Frustrating outing from Kevin Millwood last night. Great return by Nelson Cruz, though...hopefully, that's a sign of what we're going to see from him going forward, rather than just an aberration.
On to the trade stuff...
The L.A. Times says the Atlanta Braves appear the favorites to land Mark Teixeira, and have some more Chipper Jones quotes about how great it would be if Atlanta landed Teixeira.
Bill Stoneman says the Angels are trying to land a big bat, but the L.A. Daily News indicates that Teixeira isn't likely because of the Rangers wanting too valuable of a third player on top of Casey Kotchman and Joe Saunders.
Bill Madden says it looks like Atlanta will land Teixeira, and talks about Schuerholz's history with Boras clients.
Phil Rogers says there are five teams Jon Daniels is talking to about Teixeira, and that he is insisting on Clayton Kershaw in any Dodger deal.
Joel Sherman says the Mets, BoSox and Yanks are all after Eric Gagne, but that the Tigers are basically out on him.
T.R. Sullivan looks at the finalists for Teixeira:
We know now that the Arizona Diamondbacks are interested, which could increase the Rangers leverage. A look at the contenders:
Arizona: The Diamondbacks have won eight straight and are putting the pressure on the Los Angeles Dodgers. Word is the Rangers are all over their Double A team in Mobile. Some of the better pitchers in their system are Brett Anderson, Matthew Green, Esmerling Valdez, Greg Smith and Max Scherzer, who is probably unavailable. Their best prospect is outfielder Justin Upton but they also have Carlos Gonzalez.
Atlanta: The Braves are willing to do first baseman Jarrod Saltalamacchia, pitcher Matt Harrison and 18-year-old shortstop Elvis Andrus. The Rangers apparently aren't satisfied with that package and seem to be holding out for more.
Anaheim: Angels owner Arte Moreno wanted to make a big splash last off-season and wasn't quite able to do it. He might be the force behind the Angels pursuit of Teixeira. General manager Bill Stoneman is usually more reluctant to make such a splurge.
Los Angeles: The Dodgers have the most desirable young talent, starting with first baseman James Loney and outfielder Andre Either. The Rangers would love to get their hands on Minor League pitcher Clayton Kershaw. The Dodgers seem divided in their approach to the deadline.