Only a few days left till the deadline, so I'll be starting a trade rumor thread every day until August 1st. Not a lot specifically mentioning the Reds today, but here's what's out there:
- From Ken Rosenthal:
For teams looking for starting pitching, Philadelphia is the place to be. The three AL East contenders -- the Yankees, Red Sox and Blue Jays -- all sent scouts to watch right-hander Jon Lieber, who pitched Wednesday night, and right-hander Cory Lidle, who pitches Thursday. The Cardinals and Reds were among the other clubs represented.
I'll pass on Lidle every day and twice on Sunday, but Jon Lieber is really tempting. He's not been that great this year, but I'd take him over Claussen (who might do well in the bullpen).
- Mark Redman is also available. His numbers aren't that great, but he has been pitching in the AL, so he might do a little better in the NL. I doubt it would take much to pry him loose either, just about anything is an upgrade for the Kansas City Royals.
- Other guys available include Freddy Garcia, and various Rockies pitchers. You have to figure Kyle Lohse is out there too as a possible acquisition for the Reds.
It's definitely a seller's market, so it's tough to tell what the Reds are going to do, if anything. If they're serious about this whole playoffs thing then it'd probably be a good idea to go get another starter, and maybe another reliever. But we shall see. I have a nagging feeling that Krivsky might stand pat, and I don't think that'd be a good idea. Might as well take a shot, they've come this far in contention, and once you get into the playoffs anything can happen. As long as they don't deal Bailey or Bruce I could care less what's given up. Flags fly forever, right? They've already given up Kearns and Lopez so there's no point in being half-assed now.