Top News:
Tim Dierkes / MLB Rumors:
Braves Acquire Scott Downs — The Braves found their left-handed reliever, acquiring veteran Scott Downs from the Angels for righty reliever Cory Rasmus, according to Halos communications director Eric Kay. — Downs, 37, has a 1.84 ERA, 6.8 K/9, 3.4 BB/9, 0.31 HR/9, and 63.1% groundball rate in 29 1/3 innings this year.
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Bleed Cubbie Blue and Talking Chop
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Jon Paul Morosi / Fox Sports:
MLB trade deadline blog — Source: Dodgers, Phillies quiet on a Lee deal — The Dodgers and Phillies have not discussed a trade involving pitcher Cliff Lee recently, according to a source. — The Braves have acquired left-handed pitcher Scott Downs from the Angels in exchange for right-handed pitcher Cory Rasmus.
Discussion:
MLB Rumors and HardballTalk
Tim Dierkes / MLB Rumors:
Tigers Acquire Jose Veras — The first-place Tigers augmented their bullpen, at a time the back end finally seemed to have stabilized. Detroit acquired reliever Jose Veras today from the Astros for outfield prospect Danry Vasquez and a player to be named later, which will be decided on or before September 15th.
Discussion:
baseballmusings.com, Bless You Boys, The Crawfish Boxes, Tag's Lines and SI Wire
Bruce Levine / ESPN:
Source: Jesse Crain trade close — The Chicago White Sox are close to trading All-Star reliever Jesse Crain in a “complicated” deal involving two teams, including the Tampa Bay Rays, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. — The complicated part could center on the fact …
Discussion:
HardballTalk, MLB Rumors, South Side Sox and DRaysBay
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Bruce Levine / ESPN:
Jake Peavy prepped for likely trade
Jake Peavy prepped for likely trade
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ESPN, MLB Rumors, Let's Go Tribe, ESPN.com, MLB, HardballTalk and South Side Sox
Darren Rovell / MLB:
Brewers offering August vouchers — Challenged by the news of Ryan Braun's suspension and a disappointing season, Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark Attanasio is reaching into his wallet. — The team announced Monday that each fan that shows up with a ticket to any of the team's 12 home games …
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SI Wire
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MLB.com:
Fans eat free for all August games at Miller Park — Fans should plan to bring their appetite for baseball, food and drinks to upcoming games at Miller Park because for the month of August, the Brewers are treating. — Milwaukee Brewers Chairman and Principal Owner Mark Attanasio today announced …
Discussion:
Al's Ramblings
Fox Sports:
Has baseball set bad precedent? — Whatever happens with Alex Rodriguez, no matter how many players baseball suspends, the debate over the sport's investigation of Biogenesis does not figure to end anytime soon. — To some, Ryan Braun's acceptance of a 65-game suspension indicated that for baseball, the end justified the means.
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The LoHud Yankees Blog
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Fox Sports:
Giant change of fortune for champs — They played 15 postseason games in 2010 and 16 in 2012. They sent nine players to the World Baseball Classic last spring, and six of them later suffered injuries. No one should be surprised that for the San Francisco Giants, the bill finally is coming due.
Discussion:
MLB Rumors, Red Sox Monster and McCovey Chronicles
Joel Sherman / New York Post:
Waiting for a surge, underachieving Nats not in selling mode — “We are certainly not giving up on this season,” Rizzo said. — The Nats were widely viewed not only as the NL East favorite, but the NL favorites and — because of young talents such as Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper …
Discussion:
MLB Rumors and MLB Daily Dish
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Associated Press:
Twins activate Mauer after birth of daughters — MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Twins have reinstated catcher Joe Mauer from the restricted list after a six-game absence for the birth of his twin daughters. — The move was made on Monday. The Twins start a homestand on Tuesday against Kansas City …
Discussion:
Twinkie Town
Fox Sports:
Will Phillies be able to trade Lee? — If it's July, Cliff Lee must be on the trade market. — Actually, Lee hasn't been traded during the season since 2010. Chances are, he will not be traded before the non-waiver deadline at 4 p.m. ET Wednesday. But the Phillies are discussing …
Discussion:
CBSSports.com, MLB Rumors and Phillies Nation
USA Today:
Nightengale: Baseball braces itself for punishment — BIOGENESIS' IMPACT ON MLB — As many as 20 Major League players have been linked to MLB's investigation into performance-enhancing drugs and the Biogenesis clinic in Miami. Here's a look at some of the high-profile players that are linked …
Discussion:
HardballTalk
Corey Brock / MLB.com:
Padres looking to parlay chips into arms at Deadline — GM Byrnes wants to make improvements to club's starting rotation — SAN DIEGO — The Padres' freefall in July saw them drop to last place in the National League West. But it didn't end their pursuit of roster upgrades.
Discussion:
MLB Rumors
Anthony DiComo / MLB.com:
Short-term interests on Mets' minds at Deadline — Byrd holds trade value, but GM Alderson not willing to disrupt roster plan — WASHINGTON — At last year's non-waiver Trade Deadline, the Mets shocked many of their peers by holding onto Scott Hairston, a valuable asset who likely could have fetched a reasonable prospect in return.
Discussion:
Metsblog
Rob Schumacher / Arizona Republic:
Arizona Diamondbacks weigh whether to deal or not deal — Arizona Diamondbacks General Manager Kevin Towers watches batting practice during spring training workouts at Salt River Fields. — FONT: — By Zach Buchanan — azcentral sports — PHOENIX — On Monday, scouts for the Diamondbacks will converge on Tampa.
Todd Zolecki / MLB.com:
Papelbon: Phillies need changes from top, down — DETROIT — Jonathan Papelbon had only a couple minutes to talk Sunday morning at Comerica Park, but he said plenty, expressing the need for changes in the organization if things do not improve on the field. — Papelbon signed a four-year …
Discussion:
HardballTalk, CBSSports.com, Bless You Boys, SI Wire, MLB Rumors and Phillies Nation