming Wang to return for a while, "if at all." He experienced tenderness playing catch today. 

Teams Interested In Johnson, Harris

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MLB.com's Bill Ladson reports that while he's readily available, the Nationals are asking for too much in return for first baseman Nick Johnson.Teams are just not willing to give up their top young players for the injury prone Johnson, even though he's hitting .305-.413-.425 on the season. He'll also be a free agent at the end of the year, another reason teams are reluctant to meet the Nats demands.

Ladson also mentions that "contending teams" have expressed interest in utility man Willie Harris. Capable of playing just about everywhere except pitcher and catcher, Harris is hitting .253-.370-..430 in 190 plate appearances this season.

Sabean: Giants Still Looking For Bats

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Giants GM Brian Sabean told Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News that there are no impact bats available for a reasonable cost. As much as he would like a true middle-of-the-order hitter, Sabean won't deal top prospects like Madison Bumgarner to acquire one.

Sabean says he's not interested in free agents-to-be, which rules out Nick Johnson, Aubrey Huff and Adam LaRoche. Adam Dunn and Garrett Atkins are middle-of-the-order bats who aren't about to hit free agency, but Sabean doesn't want to surrender big prospects to acquire such a hitter. 

Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News points out that Randy Johnson's injury makes Jonathan Sanchez a little less expendable in any possible deals, at least for now.

Trade Candidates: Corner Infielders

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We’ve heard about Garrett Atkins and Aubrey Huff all year, but plenty of other corner infielders could be trade bait, too. Here’s the list of corner infield trade candidates, ranked from highest 2009 salary to lowest:

  • Troy Glaus – The priciest trade candidate on this list has yet to play in 2009. There have been suggestions that the Cards could move Glaus if he can't play third upon his return.
  • Melvin Mora – With a $9MM salary and a no-trade clause, Mora will be tough to move. 
  • Aubrey Huff – He's not hitting as well as he did last year, but has hit well enough. He makes $8MM this year.
  • Adam Dunn – He makes the same amount as Huff, and has $12MM more coming his way in 2010. With 22 homers already, Dunn would be a nice addition a team like the Giants.
  • Adam LaRoche – He earns $7.05MM this year before becoming a free agent.  
  • Garrett Atkins – He'll earn $7.05MM as well, a sum that looks more affordable every day, since Atkins is hitting .306/.386/.468 since the beginning of June.
  • Nick Johnson – An affordable option at $5.5MM, this free agent-to-be has an injury history to go along with his .800 OPS.
  • Chad Tracy – The combination of his $4.75MM salary and .354 slugging percentage won't make him appealing to many teams, if any.
  • Jason Giambi – He earns $4MM this year and his team will have to pay him $1.25MM after the season or take on his $6.5MM salary next year. Giambi's been a disappointment at the plate.
  • Jorge Cantu – The Marlins remain just one game behind the Phillies for the division lead, but there have been hints that they would move Cantu if they fall out of it. He makes $3.5MM this year.  
  • Russell Branyan – The Mariners are just 3.5 games back of the division lead, but Branyan would be an appealing candidate if he hits the market, especially since he makes just $1.4MM this year.  
  • Kevin Kouzmanoff – He makes under $500k this year, but he's hitting poorly and you can't even blame Petco Park, as his OPS is 40 points lower on the road. The Mariners recently had interest.

The Red Sox, Mets, Giants, Reds and Mariners could all look for a boost at one of the corner infield positions.

Rizzo Has No Plans For A Firesale

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Chico Harlan of The Washington Post spoke to Nationals acting GM Mike Rizzo today, who says "he feels no obligation to conduct a firesale," playing down the possibility of a major shakeup before the trade deadline.

"A big transition period? I don't think that," Rizzo said. "We'll make deals based on good baseballs decision. 'Firesale' means you want to dump people. We don't want to dump people."

Regarding first baseman Nick Johnson, the subject of many a trade rumor:

"Nick is probably the one with the most trade rumors, but we're not looking to move him. We'll only move him if we have the right opportunity. I don't want to put names as to who's most likely [to be traded], because we don't really know." Rizzo chuckled. "You know, I didn't know [Lastings] Milledge was the most likely."

The Nats are a major league worst 22-55 coming in to play today, a full six games back in the loss column of the next worst team, but they have several interesting trade pieces in Johnson, Adam Dunn, Joe Beimel and Cristian Guzman, among others.

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