Brand new column from ESPN's Jayson Stark . Stark explains why he feels the trade deadline is overrated.  I guess it all depends on what you expect from it. You may recall Walt Jocketty's Reds untouchables list from a few weeks ago.  It did not include Aaron Harang .  While the Reds might listen on Harang, there wouldn't be any kind of discount. The Mariners have ...

Heard this: Right now, the Red Sox and Rays essentially have no interest in completing a trade for C.C. Sabathia , because of other concerns. For Boston there may be a developing need for a bat, depending on how David Ortiz recovers from his wrist injury, as well as bullpen help, and for Tampa Bay the priority is going to be a right-handed hitting outfielder -- someone like the Pirates' ...

The latest on the C.C. Sabathia Sweepstakes... Indians GM Mark Shapiro said yesterday "it's pretty obvious" that his team is in sell mode.  There's no new information on the team's reported attempt to sign Sabathia to an extension before actively shopping him. The Phillies have scouted both Sabathia and Erik Bedard in recent weeks. The Mariners attempted to observe Phils ...

There isn’t a bigger story in baseball right now, than the ‘Who’s going to get C.C. Sabathia ?’ sweepstakes. Is it going to be the big market Boston Red Sox, who lost Curt Schilling for the season (and maybe his career?), and has a very dicey DiceK right now? Is it going to be the big market New York Yankees, who lost Chien-Ming Wang , and has a very questionable ...

Rumory goodness from Peter Gammons' latest blog post , aside from the Sabathia and Cubs stuff. The Rays are focused on a right-handed hitter.  Matt Murton and Xavier Nady are on the radar. As you know, the White Sox fired scouting director Dave Wilder and two scouts for violations of the team's scouting and signing procedures in Latin America.  At the time, the Chicago Tribune ...

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Cincinnati 0 0 0 0 5 0 3 0 1 9 14 2 CLEVELAND 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 2 5 11 0 W: Bronson Arroyo (5-7), L: Aaron Laffey (4-5) HR: CIN –Edwin Encarnacion (13), Adam Dunn (20); CLE –Grady Sizemore (19), Ben Francisco (6) Aren’t the Indians ...

Buster Olney has a new column up. Let's take a look: He suggests Randy Wolf as a "possible trade chip" with the Padres looking increasingly out of it this year. One problem: Wolf has veto power over trades to 14 teams. He's been decent this year, with a 4.13 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 98 innings, but nothing to get too excited over. Gossip item: the Mets could have had Kyle  ...

And now...a fresh Ken Rosenthal column . An opposing viewpoint: Rosenthal says "any team that acquires C.C. Sabathia would gain an exclusive window to sign him long-term before he reaches free agency."  Rosenthal notes that the Brewers and Rays are stacked enough to acquire Sabathia and wouldn't mind taking draft picks for him after the season. Casey Blake is drawing ...

A few notes on recent rumors involving C.C. Sabathia from the Blogosphere... At the time of the Johan Santana deal with the Mets, many thought the contract would raise the price for Sabathia. The Tribe Time Report wonders if the Santana deal, as well as the Barry Zito deal might actually have been a good thing for the Indians as other teams are more likely to balk at Sabathia's demands.  ...

MLB.com's Jim Molony has a slew of hot stove info today. Molony talked to some "industry types" about C.C. Sabathia , and those guys suggested the Cubs and Angels could be the frontrunners. The Braves could opt for draft picks rather than a Mark Teixeira trade, even if they fall out of the race.  They're only 4.5 games out though. A David Price promotion could lead ...

According to readers of Inside the Ballpark, a Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox World Series match up is not likely. A 13-day poll on this blog resulted in 81% of fans stating that it will not happen. It’s probably a good thing that a Chi-town showdown doesn’t happen. Especially since the Cubs just swept the Sox right out of Wrigley over the weekend. What about a Cubs vs. ...