We are officially within the last 24 hours of the non-waiver trade deadline in major league baseball and the rumors are flying. All eyes are on the Phillies, who are desperate to acquire some young talent to begin a turnaround of their major league roster. Two teams are reportedly interested in some of the Phillies' big pieces.
Jim Salisbury of CSN Philly pegged the Cardinals for Phillies pitcher Cliff Lee, though Salisbury had to amend his report after the Cardinals acquired Cleveland Indians starter Justin Masterson on Wednesday afternoon:
The St. Louis Cardinals were in the market for a starting pitcher and had interest in Cliff Lee before reportedly trading for Cleveland's Justin Masterson on Wednesday.
Lee remains on the market. He is scheduled to pitch Thursday night in Washington — three hours after the 4 p.m. deadline. As of game time Wednesday afternoon, Lee was still scheduled to make that start.
However, is that it for the Cardinals? Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports explained that the Cardinals were long-interested in Lee and may continue to be:
One executive said this about #STLCards' interest in Lee: "I feel like they've been chasing him for years."
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 30, 2014
This trade may come in August, rather than right now, notes Rosenthal. Masterson is currently on the disabled list and has an ERA well over five right now. If Masterson doesn't help the club, then maybe the Phillies still have a trade partner.
Salisbury also says that the Kansas City Royals may be a landing spot for pitcher A.J. Burnett:
According to multiple sources, the Phillies have had recent communication with the Royals regarding pitcher A.J. Burnett. The Royals have also kept tabs on lefty reliever Antonio Bastardo.
Salisbury notes that Burnett did not pitch very well on Monday night and may not have excited potential teams about his availability.
Much more before tomorrow's 4:00 p.m. deadline, I'm sure. One thing is for sure, the Phillies have played their last game before the trade deadline. And now: we wait.
