Friday’s MLB Trade Rumors: Adam Dunn Apparently Not Chicago-Bound

Just because it’s past midnight on the East coast doesn’t mean the rumors are done flying. Buster Olney comes in with the latest on perhaps the top starting pitcher left on the market:

The Dodgers have been a rumored destination for Lilly for quite some time, as they could slide him in between Chad Billingsley/Clayton Kershaw and Vicente Padilla/Hiroki Kuroda. The probability is that they’d need the Cubs to kick in some cash to cover at least a fraction of Lilly’s remaining 2010 salary, but the Cubs have expressed a willingness to do so, and doing so would aid in bringing back more talent from the Dodgers.

Setting a high price for a player is always nice in theory. In practice, it can backfire, as the Nationals are beginning to figure out:

This could be posturing on the White Sox’s part, but they wouldn’t be the first team to grow weary of Washington’s demands. If the Nationals finish tomorrow with Dunn still on the roster, they will have made a mistake.

The Diamondbacks have had some desirable pieces they wanted to move, and some less desirable pieces they wanted to move. One of said latter pieces is backstop Chris Snyder, but they may have found a match anyway:

Snyder is due $5.75m next season and has a $0.75m buyout for a 2012 option, so he’s been made available primarily due to financial reasons. Another reason is that he’s been passed up by the younger, cheaper Miguel Montero. So Arizona let the world know that Snyder was available, and it seems that piqued the Pirates’ interest. The Pirates have used Ryan Doumit, Jason Jaramillo, and Erik Kratz behind the plate this year, but Doumit is currently suffering from a concussion and is not very able in the field, and neither of the other two are particularly notable.

The Cardinals have long been searching for a rotation upgrade and were in on Roy Oswalt, but that very clearly didn’t materialize. So, in response, they’ve turned their attention to a cheaper, more attainable arm:

Westbrook is a sinkerballer with passable fourth-starter numbers who would and could slide in with ease behind Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright, and Jaime Garcia. He’d be exactly what you’d think he’d be - a moderate, unsexy improvement on a team with a lot of star power but little in the way of depth. One sticking point, according to Jayson Stark:

What does a low-key team try to do around deadline time? Why, make a low-key move, of course. Enter the San Diego Padres:

Maholm’s exactly the sort of B- or C-level player you’d expect a team like the Padres to target. The groundballing lefty has seen his numbers trend in the wrong direction, but he’s under contract for a reasonable price through next season with a 2012 option, and he’d serve as rotation depth and an effective lefty killer. For his career, Maholm has allowed just a .573 OPS against left-handed batters, and an .816 OPS against righties.

The slumping Colorado Rockies are in more of a reloading stage than a rebuilding stage. This is what happens when a team’s in a reloading stage:

Well that’s not very interesting. Lefty Joe Beimel is cheap, but he’s a free agent after the year, and he has all of 13 strikeouts in 31.1 innings. Randy Flores, meanwhile, is also cheap and a free agent after the year, but he’s hardly anything to write home about. If the Rockies make deadline moves, and the deadline moves involve Joe Beimel and Randy Flores, are the deadline moves interesting? It’s hard to see how anyone would want to part with “legit prospects” for one of these guys, but I’ve been surprised before.

The Blue Jays are in possession of a number of pieces that could theoretically be of great service to a contender. The Royals, meanwhile, having been trying to shed more and more parts after dealing Scott Podsednik and Alberto Callaspo. Where do each of these teams stand? Let’s ask Jayson Stark:

The Royals bit makes sense, as they aren’t selling any particularly desirable players. The Blue Jays are a little more surprising, as guys like Jose Bautista, Scott Downs, Kevin Gregg, and Jason Frasor could really help a number of teams, but Alex Anthopoulos has put a high price on all of his assets from the beginning, and he doesn’t look to be backing down. Teams will continue to call Toronto about its relievers right up until the deadline, and we’ll have to wait to see if anyone caves. Just how important is Scott Downs, really?

It was never really clear to what degree the Yankees were in on Adam Dunn, but one thing’s for sure - their acquisition of Lance Berkman doesn’t help the Nationals in any way. Says Ken Rosenthal:

There are a few teams who’re still buzzing around Dunn - namely the White Sox, Rays, and Giants - but as suitors fall away, the Nationals lose leverage, meaning Mike Rizzo may have to lower his asking price or suck it up and keep Dunn for the rest of the year.

The White Sox seem to be making real progress in their pursuit of Edwin Jackson, and it would appear that they’re on the verge of getting him for the cost of Daniel Hudson and another prospect. Which is all good and everything for them, but then what? Ken Rosenthal suggests that - surprise! - Adam Dunn could re-enter the mix:

So, to get you caught up:

The Dodgers have been sniffing around the trade market for weeks now, placing calls about starting pitchers and infield help. Friday, rumors are spreading that they could address both issues in one trade with Chicago:

Lilly isn’t new - the Dodgers have long been one of the favorites to land him, and Minnesota is probably no longer a threat now that they’ve dealt for Matt Capps. Theriot, meanwhile, has had a down year, but is capable of covering the middle infield, which the Dodgers evidently consider to be a need. It’s unclear how Theriot would be an upgrade over Blake DeWitt, Jamey Carroll, or even Ronnie Belliard, but the heart wants what it wants.

For Arizona, they would likely get pitching prospect Daniel Hudson in the rumored deal. Chicago has been dangling him as trade bait for weeks.