Trade rumors!!! For June 28th....

[Baseball Guru]

Knobby to Seattle

The New York Times reported Thursday that the Yankees
and Mariners are close to a trade that would send Chuck
Knoblauch to Seattle for Al Martin and Brett Tomko. A
source within the Mariners told the Times that the club is
waiting for the Yankees to agree on the swap. Knoblauch
will likely continue to play left field if he goes to Seattle,
though his chances of replacing Ichiro as leadoff hitter are
about as likely as his shot at replacing AL RBI leader Bret
Boone at second base. The Yanks would have a well-paid
reserve outfielder and pinch-runner in Martin plus another
pitcher to swing between starting and relief in Tomko.


The hunt for Gerald Williams

Wednesday's Chicago Tribune reports the Cubs are now
unlikely to pursue Gerald Williams or Delino DeShields to
help in center field. The Sun-Times adds that team officials
see him as no better than a fourth outfielder in their
clubhouse. Williams' former club, the Yankees, also have
interest, but it seems unlikely he could add much to their
outfield whether or not the club trades Knoblauch. The
Rockies are looking at him because he can fill in for Todd
Hollandsworth. The Giants are also interested, probably
because Williams can do no worse than Marvin Benard.
The M's like Williams, too.


Yankees turn down Dye offer

The Bergen Record reports that Yankees GM Brian
Cashman turned down an offer from Kansas City that
would put Jermaine Dye in Yankee pinstripes in exchange
for Nick Johnson and Alfonso Soriano. "I don't want to be
remembered as the Yankee general manager who sold the
future of the franchise down the river," Cashman has been
quoted as saying. ... As much as the Bronx Bombers
would love Dye, according to the Newark Star-Ledger,
they're further along in talks for Cincinnati's Young and
Pittsburgh's John Vander Wal. Both teams want Randy
Keisler, if for any reason the value of young left-handed
pitching. ... New York also remains on the lookout for
starting pitching, according to Newsday, as they turn their eye away from
Albie Lopez and toward fellow Tampa Bay starter Bryan Rekar.


Astacio a hot commodity

This is the time of year when it pays to have too many
decent starting pitchers. The suitors are lining up for
Colorado's Pedro Astacio, who has a three-game losing
streak and has struggled to become a middle-of-the-road
starter in the Rockies' loaded rotation. The latest entrants
are the Phillies, who have had serious discussions around
Randy Wolf, Eric Valent and top pitching prospect
Brandon Duckworth, according to two Denver newspapers.
The Denver Post reports that the Reds have added Pokey
Reese to their possible return for Astacio. But the Rocky
Mountain News counters that Colorado wants Reese and
Dmitri Young, something the Reds don't want to do. The
Cincinnati Post reports that the Reds would send Young and Reese to
Denver if they could get Astacio and Neifi Perez in return. The Rockies
reportedly offered to send Todd Walker instead of Perez, leaving the deal
effectively dead. ... With Houston desperate for starters and Astacio
accustomed to a homer-friendly environment, Colorado approached with
talks around Astacio for free agent-to-be Moises Alou. The New York Post
reports that the Yankees entered the bidding after learning the Red Sox
have expressed interest in Astacio. The Rockies reportedly want to take
Paxton Crawford, Tomo Ohka and Trot Nixon out of Boston, a package Dan
Duquette resisted earlier in talks for David Wells. The Rockies offered
Astacio to the Yanks for Alfonso Soriano and Ted Lilly, to which the
Yankees countered with Keisler and Shane Spencer.


More Dmitri Young talk

Adam Dunn's performance in the minors and the
acquisition of Ruben Mateo increases the likelihood that
Dmitri Young will be leaving town. Monday's Cincinnati
Enquirer reported that the Braves had two scouts watching
the club, raising speculation of a Young-to-Atlanta deal.
The Rockies remain a viable candidate, though Pedro
Astacio's hefty salary makes it likely that a three-team
deal would be in order. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune
reports that Twins assistant GM attended last Tuesday's
Reds-Brewers game. If Minnesota and Cincinnati are going
to swing a deal, Young would seem the most likely
candidate given the Twins' outfield situation. The Yankees
are also interested. ... The Arizona Republic reports that the Diamondbacks