Tuesday's MLB Trade Rumors: Nationals Want A Ton For Adam Dunn

Tuesday was an important day for a number of rumored trade candidates, and some of them came through. Among them:

• Ted Lilly threw 5.2 shutout innings against Houston, striking out eight
• Brett Myers, opposing Lilly, threw a complete game against the Cubs, allowing a run while striking out 12
• Jose Bautista homered twice against the Orioles, increasing his league lead and bumping him up to 30 on the year

Corey Hart, however, missed his fourth straight game with a bruised wrist, and teams are going to want to see him prove that he's healthy before they offer up what Milwaukee would want in return in a trade. In other words, if Hart is to get traded, he's going to need to get back in there in a hurry.

Ken Rosenthal recently reported that the Nationals haven't made any contract extension offer to Adam Dunn in any form. That would seem to indicate that they're very open to moving him, and lest you think that talks aren't progressing, think again!

Washington Nationals first baseman Adam Dunn could be dealt to the White Sox if Chicago is willing to sweeten the pot and add a second substantial minor league player in return, according to a major league source.

Any deal for Dunn would have to include Daniel Hudson, the White Sox's top pitching prospect. The Nationals also want one of three White Sox prospects: catcher Tyler Flowers, outfielder Jordan Danks or injured infielder Brent Morel.

That's a steep price - and of course it's a steep price, being that this is Mike Rizzo - but it's less steep than the Dunn-for-Gordon-Beckham proposal the White Sox have already turned down.

The article goes on to note that Dunn's current suitors include the White Sox, Angels, Tigers, Rangers, and two as yet unidentified teams from the NL. More than anything else, what Washington wants is young starting pitching.

We've all been following the Roy Oswalt saga for days, if not weeks, if not months, but just as we begin to grow tired of the story, Jon Heyman has something kind of new:

Phillies and Dodgers appear to be most active pursuers of star Astros pitcher Roy Oswalt. Cardinals and Rangers interested

It's very interesting to see the Dodgers and Rangers listed there, given their budgetary constraints and the fact that Texas already landed Cliff Lee. Meanwhile, the Phillies continue to hang out near the top, as they entertain fantasies of pulling off some super major trade involving Oswalt and Jayson Werth and three teams, and the Cardinals back off a little bit as it seems they can't meet the Astros' demands.

Adam Dunn is known to be among the premier raw sluggers in the game today, and being that the Nationals have put him on the trade market, he's drawn his fair share of interest. The issue? The Nationals and GM Mike Rizzo haven't quite been reasonable in their requests for a trade return:

Teams that have spoken to the Nationals about Adam Dunn believe there's a good chance Dunn will be traded by the end of the week.

They also think that the price Nats GM Mike Rizzo is asking for Dunn right now is ridiculously high. Rizzo has been telling teams that to trade Dunn, he would need to get a young starting pitcher who is either major-league ready or close to it.

How ready? Well, according to a source familiar with the talks, last week the Nationals asked the Rays for Matt Garza.

Dunn is a very productive hitter, and has been for as long as he's been in the Majors, but one can only demand so much in exchange for a positionless slugger who is two months from free agency. It's one thing for the Nationals to insist on a high cost. That's bargaining. But there's no value in being stubborn, so if Rizzo is to move Dunn before the end of the week, he'll have to drop the cost.

The Rangers have long been rumored to be in pursuit of Marlins 1B/3B Jorge Cantu, but after there were whispers that a trade was nearly completed, everyone seemed to back off, and Jayson Stark tells us why:

ESPN.com's Jayson Stark adds Tuesday that the hang-up between the Marlins and Rangers in a trade for Jorge Cantu is money. The Rangers are telling teams they cannot add payroll and that they'd need Florida to pay the remainder of Cantu's salary this year, about $2 million.

The Marlins are loathe to pay more than they have to, although by covering Cantu's salary, they might be able to get a better return from Texas. Cantu, of course, is not without his other suitors:

Rockies continue to talk with Florida about 1B/3B Jorge Cantu, a needed right-handed run producer. Won't give up player on 25-man roster.

It seems that, even with his down year, Cantu's track record of hitting for power is sticking in a lot of teams' memories. Meanwhile, the Orioles' front office and Ty Wigginton's agent will keep a close eye on this who development.

It's hard to get a clear picture on things from where we sit, but Jayson Stark throws some water on the claims that Jose Guillen is attracting interest:

On Jose Guillen rumors: Was told by one club that KC has “no real options” to move him, even if they take $ & ask very little back
...
In fact, the same source speculates KC “might be done.” DeJesus hurt. Very little action on Guillen, Bannister, Davies, Farnsworth.

The latter bit neglects to mention Scott Podsednik as a trade candidate, but as for Guillen, it makes some sense - his offense has really dropped off since a torrid start to the season, and teams who might be interested in him may figure they can get a better player somewhere else to help put them over the top.

On Monday, we noted that Royals outfielder Jose Guillen is attracting interest from the Yankees, Red Sox, Padres, Mets and Giants. San Francisco, it appears, has ramped up its interest. From SB Nation Kansas City:

Jon Heyman of SI.com confirms that the Giants have been "heavily scouting" Guillen. He also says Guillen "wouldn't cost much."

He also reports that the Royals are "peddling Guillen hard" and if they can't land Corey Hart or Jose Bautista, "they may consider" trading for Guillen.

The Giants, who have put together a 9-3 record since the All-Star break, are only 3.5 games behind the A.L. West-leading Padres. As Heyman said, they can probably pick up Guillen on the cheap, but seeing as Guillen has played for nine teams throughout his 14-year career, they may want to double-check their roster to make sure they don't have him already.

For more on these teams, check out our Royals blog, Royals Review, and our Giants blog, McCovey Chronicles.