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July 29, 2008

The Mill

11:35 p.m. ET UPDATE

by Kevin Goldstein, John Perrotto and Will Carroll

After heating up over the weekend, talk about a Mark Teixeira deal got downright heavy, with one source close to the negotiations indicating that there is an outside chance that the deal could be done within the next 24 hours. Helping the cause is Teixeira's hot bat, as he's hitting .313/.433/.575 in July, is14-for-34 with three home runs and ten walks since the All-Star break, and has a consistent track record as a second half player, including a career line of .305/.388/.601 in September. Six teams are discussion Teixeira with the Braves, although it looks like three have separated themselves from the pack, and deals vary wildly from multiple prospects only to other offers that involve both prospects and established players.
—Kevin Goldstein, 12:00 p.m. ET.

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• The Dodgers feel they are one big bat away from becoming the favorites to win the NL West, and are in serious talks with the Red Sox about left fielder Manny Ramirez. If the Dodgers can’t get land Ramirez, they will turn their attention to Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts.
• The Rockies continue to look for a starting pitcher, and are in on discussions about the Athletics’ Justin Duchscherer. The Indians’ Paul Byrd is another possibility.
• The Brewers have already made their big move by acquiring CC Sabathia, but they want bullpen help as well, and would like to pick up left-hander Arthur Rhodes from the Mariners. The Marlins also have interest in Rhodes.
• The Marlins still want a catcher but are now aiming higher than the Reds’ David Ross. They have their sights set on Pirates’ Ryan Doumit, though a deal there is doubtful, and are also pursuing the Orioles’ Ramon Hernandez, the Giants’ Bengie Molina and the Rangers’ Gerald Laird.
• The Phillies want a left-handed reliever, and the Royals’ Ron Mahay remains at the top of their list, though they also have feelers out to the Orioles on George Sherrill and the Pirates on John Grabow.
• The Twins and Tigers have both talked to the Yankees about reliever LaTroy Hawkins, who has been designated for assignment.
• The Red Sox are looking for help now for the pennant race but also looking to the future, and have asked the Rangers about the availability of catching prospect Taylor Teagarden as a long-term replacement for Jason Varitek.

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• Some persistent reports aside, Miguel Tejada is not going to be traded, and neither are any other key Astros. Owner Drayton McLane has told Ed Wade not to sell off any parts and begin a rebuilding.
• Texas' Eddie Guardado has become a target of teams looking for left-handed relief help, with the Marlins and Brewers both asking about him, and with the Tigers and Mets also believed to have some interest. The Marlins also have some interest in the Pirates’ John Grabow as a lefty bullpen option.