According to Joel Sherman of the NY Post the Rays and Red Sox are both talking to the Indians about a deal that would send them both Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez. Here's a brief recap of what else Sherman had to say:
- Tampa is willing to part with highly touted pitching prospect Wade Davis.
- The Red Sox still are unwilling to part with Clay Buchholz, but that would have to change for this deal to ever happen.
- The Phillies are also very serious about Lee. One AL executive said with certainty that by 4PM on July 31 the Phillies will have Lee, Roy Halladay or Jarrod Washburn.
- One wrinkle in this three-way deal could be the Rays. Sherman suspects if they lose three straight this weekend to the Yankees, they might be out all together and would probably shift their focus to trading Scott Kazmir.
- One club executive said he would bet "1,000" percent that the Indians move Lee and Martinez because of financial reasons. The same executive said that the economy is hurting the Indians as much as any team.
- Heath Bell is a viable trade option for the Padres because he could become an expensive closer on a bad team.
- The Yankees have shown interest in Bell, who could give them flexibility with Phil Hughes moving to the rotation should they be struck with additional injuries.