Roy Halladay:
-There had been rumors abound that the Blue Jays were imposing a July 28 trade deadline on their ace, due to the fact that Halladay is scheduled to pitch on the 29th. Ricciardi said if the deadline is not a concrete date, according to Jayson Stark of ESPN.com.
-According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the Jays turned down an offer by the White Sox for Halladay on Tuesday. Chicago GM Ken Williams has admitted they are looking to upgrade, and he has been known to be far from gun-shy at the deadline.
–Ken Rosenthal believes the Dodgers need to jump in on the Halladay sweepstakes because they are getting far fewer innings out of their starters than they should. Joe Torre is overworking his bullpen, which bodes well for the rest of the NL down the stretch.
-Toronto GM J.P. Ricciardi believes that talks will heat up next week for Doc.
-Blue Jays scouts will be on hand in Altoona tonight to watch Kyle Drabek pitch for Double-A Reading, even though the Phillies have put him on the untouchable list.
-ESPN.com’s Tim Kurkjian does not believe a deal will get done because of Toronto’s ridiculously high demands.
Cliff Lee:
-According to Gordon Edes of Y! Sports, the Phillies and Dodgers were among those in attendance watching Cliff Lee on Tuesday night. Lee pitched a complete game in the Indians 2-1 win over the Blue Jays. It’s wise for the Phillies to look at Lee as a fallback option, now that signals are being sent about Halladay staying put.
Rodrigo Lopez:
-Within that same Rosenthal article, he pushes the point that Rodrigo Lopez could be dealt around the deadline to unload his $650,000 salary. Lopez has proven he can still pitch and if the Phils believe Pedro Martinez is the answer, he could be on his way out.
Other Pitching:
-Also within that Edes post, he believes that everyone is up for grabs in Pittsburgh. Zach Duke was among those named, and the lefty has proven to the Phillies he could be a viable option. Duke pitched a complete game against the Phils back on July 10 and has 8 wins with a 3.38 ERA this year. With Nate McLouth and Adam LaRoche already changing zips, anything is possible for the Pirates.
Bench Bats:
-Josh Willingham-for-Kyle Kendrick had been a wild rumor on Tuesday, but it was pure conjecture. However, the Phils have kicked the tires on the former Marlin, though no offer had been made.
-Check in tomorrow for a list of some of the bench bats that could possibly fit the Phillies need.
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