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UPDATE - 11:45 AM EDT - The Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Rangers, Cleveland Indians and Tampa Bay Rays have reopened talks of a possible four-team trade that would involve players such as James Shields, Justin Upton and Asdrubal Cabrera, reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today:
The #Dbacks, #rangers, #indians and #rays have reopened talks of possible 4 team trade involving likes of Shields,Upton,Cabrera
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 5, 2012
ORIGINAL - Tuesday bore witness to Nashville's first two trades, with the Marlins sending shortstop Yunel Escobar up-state to Tampa Bay and the Astros sending right-hander Wilton Lopez to the Rockies for a pair of young arms. While both trades included solid Major Leaguers, they do not hold a candle to the blockbuster deals of recent months.
With the offseason's two biggest free-agent names still on the table, Nashville may need a blockbuster trade of its own to kick things in gear. Well, we may have one...
We heard last night that the Cleveland Indians were in talks on a four-team trade involving shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, but word is this morning that there is the potential for a much, much bigger deal, per Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports:
A variety of three-, four- and even five-team trades are in play at the winter meetings, mostly involving the same clubs and same principal players, according to major-league sources.
The clubs: Arizona, Cleveland, Texas and Tampa Bay.
The principal players: Diamondbacks right fielder Justin Upton, Indians shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, Rays right-hander James Shields and, most likely, Texas prospects.
No deal is close at the moment, but several arrangements have been proposed. One of the proposed deals amongst three of the clubs would send Upton to the Rangers, Cabrera to the Diamondbacks, and a variety of Texas' prospects to the Indians.
Rosenthal's sources stated that none of the deals are very likely to come to fruition because there are so many moving parts, but that more traditional two-team trades amongst the group are still a definite possibility.
