The Los Angeles Angels are "close" to acquiring left handed starter, Scott Kazmir from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for two prospects, reportedly pitcher Alexander Torres and third baseman Matthew Sweeney, according to MLB.com's Lyle Spencer.

The Angels have been looking for help in their rotation and the 25 year old southpaw should fit in nicely, despite having a down year this year with an ERA of nearly 6.

The Rays signed Kazmir to a long term deal after the lefty posted ERA's under 3.5 each of the last three years. However, as the Rays began looking to shed payroll and with Kazmir's ERA skyrocketing, Tampa began looking to unload his contract.

To be honest, it seems like the Rays are selling low on Kazmir. Since the All Star break he's pitched much better with only 3 bad starts mixed in with several quality outings. With young left handed pitching so hard to come by, I'm a little surprised the Rays agreed to this deal.

The trade deadline has come and gone and left a TON of trades in it's wake. We've compiled a list of all the trades that occurred during the entire month of July in one giant trade recap. One interesting note, unless I've missed something, 27 of the 30 teams completed at least one trade last month. The Astros, Angels, and Rangers were the thre teams to stand pat in July.

• The Cubs traded for Jeff Baker from Colorado for Alberto Alburquerque.
• The Indians traded Joan Meloan from the Rays for Winson Abreu.
• The A's traded Ryan Webb, Greg Italiano, and a PTBNL (Sean Gallagher) for Scott Hairston from the Padres.
• The Orioles traded Ryan Freel to the Royals for a PTBNL.
• The White Sox acquired Tony Pena from Arizona in exchange for Brandon Allen.
• The Royals acquired Yuniesky Betancourt from Seattle for Danny Cortes and Derrick Saito.
• The Mets and Braves made a straight up trade of Ryan Church and Jeff Francoeur.
• Seattle acquired Jack Hannahan from the M's for Justin Souza.
• The Brewers traded for Felipe Lopez from the Diamondbacks for Cole Gillespie and Roque Mercedes.
• The Orioles and Padres made the second straight up trade of Oscar Salazar and Cla Meredith.
• With the third straight up trade, the Cards sent Chris Duncan to Boston for Julio Lugo. Lugo was recently DFA'd by the Red Sox.
• The Red Sox added another left-handed bat when they acquired Adam LaRoche from the Pirates for Hunter Strickland and Argenis Diaz.
• The Cardinals acquired slugger Matt Holliday for Brett Wallace, Shane Peterson, and Clayton Morentsen.
• The Giants trade Scott Barnes to the Indians in exchange for Ryan Garko.
• The Pirates and Mariners made a 7 player deal that sent Jack Wilson and Ian Snell for Jeff Clement, Ronny Cedeno, Nathan Adcock, Brett Lorin, and Aaron Pribanic.
• The Reds acquired Wladimir Balentien from Seattle in exchange for reliever Robert Manuel.
• The Yankees acquired Jason Hirsh from the Rockies for a minor leaguer and released Brett Tomko to make room.
• The Phillies traded for Cliff Lee and Ben Francisco for Carlos Carrasco, Jason Donald, Lou Marson, and Jason Knapp.
• The Giants acquired Freddy Sanchez from the Pirates in exchange for Tim Alderson.
• The Royals acquired Josh Anderson for cash considerations after he was DFA'ed by the Tigers.
• The Dodgers acquired George Sherrill from Baltimors for Josh Bell and Steve Johnson.
• The Cubs acquired both Tom Gorzelanny and John Grabow from the Pirates for Kevin Hart and Jose Ascanio.
• The Tigers acquired Jarrod Washburn for Luke French and Mauricio Robles.
• The Dodgers and Brewers swapped Vinny Rottino and Claudio Vargas.
• The Red Sox made the biggest trade by acquiring Victor Martinez in exchange for Justin Masterson, Nick Hagadone, and Bryan Price.
• The Blue Jays acquired Sean Smith from the Pirates for future considerations.
• The Yankees added Jerry Hairston Jr. from Cincinatti for minor leaguer Chase Weems.
• The Red Sox then went ahead and traded Adam Laroche to the Braves for Casey Kotchman straight up.
• The Marlins traded for Nick Johnson in exchange for Aaron Thompson.
• The Rockies added two pieces to their bullpen, a righty and lefty. Joe Beimel and Rafael Betancourt.
• The White Sox acquired Jake Peavy surprisingly and they traded Aaron Poreda, Clayton Richard, Dexter Carter, and Adam Russell for him.
• The Reds and Blue Jays exchanged third basemen, with Scott Rolen going to Cincinatti in exchange for Edwin Encarnacion, Josh Roenicke, and Zach Stewart.
• The Twins got Orlando Cabrera from the A's for Tyler Ladendorf.

Update 7-31 3:30 CST:

It looks like Halladay is indeed staying put. While the Angels were making a late push, nothing got done before the deadline passed.

Update 7-31-09:

While there has been no news on a Roy Halladay trade 15 minutes after the official deadline, there are still rumblings that we may still hear about a deal similar to the Manny Ramirez trade last season that wasn't announced until after the deadline had passed.

Joel Sherman points out that the Jays had said Scott Rolen wouldn't be traded unless Halladay was and Rolen was traded to the Reds. So, there may be a deal we've not heard about.

Throwing more fuel on this possible rumor fire, ESPN's Jayson Stark is reporting that the Angels have made a late push for Halladay with a deal centering on young pitcher Joe Saunders.

If there's a deal, we should certainly begin to hear about it soon and of course, we'll keep you updated.

Update 7-30-09:

FoxSports' Ken Rosenthall is reporting that while the Red Sox, Rangers, Rays, Dodgers, and Angels are all still interested in acquiring the Jay's ace, it is "very quiet" on the Halladay front.

With the Phillies out of the running and Blue Jays' GM J.P. Ricciardi sticking to his high asking price, it seems more and more likely Halladay will remain with Toronto for the rest of the year.

I don't see the Jays getting the same quality offers this off-season and certainly not at next years deadline. While I understand Ricciardi wants to get the most he can for his ace, the offers that have been floating around in the media seem more than fair.

Update IV 7-24-09

Man the Halladay info is flying fast and furious today. While the Sirius report was apparently false, Ed Price is now reporting that the Blue Jays are "considering [the] Phillies offer of RHP Drabek, 3B Donald, C Marson and OF Taylor."

More as we get it...

Update III 7-24-09:

Andrew Fitzpatrick of Sirius Radio dropped the following note to me about the previous MLB XM report saying "Please be advised:  SIRIUS XM Radio is NOT reporting that the Phillies are close to a Halladay trade."

This would seem to confirm the statements of Jonathan Mayo we reported below. Also of note, the same Twitter account which made the false MLB XM claim is now reporting Buster Olney is reporting that the deal is close. Given the fallacy of the previous report, the latest alleged report should be viewed skeptically.

Update II 7-24-09:

MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo is refuting the earlier report that the trade is close saying the deal is "no where near being done; Not saying it doesn't happen, but it's not close."

Mayo still expects Halladay to end up in Philadelphia saying "usually, where there's smoke there's fire" but doesn't think it will happen as soon as is currently being reported.

Bottom line: it sounds like Halladay's probably a Phillie but will give a fairwell performance tonight in Toronto.

Update 7-24-09:

MLB XM and MLBNetwork are reporting that the Philadelphia Phillies are "close" to trading for Toronto Blue Jays ace, Roy Halladay.

An announcement could apparently come within the next 24 hours but considering Halladay is scheduled to start tonight for the Jays I would expect the deal to be completed within the next couple of hours. If Halladay is scratched from the start or pulled early, it will be a clear indication that a trade has been agreed upon.

If the Phillies do indeed land Halladay, it could set up a showdown with the St. Louis' newly acquired slugger Matt Holliday with the Cardinals in town for a three game set against the Phils.

Update 7-22-09:

It's time to catch up on all the latest rumblings & grumblings about Roy Halladay. This has all the hallmarks of being one of those deals that's talked about for the whole month of July and then nothing happens. Thankfully though, the Jays have put a deadline on negotiations of July 29th when Halladay is schedule to make a start in Seattle.

ESPN Insider (subscription required) lists the Phillies, Rays, and Rangers as the front-runners to land the coveted pitcher. However, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Joe Strauss reports that the Cardinals are still in the mix, and could get a deal done without trading Colby Rasmus.

Yahoo Sports' Gordon Edes reports that the Phillies and other teams will likely turn their attention to other targets such as the Indians' Cliff Lee if the Jays don't come down off their sky high demands.

At the same time, the Toronto Sun's Bob Elliot quotes Jay's GM Ricciardi as saying "It's unlikely Halladay will be dealt."

Before Halladay hopefulls everywhere get too upset, ESPN's Jason Stark reported this morning that Ricciardi expects talks for Halladay to heat up next week.

With all that being said, we still don't know all that much more than we did a week ago. It sounds like the Red Sox, Yankees, Mets, and Cubs are out of the running for Halladay. However, GM's don't exactly like to negotiate trades in full view of the public & the media. Most of what we hear from Ricciardi and other sources from around the league could just as easily be posturing to manuever the price more to their liking.

Nevertheless, we'll keep you up-to-date on all the rumors as we hear them!

Update 7-16-09:

Lots of Halladay related news today. Ken Rosenthal started his most recent article with this tidbit:

"The Angels and Cardinals are among the teams interested in Roy Halladay, but rival executives are skeptical that either club can produce a strong enough package to land the Blue Jays' ace."

Rosenthal lists the Phillies and Yankees as the favorites to land Doc Halladay.

SI's Jon Heyman says the Blue Jays have "told AL East contenders they much prefer to trade Halladay out of the division" which would seem to knock the Yankees back out of it.

Cardinals reporter Joe Strauss reported today that the Cardinals recently contacted the Jays but are now "downplaying" the possibilities of a trade due to the Jay's high demands which apparently included Colby Rasmus. Rasmus would obviously be a deal breaker for the Cardinals and Strauss mentioned in a chat that he believes the Cardinals' best shot at landing Halladay may require a third team involved.

That's quite a few snippets of Halladay news today but as expected, it doesn't appear anything is in the works yet & the only teams I'd really count "out" of it are the Red Sox and Yankees. Even then if one of them (read as Yankees) got desperate enough, even they could make a late surge.

Update 7-13-09:

Speaking in St. Louis before his All-Star game start, Roy Halladay estimated his chances of being traded at 50/50. That's considerably better than the 20% chance Peter Gammons gave last week, but not quite as certain as Jon Heyman seemed yesterday.

Halladay once again cited his desire to play for a winner but failed to specify whether a contract extension would be required for him to waive his full no-trade clause.

While it's probably anyone's guess at this point where or even if Halladay gets traded, I'd be surprised if one contending team (most likely the Phillies) didn't make a big push to land the ace.

However, if Cleveland begins to seriously consider trading lefty Cliff Lee, Toronto may be forced to either come off their sky-high demands, or wait to trade Halladay in the offseason or even at next year's deadline.

Update 7-9-09:

Baseball Prospectus' Will Carroll just Tweeted that the Jays may try to "hang" Vernon Wells onto any Roy Halladay deal similarly to how Mike Lowell was included in the deal that netted the Red Sox Josh Beckett.

Of course, Wells is still owed over $100 million by my count and Halladay is making quite a bit more than Beckett was back then as well.

To be honest, I don't know that the Jays would find a team willing to take on Wells' contract if Toronto threw in Halladay for free.

Update II 7-8-09:

The New York Post's Joel Sherman says that the Phillies should be viewed as the favorite to land Halladay from the Jays. He quotes on GM as saying "No team in baseball is more motivated to get a starter than the Phillies."

Sherman also lists the Cardinals and Rangers as darkhorses in the bidding. As mentioned previously, the Cardinals have two top prospects the Jays are known to covet and as Sherman notes, have nearly $30 million coming off the books next year.

Despite that increased flexibility, Bernie Miklaz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch makes a pretty convincing case on why he doesn't the Cardinals are a fit.

Last but not least, Sherman finally gives some ink to the Rangers who have been rumored to be limited by payroll issues but certainly have the players possible to grab Toronto's interest.

Update 7-8-09:

As expected, lots of talk around the league about Halladay. The NY Daily News doesn't expect Toronto to trade within the division and also doesn't think the Yankees would pay the price in players it would take to land the ace.

The Philadelphia Inquirer believes the Phillies will make a big push to land Doc Halladay, and they would seem to have the trade chips to do so. The only problem of course is that they're not the only team that will be vying for his services.

MLB.com's Dodger beat writer doesn't seem to like the chances that Halladay will be wearing Dodger blue any time soon.

Future Redbirds author Erik Manning points out that Jay's GM J.P. Ricciardi has long coveted Brett Wallace (who was drafted by the Blue Jays back in '05 before attending ASU). Manning speculates that Wallace and highly touted prospect Pete Kozma would be the likely starting point if St. Louis were to acquire Halladay.

While some onlookers faulted Ricciardi for not trading Halladay sooner, when more teams would be able to afford to take on his salary, the feeding frenzy that has ensued after the announcement makes it clear he's still going to get plenty of bang for his buck.

7-7-09

As the Toronto Blue Jays have fallen out of contention, the pressure to trade ace Roy Halladay has been mounting. Halladay's a free agent after the 2010 season and with so few impact players on the trade market this year, the Jays could make a killing by trading the hurler.

Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi was quoted as saying "I'm not saying we're going to shop him. But if something makes sense, we at least have to listen. We're (leaning) more toward listening than we've ever been."

Halladay, 32, has a full no trade clause but has reportedly stated he'd wave it to play for a contender.

When a pitcher like "Doc" is moved AND is more than just a rental, the entire league gets interested. And, according to a tweet by Jordan Bastian, MLB.com's beat writer for the Jays, more than a dozen teams "have asked about Halladay [but] "Serious" interest [came from] NYY, NYM, STL, MIL, LAD, LAA, BOS"

While it's going to take a king's ransom for anyone to pry the former Cy Young winner away, I have a hard time believing the Jays would trade him within the division.

Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman tweeted that the "Jays may want top SS prospect in package for Doc." Which, he points out would be "good for #phils (donald), #brewers (escobar), #chisox (beckham)."

We'll undoubtedly be hearing MUCH more about possible trades in the coming days and we'll keep this post updated with up to the minute news as we hear it. I get the feeling this year's trade deadline is going to be a wild one!

Both the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays are discussing possible blockbuster trades with the Cleveland Indians that would net them both Cy Young award winner Cliff Lee and former All Star catcher Victor Martinez according to several sources across the league.

Joel Sherman is reporting that the Rays are willing to part with pitching prospect Wade Davis while the BoSox seem hesitent to include Clay Buchholz.

While Fox Sport's Ken Rosenthall reports that the deal is unlikely to happen simply due to the magnitude of the potential trade & the number of prospects that would be required, it doesn't seem like an impossibility just yet.

Sherman says the Rays are actively shopping Scott Kazmir to the Rangers and Mets in hopes of freeing up payrol & obtaining prospects that would be required in a deal with the Indians. Ed Price ads the Angels name to the mix of teams possibly in on Kazmir.

They Rays are also said to be willing to deal Carlos Pena and possibly even Carl Crawford if the price is right so they certainly look to be ready to make big waves as the deadline approaches.

The AL Champion Tampa Bay Rays have reportedly inked St. Louis Cardinal castoff, Adam Kennedy.

Since the Cardinals released Kennedy last week the Rays would only be responsible for $400,000 of Kennedy's $4 million salary if he makes the opening day roster. However, that's far from a guarantee.

The Rays are pretty much set at 2nd base with Akinori Iwamura, but with only $400k at risk, it's the type of low-risk high-reward move that has been so popular this offseason.

Rays Vice President Andrew Friedman acknowledged as much saying "Right now, he’s on the outside looking in. I think it would take an injury [for him to make it] at this point, but you never know.”

Kennedy, 32, rebounded nicely at the plate last year, batting .280 after a career worst .216 average in 2007.

The Boston Red Sox appear to be on the verge of signing both John Smoltz and Rocco Baldelli to one year deals with a heavy emphasis on performance incentives.

Smoltz and the Sox have reportedly agreed to a one year deal for the veteran pitcher who is coming off shoulder surgery last June. The deal will pay the long time Brave a guaranteed $5.5 million and include incentives that could be worth up to $5 million more. Smoltz had said that he'd like to finish his career in Atlanta, the only team he's played for in his 21 year major league career, but after getting only 5 starts for his $14 million salary last year, the Braves were apparently a bit gun shy. Atlanta was unwilling to offer anything more than $3 million guaranteed and had made it known that they were prepared to let Smotlz sign elsewhere.

The Sox were also reportedly ready to give an incentive-laden one year deal to outfielder Rocco Baldelli. Baldelli, who spent 5 seasons with the AL Champion Tampa Bay Rays is attempting to mount a comeback after suffering from a bizzare disease that left him extremely fatigued and largely unable to perform. However, reports recently suggested that he may have been misdiagnosed and that he may well be able to continue his career. He'd certainly add depth and speed to the Red Sox outfield if he can manage to stay healthy.

Pat Burrell is moving from one World Series team, to the other. The Tampa Bay Rays have reportedly signed former Philadelphia Phillies power-hitting outfielder Pat Burrell to a two year deal worth $16 million.

Burrell, never known for his skills with a glove, will serve as an upgrade to the Rays output from their DH slot. Last year the Rays got 24 home runs, 78 RBI, and a .246 average from their DH spot while Burrell hit 33 home runs, had 86 RBI, and a .250 average. Burrell also, and perhaps most importantly for the Rays (who had a collective .712 OPS against lefties), hits well against southpaws, posting an impressive .951 OPS against them last year.

ESPN's Jason Stark expects the Rays' deal with Burrell along with the Cubs signing of Milton Bradley, to prompt the A's to finish their deal-in-the-works with Jason Giambi as well as possibly prompt several other outfielders to sign. As more and more teams ink power hitters, the demand for future hall of famer, Manny Ramirez seems to be dwindling. If the flurry of deals happens as Stark expects, it might leave the Dodgers as Manny's only option. While Manny seemed to enjoy his time in LA, as we all learned in high school when demand drops, so does the price, a prospect Ramirez and his supposed super-agent Scott Boras won't like much.

The Free Agent pool of players got a bit bigger at midnight on Friday when players who were not tendered contract offers from their teams became free agents. I've broken the list down by position and as you can see, there are a few surprises here including former Dodgers closer Takashi Saito (2.49 ERA and 18 saves) and Nationals starter Tim Redding (10 wins).

Pitchers

Starters:

• Wil Ledezma - LHP - Arizona Diamondbacks
• Chuck James - LHP - Atlanta Braves
• Daniel Cabrera - RHP - Baltimore Orioles
• John Bale - LHP - Kansas City Royals
• Chris Capuano - LHP - Milwaukee Brewers
• Scott Mathieson - RHP - Philadelphia Phillies
• Doug Mathis - RHP - Texas Rangers
• Tim Redding - RHP - Washington Nationals

Relievers:

• Lance Cormier - RHP - Baltimore Orioles
• Joe Nelson - RHP - Florida Marlins
• Jairo Cuevas - RHP- Kansas City Royals
• Mario Alvarez - RHP - Los Angeles Dodgers
• Yhency Brazoban - RHP - Los Angeles Dodgers
• Scott Proctor - RHP - Los Angeles Dodgers
• Takashi Saito - RHP - Los Angeles Dodgers
• Chris Britton - RHP - New York Yankees
• Denny Bautista - RHP - Pitsburgh Pirates
• Clay Hensley - RHP - San Diego Padres
• Charlie Haeger - RHP - San Diego Padres
• Randy Flores - LHP - St. Louis Cardinals
• Tyler Johnson - LHP -  St. Louis Cardinals

Catchers

• Robby Hammock - Arizona Diamondbacks
• Kevin Cash - Boston Red Sox
• Jamie Burke - Seattle Mariners

First basemen

• None - kind of odd but hey, it's the truth.

Second basemen

• Chris Burke - Arizona Diamondbacks
• Jonathan Herrera - Colorado Rockies
• Aaron Miles - St. Louis Cardinals

Shortstops

• Angel Berroa - Los Angeles Dodgers

Third basemen

• Ty Wigginton - Houston Astros
• Jason Smith - Kansas City Royals

Outfielders

• Jeff Salazar - Arizona Diamondbacks
• Willy Taveras - Colorado Rockies
• Reggie Abercrombie - Houston Astros
• Joey Gathright - Kansas City Royals
• Justin Christian - New York Yankees
• Jonny Gomes - Tampa Bay Rays

Teams have until midnight eastern time tonight to extend offers of arbitration to their free agents and I'll be updating this page as often as news becomes available about teams' arbitration actions.

Update

The offers are all in, and according to the AP only 24 players were offered arbitration. The list is as follows:

American League

• Boston Red Sox - Paul Byrd, rhp; Jason Varitek, c.
• Chicago White Sox - Orlando Cabrera, ss.
• Kansas City Royals - Mark Grudzielanek, 2b.
• Los Angels Angels - Jon Garland, rhp; Darren Oliver, lhp; Francisco Rodriguez, rhp; Mark Teixeira, 1b.
• Minnesota Twins - Dennys Reyes, lhp.
• Seattle Mariners - Raul Ibanez, of.
• Texas Rangers - Milton Bradley, dh.
• Toronto Blue Jays - A.J. Burnett, rhp.

National League

• Arizona Diamondbacks - Juan Cruz, rhp; Orlando Hudson, 2b; Brandon Lyon, rhp.
• Cincinnati Reds - David Weathers, rhp.
• Colorado Rockies - Brian Fuentes, lhp.
• Los Angeles Dodgers - Casey Blake, 3b; Derek Lowe, rhp; Manny Ramirez, of.
• Milwaukee Brewers - CC Sabathia, lhp; Ben Sheets, rhp; Brian Shouse, lhp.
• New York Mets - Oliver Perez, lhp.

Reds

The Cincinnati Reds have reportedly offered arbitration to reliever David Weathers (type B) who pitched in 72 games wracking up an ERA of 3.25 with 19 holds.

White Sox

The White Sox have not offered arbitration to free agents Juan Uribe or Ken Griffey Jr (type B) but have made an offer to Orlando Cabrera (type A).

Astros

The Astros did not extend offers to Doug Brocail (type A) or Randy Wolf and Mark Loretta (type B). The 'Stros had been in negotiations to resign Wolf although negotiations have stalled in recent days.

Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies have passed on arbitration for Pat Burrell and Jamie Moyer (type A) as well as Rudy Seanez (type B) and Tom Gordon (unranked). Burrell hit 33 homeruns with 86 RBI and a batting average of .250 and would have likely been awarded a raise on the $13.25 million salary he earned last year. One has to wonder if the D'backs lack of an offer to Adam Dunn influenced the Phillies descision as the two players have similar stats at the plate and limitations in the field.

Moyer appears likely to return to the Phils but again, the team opted not to risk having his price set by a 3rd party arbiter.

Marlins

The Florida Marlins have apparently declined to offer arbitration to Arthur Rhodes, Paul Lo Duca, and Luis Gonzalez (all type B free agents). There seems to be a trend emerging of teams being fairly careful with their arbitration offers this year as Rhodes has had more several teams express interest and, in my opinion would have been worth extending an offer to.

I've got to wonder if this is a product of the economy and perhaps an indication that free agent spending will be down this year as well. Obviously the top tier players such as Sabathia, Teixeira, and Manny Ramirez will be offered huge deals (or in Sabathia and Ramirez's case, already have been) however, it looks like the rest of the free agents might encounter a few more money conscious teams this off-season.

(via MLBTradeRumors.com)

Rangers

The Texas Rangers offered arbitration to type B free agent Milton Bradley, but not unranked free agents Jamey Wright, Ramon Vazquez or Jason Jennings. Bradley made the All-Star team and batted .321 with 22 HR and 77 RBI in 126 games. I would be surprised if he didn't receive a 3 year offer after his performance last year, with teams like the Mets, Phillies, Blue Jays, and Cardinals possibly in the mix.

Cubs

The Chicago Cubs did not offer arbitration to free agent relievers Bob Howry or Kerry Wood, both type A free agents. The club had been expected to offer Wood arbitration but apparently did not want to risk the closer accepting the offer. Wood saved 34 games last year with a 3.26 ERA and would likely have been awarded a raise on his $4.2 million salary. Howry had a much less successful year, putting up a 5.35 ERA over 72 appearances and also might have accepted arbitration, possibly resulting in the Cubs paying him $4.5 million for another year.

The lack of offer to Wood makes him even more attractive to teams seeking an elite closer, especially considering that both Fuentes and Francisco Rodriguez were offered arbitration.

Diamondbacks

The Diamondbacks have reportedly offered arbitration to free agent Orlando Hudson, Juan Cruz (type A), and Brandon Lyon but surprisingly not Adam Dunn. The team also did not offer veteran pitcher Randy Johnson (type B), or David Eckstein and Tony Clark (did not qualify) arbitration although none of those moves came as a surprise. The decision on Dunn again, makes absolutely NO sense to me. While he was likely to get a raise from the $13 million he made last year, Dunn smacked 40 long balls last year while driving in 100 runs last season. Even with the D'backs trying to keep costs low, they could turn around and trade the power hitter if he accepted arbitration. If he declined and signed elsewhere, they'd be rewarded with two extra picks. Where's the downside?

As if that weren't enough, they did extend offers to both relievers, Cruz and Lyon. If both players happened to accept the offer, the Dbacks would be stuck with two expensive relievers. As evidenced by the Dunn decision, the Dbacks are quite concerned with their payroll so the team must be fairly confident that the pitchers will decline their offer. We'll find out whether the Dbacks guessed right by Dec. 7th, the deadline for the players to accept or reject their arbitration offers.

A's

The Oakland A's did not offer arbitration to Emil Brown or Frank Thomas (both type B free agents) or to Alan Embree or Keith Foulke who did not qualify. Thomas has expressed interest in returning to the A's, but Oakland would need to drastically reduce his salary ($12.5 million last year) to make that happen after Thomas batted just .240 with only 8 homeruns.

Rays

The Rays did not offer arbitration to free agents Eric Hinske, Rocco Baldelli, Cliff Floyd, and Trever Miller (who still has not signed with the Cardinals despite previous reports). Since none of the players qualified as type A or B, the team would have nothing to gain by extending offers.

Nationals

The Washington Nationals, like the Rays, did not have any type A or B free agents and did not offer arbitration to Aaron Boone or Odalis Perez. The club has expressed interest in bringing both players back, according to MLB.com, but are waiting to see how the market develops before making offers.

Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles declined to offer arbitration to all of their free agents, Kevin Millar, Jay Payton, Juan Castro and Alex Cintron, none of whom qaulified as type A or B players.

Padres

The San Diego Padres have declined to offer arbitration to future Hall of Fame closer Trevor Hoffman, a type A free agent. The move has long been predicted but, I can't figure out why the Padres wouldn't make the offer. Hoffman has said the odds of him returning to the Padres are a longshot at 99-1 after the way the team has treated him. The Padres made Hoffman an offer to return, but later pulled the offer in an effort to cut costs. Even still, with Hoffman unlikely to return, it would make sense for the team to offer the closer arbitration and collect the draft picks when he signs else where.

Royals

The Kansas City Royals have offered arbitration to second basemen Mark Grudzielanek. While the move came as a surprise to most, Grudz will reportedly turn down the Royals' offer in hopes of playing for a contender. While the Royals offer may represent the highest salary Grudzielanek will be offered, Kansas City certainly is not a contender and several more competitive teams including Grudzielanek's former club the St. Louis Cardinals are in need of middle infielders.

Mets

The New York Mets have reportedly passed on offering Moises Alou and Louis Ayala arbitration but did extend an offer to free agent pitcher Oliver Perez. Perez is a type A free agent after going 10-7 with a 4.22 ERA. The 27 year old southpaw is widely expected to decline the offer and sign a multi-year deal with the Washington Nationals reportedly leading the way to land the free agent pitcher.

Braves

The Atlanta Braves did not offer arbitration to veteran pitcher John Smoltz, however the team still expects to resign the long time Brave should he decide not to retire.

Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox have offered arbitration to Jason Varitek (type A) and Paul Byrd (type B). Arbitration was not offered to the Sox other free agents, Curt Schilling, Mike Timlin, Bartolo Colon, Alex Cora, Sean Casey, David Ross and Mark Kotsay.

Predictions about whether the Red Sox would offer their free agent catcher had been mixed, and there are just as many differeing opinions about whether the Red Sox captain will accept the offer. According to Varitek's agent, Scott Boras, the veteran wants to play full time, however former teammate Curt Shilling has said that Veritek wouldn't mind a reduced roll. Players have until Dec. 7th to accept the arbitration offers and it wil be interesting to see what the three-time All-Star decides.

Angels

The Los Angeles Angels have reportedly offered arbitration to Mark Teixeira, Darren Oliver, Francisco Rodriguez (all type A) and Jon Garland (type B). By offering Teixeira arbitration, the Angels make the price of signing him slightly higher for other interested teams, although I still expect the first basement to resign with LA.

The Angels also declined to offer Garrett Anderson arbitration, likely ending his 12 year tenure with LA.

Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers have offered arbitration to Manny Ramirez and Derek Lowe (both type A), as well as Casey Blake (type B) while declining to offer it to type B free agents Greg Maddux, Jeff Kent, Joe Beimel and Brad Penny.

The lack of an offer to Beimel was expected but I still don't agree with the Dodgers' decision. Beimel has reportedly drawn interest from the Mets, Cardinals, Rockies, Reds and Tigers and is seeking a 3 year deal which makes him an unlikely candidate to accept the Dodgers' offer.

Rockies

The Colorado Rockies have offered arbitration to closer Brian Fuentes, their only type A free agent. Fuentes has drawn interest from several teams as the best closer on the market other than Francisco Rodriguez. The Mets, Cardinals, and Indians have all expressed interest in Fuentes who had 30 saves last season.

As with other type A free agents who have been offered arbitration, if the Rockies are unable to resign the reliever they'll receive two draft picks, a 1st or 2nd round pick from the team that signs Fuentes (depending on that team's record the previous season) and a “sandwich” pick after the first round but before the second.

Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays have offered pitcher A.J. Burnett arbitration while declining to extend an offer to catcher Greg Zaun. The offer to Burnett was an obvious move as Burnett has already opted out of his existing deal with the Jays and appears likely to cash in with a huge contract. By offering the pitcher arbitration, the Blue Jays, who still hope to resign the pitcher, will receive two draft picks should Burnett sign with another team.

Cardinals

Matthew Leach of MLB.com is reporting that the St. Louis Cardinals won't offer arbitration to any of their free agents which include Russ Springer (type A), Jason Isringhausen, and Braden Looper (type B). The decision not to offer Looper arbitration has me pretty puzzled as the Cardinals have a hole at the back end of their rotation and Looper has put up two very serviceable years as a starter.

The Cardinals have been very accommodating with Springer who has a special needs child attending a local school. I wouldn't be surprised if they're hoping to resign the 40 year old veteran to a deal worth less than an arbiter would award after his 50 innings, 2.32 ERA performance last year.

Twins

The Minnesota Twins offered arbitration to their only qualifying free agent, reliever Dennys Reyes (type B). Reyes, who made an even $1 million last year had an ERA of 2.33 in 46.1 innings pitched over 75 appearances making the decision to offer arbitration a no-brainer. I'd be quite surprised if the 11 year veteran accepted the offer as he's likely to receiver much higher offers considering his performance last year and the fact that he's a lefty. The Twins declined to extend offers to their free agents that did not qualify, "Everyday" Eddie Guardado, Nick Punto, and Adam Everett.

Tigers

The Detroit Tigers declined to offer arbitration to short stop Edgar Renteria, their only free agent that would have qualified them for compensatory draft picks (they also declined to make offers to Kenny Rogers, Freddie Garcia, and Kyle Farnsworth who didn't qualify). I'm a bit surprised that the Tigers weren't willing to take the risk of making an offer. Renteria appears dead set on leaving Detroit and likely the AL as a whole and I doubt he would have accepted arbitration, even though he likely would have received at least $9 million for the year.

Mariners

The Seattle Mariners have offered arbitration to Raul Ibanez (a type A free agent) while telling Willie Bloomquist and Miguel Cairo thanks but no thanks. Ibanez had a career year last year and has stated that he'd like to win which pretty much rules out returning to the Mariners, losers of 101 games last year.

Brewers

The Brewers have extended arbitration offers to CC Sabathia, Ben Sheets, and Brian Shouse but not Eric Gagne (a type B free agent). Many commentators were watching the Brewers' move with Sheets as an indication of his health, but the Brewers would have been incredibly foolish had they not made the offer. Even if they're not sure Sheets can remain healthy, by making the offer they signal to the rest of the league that they'd like to keep him and as such, increase the likelihood he signs elsewhere giving them two extra draft picks. The offer might also been seen as a good will gesture and help in the Brewers negotiations to resign Sheets if they miss out on Sabathia.

Yankees

The Yankees have reportedly declined to offer arbitration to all 8 of their free agents, including Andy Pettitte and Bobby Abreu as well as Jason Giambi, Mike Mussina (who's retiring), and Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez. This means the Yankees will not receive any compensatory picks if and when their free agents sign elsewhere.

Pirates, Indians, & Giants

The Pitsburgh Pirates, Cleveland Indians, and San Francisco Giants did not have any free agents that qualified as type A or B and as such, extended no offers of arbitration.

Well, if we were to believe all the different sources that have said a trade for Jason Bay is a done deal, he'd have been traded about 23 times by now.

However, this being a rumor site, it would be remiss of us to not tell you that MLB.com is reporting that the Los Angeles Dodgers may have landed the coveted outfielder in a deal just before the deadline.

To quote Jennifer Langosch's post, "One industry source in Pittsburgh believes that a deal between the two clubs has been made."

I'll tell you what, rather than analyzing a Bay deal for the third time today, I'll hold off giving my opinion until we find out for sure that the paperwork has been signed. K? Thanks.