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Another big trade chip came off the table Tuesday, as the Baltimore Oriolesacquired righty reliever Francisco Rodriguez from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for a mid-level prospect. We're now officially a week away from the deadline, so expect a lot more movement in the next several days.
Here's the latest from Rumorville:
ChiSox reject trade offer from Cardinals
The Chicago White Sox are reportedly in sell mode this summer, but apparently they're not willing to give up all of their valuable trade pieces. The White Sox are expected to depart with Jake Peavy, Jesse Crain, and Alex Rios in the next week, but don't be surprised if shortstop Alexei Ramirez stays put. The club recently rejected a trade offer from the Cardinals that would have sent Ramirez to St. Louis in exchange for a prospect package that included young right-hander Carlos Martinez. Chicago's rejection of the deal indicates that they really see Ramirez as an important part of their future, given that Martinez was ranked the No. 38 prospect in baseball before the season, and has thoroughly dominated hitters in his first go at Triple-A -- 1.98 ERA in 41 innings.
Red Sox, Cardinals getting serious about Peavy
The Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals have reportedly moved from the "we're not sure where this is headed yet" stage of the Jake Peavy trade relationship into the "here's the key to my apartment ballpark" stage. The two first-place squads are believed to be the two most serious suitors for Peavy's second-half services, though they're certainly not alone in their pursuit. Rumor maven Jon Heyman speculates that the Nationals, Pirates, and Rockies could all be involved in the Peavy sweepstakes, and the D'Backs, Blue Jays, Yankees, and Orioles all had scouts at his last start. With Matt Garza now in Texas, Peavy is the best starting pitcher left on the market, so expect his price to be pretty steep.
Yankees not that close to getting Soriano
Alfonso Soriano's Bronx reunion is apparently not as much a sure thing as was first reported on Monday. The Yankees are still in talks to acquire their former-second-baseman-turned-corner-outfielder, but Cubs GM Jed Hoyer said that any rumor of a deal is "very premature." Hoyer added that the Cubbies are still in discussions with multiple clubs about Soriano, and that nothing is close to getting done with any of them. The Bombers definitely need help in the outfield corners, but it's unclear whether another old guy with a low-OBP is really going to make things better for them.
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