With the 2014 MLB trade deadline just a few days away, the noise surrounding buyers and sellers alike is just getting louder and crazier by the second. Who can you trust? Who's actually on the move and who's staying put? We here at Chat Sports are happy to break things down for you with our MLB Rumors Roundup for Sunday, July 27th.
A misspelled name to mark the end of Tulo's days in Denver?
Per this photo posted by Yahoo! Sports' Jeff Passan, Saturday night's Troy Tulowitzki T-shirt giveaway didn't exactly go as planned for the Colorado Rockies and their marketing department:
Oops.
The missing "T" could just be the beginning of the end for Tulo's stay in Denver - especially with news that the currently-injured All-Star took in a New York Yankees game on Sunday instead of resting or traveling with the club:
Put it this way: Tulo showing up at a Yankees game the day after the Rockies gave out 15,000 shirts with his name misspelled is no accident.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 27, 2014
While this doesn't ensure that Tulowitzki will be a Yankee (and Jeter's heir apparent) when all is said and done, Passan reports that this turn of events doesn't bode well for Tulo's long-term future in Colorado:
Rockies know Tulowitzki wants out. Club can't be happy he's on DL at another team's game. Sort of thing that will lead to an eventual trade. — Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 27, 2014
Stay tuned.
David Price no longer available on the trade market?
With the Tampa Bay Rays winners of nine straight and 27 of their last 38 heading into Sunday's action, the once bottom-feeding Rays are now (perhaps improbably) right in the thick of the AL East and AL Wild Card races.
According to Bill Madden of the New York Daily News, this should put an end to the trade talk that has been swirling around the former AL Cy Young Award winner all season long:
The Tampa Bay Rays are not trading their ace, not now, not when Joe Maddon still has them believing they have the right stuff to get to the postseason; not when they’ve been playing the best baseball of any of the AL East clubs.
If this is indeed the case, the Philadelphia Phillies' duo of Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels will instantly become the two most-sought after starters on the trade market...that's if Boston's Jon Lester is still an "untouchable" as a few media outlets continue to report.
The Yankees' big plans before the deadline
As reported by CBS Sports' Jon Heyman, the Yankees may not be done upgrading yet in light of the absolute fight on their hands in both the AL East and AL Wild Card races:
The Yankees, perhaps as concerned about their offensive issues as their rotation, are looking at outfielder Josh Willingham and some other bats.
The Yankees may actually prefer Willingham to Marlon Byrd or Alex Rios, perhaps partly because of Willingham's reasonable $7 million salary and status as a free agent after the season, though Byrd and Rios haven't been ruled out. Rios makes $12 million, with a $2 million buyout of a $14 million team option, and Byrd has an $8 million salary next year. Byrd's deal does not seem overly high considering his solid production the past two years, but there may be some concern about his fit in the Bronx.
The Yankees' desire for rotation support has been well documented, leading to the team's trade for Brandon McCarthy earlier in the month. Don't be surprised if the Yankees add both an arm and a bat over the next few days.
News and Notes
*The Los Angeles Dodgers are still aggressively shopping outfielder Matt Kemp. According to several reports, the Seattle Mariners have emerged as a prime contender for his services - provided that the Dodgers are willing to eat a significant portion of the $100 million-plus left on Kemp's contract (good through 2019).
If the Mariners do swing a deal for Kemp, Jeff Passan reports that it will likely be in hopes of transitioning the 2011 Baseball American Player of the Year into a full-time DH role.
*If the Yankees don't get to Troy Tulowitzki, the New York Mets might.
Per Joel Sherman of the New York Post, one National League executive believes the Mets present a perfect trade suitor for the Rockies if they decided to offload Tulo and/or slugger Carlos Gonzalez: “Because Colorado always needs to address pitching, I actually see the Mets as their perfect partner.”
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