After rumors began heating up that the Boston Red Sox are making Jon Lester available, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported the club is open to trading both Lester and fellow veteran John Lackey for the right price. With their playoff odds dwindling by the day, the Red Sox have become clear sellers prior to the trade deadline on Thursday, and both Lester and Lackey are drawing interest from other teams.
Lester is having a career year for the Red Sox, but the two sides decided to table contract talks until the offseason, making the 30-year-old left-hander expendable if Boston can net some prospects in return. Speculation had grown Monday that the Dodgers could be a good fit, especially if they were willing to eat some of Matt Kemp's salary and send him to the Red Sox along with a prospect or two.
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Lackey, meanwhile, represents an intriguing option for a contender considering he is set to make the veteran's minimum of $500,000 in 2015. Whether the Red Sox end up dealing both starters remains to be seen, but for now, they appear to be open to any possibility prior to the deadline.
Pirates interested in Byrd, Bastardo
According to Fox Sports' Jon Morosi, the Pirates are interested in acquiring both Marlon Byrd and Antonio Bastardo from the Phillies.
Trade Deadline
With Pittsburgh locked in a tight NL Central playoff race, the club is looking to add another bat to its lineup and also help shore up a leaky bullpen. The Pirates actually traded for Byrd last July, and the 36-year-old hit .318/.357/.486 with three home runs in 30 games to help the Bucs qualify for the postseason. Byrd is batting .273/.321/.482 with 20 home runs in 2014.
Bastardo has had a bumpy season out of the Phillies bullpen, but still picks up his fair share of strikeouts and remains tough on lefties. In 46 relief appearances, Bastardo has posted a 4.17 ERA, a 3.73 FIP and 53 strikeouts versus 25 walks. He has held left-handers to a .188/.284/.345 mark throughout his career.
Phillies asking for "the world" in return for Hamels
The Phillies are also fielding calls on southpaw Cole Hamels, but according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, GM Ruben Amaro is asking for "the world" in return for the nine-year veteran.
Hamels has bounced back from an early-season injury to again dominate for the Phillies. The 30-year-old has a 2.73 ERA over 18 starts, while striking out 3.2 batters for every one he walks.
But, Philadelphia remains reluctant to trade the left-hander, even as the team needs to start re-tooling an aging roster. Given the size of his contract (Hamels will make $22.5 million annually from 2015-2018), the Phillies might find it easier to shop Hamels this winter.
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Giants might look to add Zobrist
After signing Dan Uggla, the Giants could still use some infield help, which means they might look to acquire Ben Zobrist, per MLB.com's Chris Haft.
Whether the Rays would be open to dealing Zobrist is a big question considering they have won 10 of their last 11 games and now sit 4.5 games back in the AL Wild Card race.
Either way, Zobrist would no doubt be an upgrade over Uggla at second base for the Giants as Marco Scutaro remains injured. With Angel Pagan also on the DL, Zobrist could give San Francisco some outfield depth as well. The switch-hitting Zobrist is batting .268/.358/.409 with 30 extra-base hits in 2014.
Diamonbacks could deal Reed
The Diamondbacks have told opposing teams that Addison Reed is potentially available, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark.
Arizona acquired Reed via trade with the White Sox this past offseason, but after a disappointing 2014 campaign, the Diamondbacks are listening to offers for the 25-year-old closer.
In 43 relief appearances for the Diamondbacks this season, Reed has posted a 3.89 ERA, striking out 47 batters and walking 11.