ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney touched upon what he feels are the biggest holes that need to be filled prior to the end of the trade deadline. Lets have a look.
I. Dodgers, pitching- Olney notes that Dodgers bullpen has been heavily overworked, and the results are starting to show. He says the team reached out to Toronto Wednesday, but the teams haven't been exchanging names.
II. Florida Marlins, closer- we all know the Marlins are looking for bullpen help, and Olney says they've been the most aggressive team for Heath Bell.
III. Boston Red Sox, mojo- Olney says they've spent a lot of time discussing Roy Halladay, Victor Martinez and Adrian Gonzalez. They know what it will take to get Halladay, but Olney thinks if they end up with any of them, it'll most likely be Martinez.
IV. Milwaukee Brewers, starting pitching- Lee is gone, and Halladay costs too much, maybe they look for a second tier starter.
V. Detroit Tigers, hitter- Tigers need a big hitter for the middle of their lineup, but they may not have the prospects or the cash to get a deal done.
VI. Chicago Cubs, left-handed reliever- some guys out there are Joe Beimel, John Grabow and Mark Hendrickson.
VII. Texas Rangers, pitcher and hitter- Rangers have prospects, but financial concerns may limit the teams' flexibility.
VIII. Los Angeles Angels, pitching- they know the price for Roy Halladay, but are they willing to pay it?
IX. Colorado Rockies, reliever- as we said this morning they're looking at Mark Hendrickson
Some other random notes:
- The Phillies made their team for 2009 and 2010 much better, and managed to hang on to their best prospects J.A. Happ and Kyle Drabek.
- The Giants immediately upgrade their offense with Freddy Sanchez, and with their pitching staff they could be real dangerous.
- The Pirates are beginning to put together a much more dynamic lineup.
- Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik values defense as much, if not more than any other GM in the league.