Around The Majors- Tuesday

Tuesday baseball is on SOS2 today and myself and the entire SprungOnSports network mourn the tragic loss of Sean Taylor today. Onto some baseball, where talks are heating up and some things just never change. MLB.com's Top 50 prospects countdown also continues.

11:30am EST
-The Yankees and Twins are indeed talking about a Johan Santana trade but they are in the super preliminary stages according to Hank Steinbrenner. In a radio interview this morning, ESPN's Buster Olney said that both teams have barely gotten off the ground in these talks, and other teams have had similar conversations as well.
-Mike Hampton is once again injured. Once thought to be a lock for the Braves rotation next season, Hampton injured his hamstring in the Mexican Winter League last week, and bleeding outside the muscle makes it unclear when he'll return to the mound. "Now we just have less of an indication of where Mike is in his comeback," Braves general manager Frank Wren told MLB.com. "The good news is that he was ecstatic about how his arm felt and how he commanded his pitches." Hampton has not pitched since the 2005 season.
-The Astros added a piece to their bullpen yesterday, inking righty Doug Brocail. The signing will be announced today. The 40 year old was 5-1 with a 3.05 ERA in 67 games for the Padres.
-The Boss was very vague when the Twins asked him for his list of untouchables, says the New York Post. The Mets have shown interest in Shawn Chacon and Octavio Dotel for their bullpen. -The Yankees have reached out to David Riske, says the Newark Star-Ledger.
-According to Newsday, the Mets have the option to nontender the contract of Johnny Estrada, making him a free agent and saving 3.2 million dollars which they could give to another team in a deal for a catcher like Gerald Laird, Ramon Hernandez, Brian Schneider, or Bengie Molina.
-The Angels and Marlins are still arguing over a combination of prospects, according to the Los Angeles Times. Dodgers GM Ned Colleti said that Joe Torre could be the team's only big acquisition. Florida is asking too much for Cabrera and talks have stalled with the Orioles regarding Erik Bedard.
-The Royals are denying a Dominican report that said that KC and Jose Guillen have agreed on a 1 year deal. GM Dayton Moore said that Baltimore is still in the mix. Yasuhiko Yabuta will take a physical with the Royals and then officially announce his signing. (KC Star)
-Seattle may be the clear favorites for Hiroki Kuroda, but the Phillies are going strong after Randy Wolf, says the Philadelphia Inquirer.
-The Rockies are talking about resigning both Matt Herges and Yorvit Torrealba, according to the Denver Post.
-The Diamondbacks are waiting to hear back with a counter offer from Hiroki Kuroda, says the Arizona Republic.
-Aaron Rowand could return to the White Sox, according to the Chicago Tribune. The White Sox are also interested in Cesar Izturis.
-The Brewers are going after Dotel, Troy Percival, and Eric Gagne. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
-Talks are intensifying between Boston and Minnesota about Coco Crisp.
-The Dodgers are now going after Kuroda, says the LA Daily News. -The Cubs, Astros, and Rockies are the frontrunners for Kaz Matsui. Kerry Wood wants to close for the Cubs. (Daily Herald)
-The Cardinals are going after Carlos Silva and Kyle Lohse. The Cards could also be looking to trade Scott Rolen. (St Louis Post-Dispatch)
-The Dodgers expect Jeff Kent back next season. (Orange County Register)
-The Yankees are trying to make an offer to trade for Ron Mahay. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
-The Boston Herald reports that the Red Sox will be allowed to carry 28 players for their series in Japan against the A's as they are starting the season with a 19 day road trip. As a Yankee fan I believe that's BS, because they weren't able to do that when they went and started the season terribly. Let's give the BoSox all the advantages!

MLB.com's Top Prospect Countdown 31-40
Some players that made a difference in last year's 31-40 include Erick Aybar, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, James Loney, John Danks, Yunel Escobar, Jacoby Ellsbury, Hunter Pence, Felix Pie, and Daric Barton. WOW.

40) Luke Hocheaver- RSP- KC
-The 2006 #1 overall pick didn't do as well as expected in AA and AAA last year, going 4-9 with a 4.68 ERA in 27 games (26 starts). He pitched well in 4 games in the bigs last year and can throw 4 pitches for strikes. He'll be up sometime next season.
39) Chris Volstad- RSP- FLA
-The 20 year old 2005 first rounder has a heavy sinker that gets a lot of ground balls, and pitched pretty well last year in hi A and AA. He went 12-11 with a 4.16 ERA in 28 starts but does give up a lot of hits. He has a very good curve and change and should be up sometime next season.
38-) Elvis Andrus- SS- TEX
-The 19 year old top SS spect was traded from the Braves in the Teixeira deal and is a great defender with speed who is still working on his hitting. In hi A last year, Andrus had a .257-5-49-.338 season with 40 steals in 55 attempts. He could be in the majors in 2009, and has the tools to be special.
37) Ross Detwiler- LSP- WSH
-The Nats' top pitching prospect was their first round pick this year with a 2 seam and 4 seam fastball, a curve and a change. He pitched well in 9 games last year in Rookie and A ball, and even pitched an inning for the big club. His sample size is small, but he could be up for good in 2009.
36) Scott Elbert- LSP- LAD
-He has amazing potential with his high 90's heater with a curve and a change, but had to have shoulder surgery that ended his year in AA after just 2 starts. He's still just 22 and will be back in AA next season. ETA:2009.
35) Max Scherzer- RSP- ARZ
-The 2006 first rounder and Scott Boras client held out until this past May, but was fantastic when he finally played. The 23 year old went 6-4 with a 3.28 ERA in 17 starts in A and AA with very few hits and a whole lot of k's. Upper 90's fastball and good slider, he could be up next season.
34) Joey Votto- 1B- CIN
-The Canadian lefty is ready for the show and a huge career at the GABP. In AAA he went .294-22-92-.381 and played 24 games for the Reds, hitting .321 with 4 homers and 17 ribs. Did I mention he also stole 17 bags in the minors? He's ready to start at first right now.
33) Andy LaRoche- 3B- LAD
-Adam's little bro did very well for himself last year, batting .309 in AAA and playing 35 games in the big leagues. A right handed hitter who is patient and loves to walk, and has been rumored in trades because the Dodgers have no room for him right now. He'd be a valuable asset to any team that plays him, though.
32) Reid Brignac- SS- TB
-He's the Rays shortstop of the future, and can hit for power with speed. In AA last year, Brignac went .260-17-81-.328 with 15 steals. Though he did walk a decent amount, he needs to get on base more in order to elevate his value. He'll be up next September and will be up in 2009 for good.
31) Chris Marrero- OF- WSH
-He's 19 and can flat out rake. A typical big power hitter, Marrero batted .275 with 23 homers and 88 ribbies in 2 A levels with an OBP that needs to be worked on. He strikes out a lot, but has big league power right now and will be a September callup.

Around The Majors- Hot Stove Monday

News and rumors as the day goes by, it starts right now.

8:30am EST
-Tom Glavine has agreed to a 1 year, 8 million dollar contract with the Braves. This fills a hole in the rotation, and gives Atlanta a proven 3rd starter after Smoltz and Hudson.
-Mariano Rivera will soon take the Yankees' 3 year, 45 million dollar offer.
-Mike Lowell will likely take Boston's 3 year contract offer to remain a Red Sock.
-As reported first last night on SprungOnSports2, the Mets and Luis Castillo have agreed on a 4 year contract worth 25 million dollars to play 2nd base. Several teams including Houston and San Diego coveted Castillo, and their focus will now likely turn to David Eckstein, who the Mets courted last week.
-Alex Rodriguez will collect the AL MVP Award and sign his 10 year, 275 million dollar contract, according to the New York Post. That's a pretty good day. The Post also reports that the Mets could pursue Livan Hernandez or even David Wells.
-The Rangers are entertaining Torri Hunter according to the Dallas Morning News, and the Dodgers are close to the top of Hunter's list says the Riverside Press Enterprise.
-Mariano Rivera is trying to get an option year out of the Yankees, according to the New York Daily News.
-Toronto has interest in Matt Clement, says the Toronto Sun.
-Fox Sports reported last week that Japanese reliever Yasuhiko Yabuta had signed with the Royals, but the Chicago Tribune says that Yabuta has listed the Royals, White Sox, Pirates, Rays, and Indians among his finalists.

Around The Majors- Friday

Barry Bonds talk with ESPN Page 2's Jonah Keri, news, and rumors for yet another baseball day on SOS.

-So Bonds will probably never play Major League Baseball again. Is this where I sob or climb up high to my soap box? I actually feel pretty indifferent on the subject and am pleased to see Barry go away from the baseball scene for a while, or maybe not. I follow the independent Long Island Ducks, and they had John Rocker on their roster a few years ago, and Jose Canseco and Rickey Henderson played for the Newark Bears of the Atlantic League. So why not Barroids?

"I like the way you think." Keri said. Gotta love flattery, right?
"It's funny, when the Bonds news came down the pike, here were my two immediate reactions, in order:
1) Really? The government has nothing better to do but to charge a baseball player with perjury? Iraq's a disaster, Pakistan is on the verge of becoming a disaster, health care's got problems, the education system is a joke in many states, we're on the verge of a theocracy in this country, and Barry Bonds is their #1 priority?!
2) Too bad, Bonds would've been the best free agent bargain of the winter, by a mile. A's could've parlayed him into a run at the AL West title."
The government always loves high profile cases that they can get their noses into. When Congress hosted all those players for the steroids season, they were giddier than John Madden at a Brett Favre convention. Bonds and Billy Beane would have been perfect fits together, because love it or hate it Bonds is an optimal Moneyball player. Gets on base more than anyone in a while, hits jacks, and rarely ever strikes out. But that's all for naught now.
-Derek Jeter may owe millions in income taxes, so he's not perfect. Wait, so he's not God?
-Mariano Rivera still wants that 4th year, but this may end up like the A-Rod thing. Nobody may offer him a 4th year, and he'll come to the team that has the overwhelmingly best offer. That is once again New York.
-I don't agree with the Yankees offering Mike Lowell 4 years and 50-55 million to play first base. He's in his 30's and they would put him out of position, which would be insane considering Lowell is a superb defender at the hot corner. Once again, Boston seems sensible as they're offering 3 years and 35-45 million. My hope is that the Phillies get him, but they're likely to go after pitching.
-The Braves are closing in on making a contract offer to Tom Glavine. Glavine has said that he'd take less money than he got last year from the Mets to pitch in Atlanta. He'd join Smoltz, Hudson, James, and Jurrjens to make a nice rotation.
-The Red Sox are adding 900 seats to Fenway Park for next season, and $25 standing room tickets. Now not being able to stand baseball will only cost 25 bucks. A bargain.
-Aaron Rowand could go to the Dodgers, according to the Riverside Press Enterprise.
-Jake Peavy may take a hometown discount on a contract extension, says the San Diego Union-Tribune.
-Lowell could decide as soon as this weekend, according to the Boston Herald.
-The Tigers are interested in Livan Hernandez, according to the Detroit Free Press.
-The White Sox want to deal Joe Crede, says tha Daily Herald.
-The New York Post reports that Paul Lo Duca could go to Florida or Colorado.
- Arizona is interested in Bartolo Colon and Matt Clement, according to the Arizona Republic. The team will not deal Conor Jackson.
-The Marlins, Padres, and Rockies have interest in Michael Barrett. (Palm Beach Post)
-Milwaukee may sign Jason Kendall to be their Catcher. (Brewers.com)
-Kenny Rogers wants to stay with the Tigers. (Detroittigers.com)
-The New York Daily News reports that the Yankees and Jose Molina have agreed on a 2 year extension worth 4 million.
-The Mets have interest in Octavio Dotel. (New York Times)

Thunder Thursday

I'll just freestyle it a little bit today.

First off, John Schuerholz leaving the Braves is HUGE! He was the most innovative and best GM of our generation, and he was unrivaled in developing a minor league system. The consecutive division titles with the constant roster turnover may never be seen on that scale again unless you spend 200 million bucks while rebuilding, and I'm a Yankee fan myself. After further review of the story, it was pointed out that he isn't leaving the orginazation, but there are still large rammifications.

I'm surprised that this isn't publicized, but this is the one year anniversary of the Cory Lidle plane crash that took over the news for a few days. It was a tragic development that will always go into my head on this day. When I first heard about the crash, I thought it was terrorism, but it just turned out to be a tragic loss of a Yankee. What are your thoughts one year later??

I'm not very good at Donald Trump impresseions, but Dave Wanstedt will be fired from Pitt, and it'll probably be because of last night's loss to Navy. He could've played it safe and tied it up on a 19 yard FG, but that gutsy call on 4th and goal from the 2 was basically all or nothing. The play failed, and he'll be on the unemployment line in 2008.

Can the Knicks do anything right? They signed Allen Houston when they have like a billion shooting guards, which is like bringing in Vinny Testaverde when you have 5 QB's who can do the same thing. Sure, the guy can still shoot, but can he catch and shoot off a cut, or take quality jumpers off screens? I doubt it.

Joey Crawford is back and officiating games. I just want to see him do a Spurs game in SA or Phoenix, if anyone shows up to the games in Phoenix. Which is a disgrace that they can't sell out NLCS games. If a market can't support a winner, move em!

Pat Riley has noticed that Antoine Walker is out of shape. Riley also noticed that Chad Pennington sucks, there are a lot of old people in Florida, and that the Dolphins haven't really been the same since Dan Marino. Perhaps I'll start calling coach Riley Obvious. Thanks for your time.

Around The Majors- Friday

I'll recap yesterday's games, go through the standings, get to the news and notes, and preview a pivotal weekend of race altering ganes. Let's do this.

Thursday Recap
Jake Westbrook went 8 scoreless innings and Nate Robertson went 8 and two thirds scoreless in a huge battle between the two teams fighting for the AL Central crown. The game needed extra innings, but the Tribe then scored 3 runs off of flamethrower Joel Zumaya including a bases loaded two run single by Chris Gomez and beat the Tigers 3-1 in 10. Minnesota scored 4 in the 8th to beat Baltimore 5-2. Jason Kubel drove in 2 to help out winning starter Boof Bonser. Mike Piazza went 4-5 with a homer and 5 RBI's as Oakland trounced Tampa Bay 12-2. Jack Cust homered and drove in 3 to help out Chad Gaudin. Boston and the White Sox were postponed by rain. Ichiro drove in 3 and Jeff Weaver continued his solid pitching as the Mariners ripped the Rangers 9-4. Brad Wilkerson homered and drove in 2 in the loss. Matt Stairs drove in 2 including the go ahead run in the 5th as Jesse Litch pitched Toronto past the Angels 5-4. Vlad Guerrero homered twice with 3 ribs, but it wasn't enough for the Halos.
The Dodgers scored 3 in the 8th to reward Chad Billingsley's solid effort as Los Angeles bested Philadelphia 5-2. Ramon Martinez drove in 2 for the Dodgers. Josh Phelps went 4-5 with 3 RBI's and Pittsburgh cooled Colorado 5-1. Paul Maholm pitched 7 strong for the win. Matt Cain outdueled Carlos Zambrano as the Giants edged the Cubs 4-1. Dave Roberts drove in 2 for San Fran. Atlanta's free fall continues. Adam Dunn hit a walkoff 2 run homer in the 12th off of Bob Wickman to defeat the Braves 9-7. Chipper Jones drove in 5 in the loss. Once again, both Trevor Hoffman and Billy Wagner blew saves. I've never seen two of the best closers of all time perform this badly at the same time, in the same series. Anyway, Adrian Gonzalez homered in the 10th off of Aaron Heilman and former Met Heath Bell picked up the save as the Padres beat the Mets 9-8. Bradley, Bard, and Marcus Giles each drove in two for the Friars. Washington scored 5 times in the 1st inning and held on to nip Houston 7-6. Carlos Lee drove in 5 in the loss. Josh Willingham had 2 homers and 6 RBI's as Florida crushed the Cards 11-3. St Louis committed 4 errors in the game.

Standings
Boston holds a 5 game lead over the Yankees in the AL East. Tampa has lost 7 of 10. Cleveland is 2.5 clear of Detroit in the AL Central. The Tigers have lost 7 of 10 and Chicago has lost 8 of 10. Seattle has won 7 of 10 and have closed to within a game of first place Los Angeles in the AL West. Oakland has won 5 in a row and 8 of 10 to get over .500. The Mets have won 7 of 10 and own a 5 game lead on Philly and a 6 game advantage over Atlanta in the NL East. Florida has lost 8 of 10 and is now in last place. The Cubs lead the Brewers by a half game in the NL Central. Milwaukee has lost 7 of 10 and St Louis has won 7 of 10 and are 3 games back. The Reds have won 7 of 10. Arizona leads San Diego by 3 in the NL West, and the Dodgers by 5.5. Colorado has lost 7 of 10. Seattle now has a 2 game lead over the Yankees for the AL Wild Card. Detroit is 5 back. The Padres lead the Phillies by 2 games in the NL Wild Card, and the Dodgers by 2.5. Atlanta is 3 back, Milwaukee is 3.5 back, and Colorado is 4.5 behind the Pads.

News and Notes
- Akinori Otsuka will be out for the season with elbow problems. He'll be shut down for the remainder of the campaign.
- Edgar Renteria is back on the DL with ankle problems, Martin Prado was recalled. Baltimore sent Garrett Olson to rookie ball. Jon Lester was sent down to AA and Royce Clayton was signed to a minor league deal by Boston. Detroit activated Andrew Miller and sent down Zach Miner. Craig Monroe was dealt to the Cubs for a PTBNL. Rick White was called up by Seattle, replacing John Parrish. Adam Melhuse was designated for assignment.

Weekend Preview
Friday
Beckett and Garland go in the first game of a day night twinbill as the Sox Red and White face off at 2. Schilling and Danks go in the 8pm nightcapper. Santana faces Guthrie in B'More as the Twins look to keep their slim hopes alive. Clemens and Miller go in Detroit, and CC Sabathia faces starter turned reliever now turned starter again Zach Greinke. King Felix faces Millwood in Texas and Halladay faces Weaver in LA.
Maddux-Moyer, Willis-Harang, and Penny-Perez make for some good matchups. Snell pitches in Houston, Smoltz in St Louis, and Hill-Francis in Denver. Lowry pitches against the Brewers.
Saturday
The Sox battle and Mets-Dodgers are the 4pm FOX games, everything else is at night. Garza in Baltimore, Wang-Bonderman in the Motor City, and Blanton-Kazmir in Tampa. Marcum faces Saunders in LA.
Hudson and Piniero face off in the STL, and Ted Lilly faces the Snakes.
Sunday
Phil Hughes tries to tame Jurrjens and the Tigers, Bedard faces Minnesota, and Haren battles the Rays. Vazquez battles Boston, Carmona-Meche in KC, and McGowan faces Escobar.
Chris Young might face the Phils, Busg definitely faces Lincecum in SF, Marquis and Davis in Phoenix, and David Wells makes his Dodgers debut against Maine and the Mets (8pm ESPN).

Saturday Baseball Rumors

First off, let's analyze what happened on Friday. Barry Bonds hit homer 754 last night, putting him one swing away from tying Hank Aaron's hallowed record. God save us all! There were also several deals done on Friday, so let's get to them all.

Friday's Done Deals
- The Phillies wasted no time in acquiring a temporary replacement for Chase Utley, acquiring Tadahito Iguchi from the White Sox in exchange for Pitcher Michael Dubee. Iguchi is batting .251 with 17 doubles, four triples, six home runs and 31 RBIs in 90 games with the White Sox this season. The 21 year old Dubee is a reliever for Middle A and was 4-4 with a 3.88 ERA for Lakewood of the Sally League.
- Cleveland reunites with Kenny Lofton, as they acquire him from Texas in exchange for Catcher Max Ramirez, who was traded to the Indians last year from Atlanta for Bob Wickman. Lofton batting .303 with seven homers and 23 RBIs this year. The 22 year old Ramirez was batting an identical .303 with 12 homers and 62 RBI's for high A Kinston. The Indians also designated Hector Luna for assignment, and optioned Cliff Lee to AAA.
- Milwaukee dealt for a reliever, acquiring Seth McClung from Tampa Bay in exchange for reliever Grant Balfour. McClung was optioned to AAA Nashville, but was 1-5 with a 1.99 ERA with 5 saves in 40 games for AAA Durham. Balfour was 1-1 with a 1.87 ERA with 7 saves in 32 games combined in AA and AAA.
- The Mets activated Moises Alou from the DL, and designated Sandy Alomar for assignment.
- Philadelphia activated Brett Myers from the DL.
- The Padres acquired outfielder Scott Hairston from Arizona in exchange for Pitcher Leo Rosales. Hairston was batting .222 with 3 homers and 16 RBI's in 76 games for the Snakes. He'll be a hitter off the bench for the Friars. The 26 year old Rosales was 1-1 with a 3.28 ERA and 14 saves in 24 games for AAA Portland. The Padres also signed Shea Hillenbrand.
- Tampa Bay designated catcher Raul Casanova for assignment.

Rumors
- The Angels have abandoned their pursuit of Mark Teixeira, and have looked towards acquiring Jermaine Dye or Mike Piazza. They've asked Florida about Miguel Cabrera, but they have zero interest in dealing him. (LA Times)
- Texas is still talking to the Angels, Dodgers, and Braves about Teixeira. (Dallas Morning News)
- Texas will likely wait until the Tuesday deadline to deal Teixeira. (Atlanta Journal Constitution)
- The Yankees are also interested in Teixeira. (Toronto Sun)
- A trade that would've sent Dye to Boston fell throught because they couldn't agree on players to send back. Dye didn't want to go there anyway. The Angels have been told to forget about dealing for Paul Konerko. (Chicago Tribune)
- The White Sox were seeking Clay Buchholz or Jacoby Ellsbury in return. (Hartford Courant)
- The Mariners are trying to deal for Dontrelle Willis, Livan Hernandez, or Jon Garland, and even asked the Yankees about Andy Pettitte. The Yankees are interested in Ty Wigginton and Al Reyes. (Newark Star-Ledger)
- Seattle is interested in acquiring Kei Igawa from the Yankees. (Seattle Times)
- The Mets are interested in Luis Castillo, Mark Loretta, and Mark Grudzielanek before the deadline. The Yankees had serious discussions about Eric Gagne, and are not completely out of the Teixeira sweepstakes just yet. Texas likes Yanks prospects Ian Kennedy and Jeffrey Marquez. New York would not deal Melky Cabrera. The Yanks are not pursuing Wigginton. (Newsday)
- A Twins scout was in New York looking at Mets prospects. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
- The Yankees have set their sights on Chad Qualls and Dan Wheeler. (New York Daily News)
- The Yankees are open to dealing Kyle Farnsworth and Scott Proctor. (New York Times)
- The Yankees and Red Sox are interested in Dan Johnson. (San Francisco Chronicle)
- The Tigers are interested in Farnsworth, and the Yanks would be interested in Chad Bradford if he were put on the block. The Cubs like Texas relievers and Catcher Gerald Laird, and may give up Felix Pie to get what they want. Atlanta's trade of Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Elvis Andrus, and Matt Harrison was a done deal according to some sources, the teams were just arguing on how much of Tex's contract the Rangers would pick up. (NY Post)
- Several American League executives said that they wouldn't be surprised if the Yankees obtained Tampa Bay infielder Ty Wigginton before Tuesday's trade deadline. (Journal News)
- The Rays haven't gotten to discussing names with the Red Sox for Wigginton. Seattle is interested in Reyes and Edwin Jackson. A Mets scout was seen in Tampa. (St Petersburg Times)
- Jay Payton wants to remain an Oriole, but he may not ahve a choice. (Washington Post)
- Teams are still interested in Mike Lamb, Loretta, Qualls, and Wheeler. (Houston Chronicle)
- The Twins may deal Juan Rincon. (St Paul Pioneer Press)
- Likely destinations: Dunn-Angels, Dye-Padres, Teixeira-Angels/Braves, Wigginton-Twins, Reggie Sanders-Boston, Loretta-Padres, Piazza-Angels/Twins, Sammy Sosa-Mets, Matt Morris-Seattle, Hernandez-M's/Mets/Phillies/Boston, Contreras-Mets, Gagne-Yankees/Tigers/Dodgers/Cubs, Dotel-Dodgers, Cordero-Mets. (Jon Heyman)
- Boston had a 3 way deal in place for Dye, but their was a problem with a player from the 3rd team. Atlanta's offer for Teixeira remains the best. The Angels won't get him unless they add a 3rd player such as Brandon Wood to their offer. Texas wants a pitching prospect better then Harrison in a deal. The Dodgers offered James Loney, Andre Ethier, and John Meloan for Tex but the Rangers are insisting on Clayton Kershaw in a deal. Castillo is the Mets first choice in a 2nd baseman. Arizona is mildly interested in Dunn. Kyle Lohse is interesting Arizona, the Dodgers, and Seattle. (Ken Rosenthal)
- Igawa could be easily obtained in a trade. Tim Purpura said that there's a 50-50 chance that Houston makes a trade. A Mets scout saw Garland. Johnson will be dealt to the Yankees. (Buster Olney)

Around The Majors- Friday

The weekend is almost upon us! The baseball weekend will be previewed after a look at Thursday's games, a check of the standings, and the latest news and notes. That will be followed by Friday's freshest rumors, including the Mark Teixeira trade that could happen today! All today here on ATM.

Thursday Recap

Baltimore scored 4 in the 8th to beat Tampa Bay 10-7, completing the sweep. The White Sox edged Detroit 4-3 on a Zach Miner throwing error. (Tigers pitchers and errors? Where have we seen that before?) Manny Ramirez clocked two homers as Boston bested Cleveland 14-9, the Royals shut out the Yankees 7-0, and Nick Swisher homered twice as Oakland silenced Seattle 6-2.

A 5 run 6th pushed Pittsburgh past the Mets 8-4, the Reds beat the Brewers 6-5 in 10, Washington edged Philadelphia 7-6, and the Giants beat the Braves 4-2. Houston pounded the Padres 7-1, St Louis crushed the Cubs 11-1, Brad Penny won his 13th as the Dodgers defeated the Rockies 5-4, and Eric Byrnes' 3 run walk off blast gave the Diamondbacks a 7-4 win over Florida.

Standings

The Yankees have won 7 of 10 and are 7.5 games behind Boston in the AL East. Toronto has won 5 in a row, Baltimore has won 4 straight and 7 of 10, and Tampa Bay has lost 6 in a row and 7 of 10. Detroit leads Cleveland by 1.5 games in the AL Central. Minnesota has lost 4 in a row and 7 of 10. The Angels may have lost 7 of 10, but Seattle is now 4 games back in the AL West because they've lost 7 straight and 8 of 10. Texas has won 4 straight. The Mets lead Atlanta by 4 games in the NL East, Florida has dropped 4 straight games. Milwaukee's lead is now 2 games over the Cubs in the NL Central, Pittsburgh has lost 8 of 10 to drop into the cellar. Arizona has won 6 straight and 7 of 10 to go 1.5 back behind the Dodgers in the NL West. San Diego has dropped 7 of 10 to go 2 games back. Cleveland leads Seattle by 4 and the Yankees by 4.5 in the AL Wild Card. Arizona leads the NL Wild Card by a half a game over San Diego, 1 game over the Cubs, 1.5 over Atlanta, 2.5 over the Phillies, and 4 over Colorado.

News and Notes

- It was a rough night for Chase Utley, but it could've been much worse. Utley broke his hand when he was hit by a pitch in the Phils' 7-6 loss to Washington, but he'll only be out 3 weeks, according to assistant GM Ruben Amaro. Utley is obviously disappointed, but "As breaks go, it's not that bad of a break," Abraham Nunez will fill in for now, but the team will look for a second baseman before the deadline.

- Brad Penny left his start against Colorado with an abdominal cramp, but still picked up his 13th win.

- Curt Schilling threw 5 scoreless innings in his rehab start in AAA.

- According to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN, the Nationals are close to signing Dmitri Young to a 2 year, 10 million dollar contract extension.

- Kerry Wood the reliever threw a scoreless innning for Mid A Peoria, and will pitch another rehab inning today.

- The Reds activated Juan Castro from the DL as they placed Pedro Lopez on it. Fernando Rodney will be going to the minors for rehab. The Royals recaleld Jason Shiell from the minors. The Mets optioned Joe Smith to AAA. Utley was placed on the DL, Joe Thatcher (recently acquired) was brought up by the Padres, and John Lannan was brought up by Washingto to start yestersday's game and got ejected.

Weekend Preview

Friday

The Yankees will host Baltimore in a suspended game. The Yankees scored 4 runs in the 8th inning to take an 8-6 lead. The Yankees are up with two outs in the top of the 8th with Derek Jeter on 2nd. Pettitte will faces Guthrie right after in the regularly scheduled match. Bonser faces Byrd in Cleveland, Garland faces Toronto, Robertson-Weaver in LA, and King Felix against Oakland. Moyer faces the Pirates, Hill in Cincy, Peavy in Houston, and Zito against the Marlins. (10pm ESPN)

Saturday

The Mets play 2 with Washington. El Duque pitches the first at 12, and Pelfrey goes at 7. Miller-Saunders, Maddux-Sampson, and Smoltz-Davis are the pitching matchups for the 4pm FOX games. Gaudin goes in Seattle, Clemens in Baltimore, and Halladay-Buehrle in Chicago. Jon Lester makes his 2nd start in Tampa Bay. Marshall-Harang in Cincy, Billingsley-Francis in Denver, and Willis-Cain in San Francisco.

Sunday

How about Santana-Sabathia to start your day! Wang-Cabrera in Baltimore, Dice-K-Kazmir, Vazquez against Toronto, and DiNardo-Washburn in Seattle. Bonderman faces Escobar in LA (8pm ESPN). Maine faces Washington, Zambrabo faces the Reds, Snell in Philly, Young-Jennings, and Gallardo in St Louis. The Dodgers get a look at Ubaldo Jimenez in Denver, Mitre-Morris, and Hudson-Hernandez.

Rumors

- Sources say that the Braves have made a killer offer for Mark Teixeira. Atlanta has offered Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Elvis Andrus, and AA lefty Matt Harrison for jusr Tex. The Dodgers will now likely focus on pitching, and the Angels would only be able to offer 2 players. So it looks like the Braves will win out. If the Twins decide to sell, Carlos Silva and Luis Castillo would be dealt. Castillo would be of great interest to the Mets. The Marlins will not deal Dontrelle Willis. Arizona has shown mild interest in Adam Dunn. The Rockies are interested in Dan Wheeler. The Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Braves and Cubs all are interested in Royals right-hander Zack Greinke, but it is doubtful the Royals would trade him unless they were overwhelmed. The Dodgers have been replaced by the Indians as the front runners for Octavio Dotel. (Ken Rosenthal)

- Teixeira could go to the Braves or Angels. Both teams have made strong offers, and Atlanta is interested in Eric Gagne. The Rangers don't want to deal CJ Wilson, but could trade Ron Mahay. The Rangers want young pitching in return and the Braves' best prospects are two left-handers: Jo-Jo Reyes and Matt Harrison. Right-handers Joey Devine, Kyle Davies and Manny Acosta are also possible. The Angels are interested in Paul Konerko. Cleveland is interested in Kenny Lofton. (TR Sullivan)

- The Marlins could be softening their stance on Willis. Tony Gwynn Jr has been the subject of several rumors, but the Brewers have resisted in trading him for now. Russ Springer is not likely to be traded by the Cardinals, but Juan Encarnacion might. The Cubs are in serious talks to acquire Ryan Church from Washington. Boston is interested in Ty Wigginton. Seattle is interested in Willis and Jason Jennings. The Mets could get Jose Contreras, Sammy Sosa, Mark Grudzielanek, Wigginton, and Mark Loretta. The Yankees are interested in Salomon Torres. (Jim Molony)

Wednesday Trade Rumors

What's the latest scoop from newspapers coast to coast? Who could get dealt now? Find out right here.

Rumors
- Atlanta may be more desperate to acquire Mark Teixeira then the Dodgers, who have James Loney. The Rangers want to make room for Jason Botts, and Sammy Sosa could go to the Mets. The Yankees and Tigers are interested in Eric Gagne. Kenny Lofton could go to Cleveland for a low level minor leaguer. Brad Wilkerson could go to the Padres. The Dodgers could acquire Joaquin Benoit. (Dallas Morning News)
- The Braves have been in talks about Teixeira. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
- The Angels have talked about Teixeira, and have resumed their pursuit of Paul Konerko. (LA Times)
- The Angels are interested in Adam Dunn and Jermaine Dye. (Orange County Register)
- Without dealing Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlain, the Yankees won't acquire Teixeira. (New York Times)
- The Braves, Red Sox, Dodgers, Angels, Giants, and Orioles are all interested in Teixeira. The Yankees have scouted Dan Johnson. (Newsday)
- The Red Sox may get Bobby Kielty, and the Todd Helton rumors have resumed. The Sox would like to deal Wily Mo Pena. The team is interested in Teixeira, Dunn, Dye, and Reggie Sanders for hitters, and in Octavio Dotel, Salomon Torres, and Akinori Otsuka for relievers. The Sox could trade Joel Piniero to the A's for Kielty. (Boston Herald)
- The Padres may not be a good fit for Mike Piazza, but the Angels might. (San Francisco Chronicle)
- The Mets, Padres, Dodgers, and Mariners are interested in Dye. Jose Contreras could go to the Mets or M's. (Chicago Sun-Times)
- The Yankees and Braves have expressed interest in Jon Garland. The Yankees aren't interested in Morgan Ensberg. (Newark Star-Ledger)
- Yankees scouts were seen in Chicago and Kansas City yesterday. The Yanks and White Sox could be talking trade. (NY Post)
- The Mariners are interested in Dontrelle Willis. (Palm Beach Post)
- The Dodgers scouted Brad Lidge, Chad Qualls, and Dan Wheeler yesterday and talks with the Yankees regarding Proctor for Betemit. (Riverside Press Enterprise)
- The Jays are not trying to trade for Jack Wilson. (Pittsburgh Post Gazette)
- The Mets are interested in Mark Grudzielanek. (KC Star)
- A chief Tampa Bay scout was at the Minnesota game yesterday, a sign that Ty Wigginton could be a Twin soon. The Yankees and Mets are interested, and the Twins could trade Kevin Slowey to the Phillies for Pat Burrell. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
- The Tigers have been scouting Rangers and Royals relievers. (Michigan Live)
- The Cubs are interested in Dye, Dotel, and Zach Greinke. (Daily Southtown)
- With the injury to Cliff Floyd, the Cubs may be forced to deal for an outfielder. (Chicago Tribune)
- If Eric Byrnes is available, the Mets are interested. The Yanks are interested in Betemit and Wigginton. (NY Daily News)
- Seattle is interested in Contreras, Javier Vazquez, and Livan Hernandez. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
- The Marlins don't want to deal Scott Olsen. (Miami Herald)
- The Twins could have interest in Teixeira. The Twins, Angels, Padres and Phillies are interested in Troy Glaus. (Daryn Perry- http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/7054794 )
- One GM said that the Braves and Dodgers were the frontrunners for Teixeira. Atlanta is offering Jarrod Saltalamacchia in the deal, and Texas may add reliever Ron Mahay in a trade. The Yankees and Red Sox are on the periphery in the talks. The Mariners are drawing interest for Richie Sexson, including from the Giants. The Mets are not interested in Ray Durham. The Yankees, Red Sox, Padres, Twins, and Tigers are all interested in Mark Loretta. The Brewers kicked around making a run at Dye, but they're unwilling to part with Derrick Turnbow or Manny Parra. The Yankees are interested in Jeff Conine along with Wigginton. (Ken Rosenthal)
- One scout is convinced that the Indians will acquire Dotel. Ryan Church has been mentioned in some rumors. (Buster Olney)

Saturday Baseball Rumors

Get 'em hot and fresh, rumors here right now.

Rumors
- It's becoming unlikely that Texas will trade either Eric Gagne or Akinori Otsuka, but they'll probably deal Joaquin Benoit. Atlanta is becoming more and more interested in Mark Teixeira. (Dallas Morning News)
- According to an inside source, Tampa Bay would deal Ty Wigginton straight up for Scott Proctor of the Yankees. (NY Post)
- Jermaine Dye could go to Boston. (Daily Herald)
- The White Sox could become a buyer before the deadline. (Chicago Sun-Times)
- The Angels and Padres are interested in Troy Glaus, the Dodgers are saying that they're not involved in the talks. (Toronto Sun)
- The Pirates could end up dealing Shawn Chacon. (Pittsburgh Tribune Review)
- The Rockies have shown interest in Kyle Farnsworth, but the Yankees would have to pay a major portion of his salary. (Rocky Mountain News)