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While the New York Yankees are the reported front runners to trade for Lance Berkman, the Red Sox still called the Houston Astros to check in on the slumping slugger’s availability, according to ESPN’s Jayson Stark.

Multiple reports indicate that Berkman, who’s hitting just .245 with 13 homers this season, could end up in the Bronx if the Astros are willing to accept minimal or no prospects in return. Certainly, having the likes of Lance Berkman on one’s bench seems much more Yankee than Red Sox, but stranger things have happened.

Still, since Houston appears to be attempting a pure salary dump, the Red Sox are unlikely to be seriously interested. Aside from the obvious logjam at both first base and designated hitter that a Berkman acquisition would create, the Red Sox are already over the luxury tax this season and are probably far less willing than the Yankees to further extend themselves financially, particularly for a waning slugger.

As always, Theo Epstein simply appears to be doing his due diligence in leaving no stone unturned at the 2010 trade deadline.

If you’d like to kno w as soon as Peter’s Red Sox articles have posted, you can follow him on Twitter at BoSoxUpdate.

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We’ve seen a lot of questionable decisions in the run-up to this year’s non-waiver trade deadline.

The Nationals have refused to move the soon-to-be-gone-anyway Adam Dunn without a getting an elite prospect in return. The Twins traded away one of the game’s top future backstops for an overrated closer. And the Rangers reportedly tried to get the Marlins to add ace Josh Johnson as a throw-in in their deal for Jorge Cantu.

But the most ridiculous, self-delusional announcement I’ve heard all year came last night, when the Milwaukee Brewers announced that they were canceling their fire sale because they decided they were close enough to be contenders after all.

The Brewers currently sit in third place in the NL Central—certainly a respectable standing, especially considering that theirs is the biggest division in baseball. The Red Sox, Tigers, and Dodgers are all taking the bronze in their respective divisions, and certainly none of them have given up on the playoffs.

The problem is, no other third-place team is seven games below .500.

At 48-55, the Brewers don’t seem to be eating their Wheaties this season. They’re nine games behind the first-place Reds and 8.5 games in back of the Cardinals, the unanimous preseason favorites to win the division.

They shouldn’t be looking for any solace in the Wild Card race. The Brewers are in eighth place for the consolation spot, 10 games behind the Giants.

According to BaseballProspectus.com’s playoff odds (calculated by playing the rest of the season a million times), the Brewers have a 0.3838 percent chance of making the playoffs. In other words, the odds are 261:1 against.

So why on earth do the Brewers think they have a chance?

That’s not meant to be a rhetorical question, but it is one because I can’t think of a single possible rational reason for GM Doug Melvin to wake up in the morning and say his team is in it to win it.

If Milwaukee wants to have its delusions of grandeur, that’s fine. It’s not my problem and hey, nothing wrong with optimism.

But if the Brew Crew doesn’t sober up fast, they’re going to regret it for years to come.

The Brewers have two of the best trade chips in the baseball in Prince Fielder and Corey Hart (assuming he returns from his wrist injury tonight, as expected). Both of them are among the game’s most coveted power hitters and are due to hit the free agent market after next season—in other words, they probably won’t be around long enough to see the Brewers make a serious playoff run.

With most of the other frequently discussed available outfielders (Cody Ross, David DeJesus, Jayson Werth) now off the market, Hart could spark a last-minute bidding war between a half-dozen teams tomorrow if he proves himself healthy tonight. If Matt Capps got the Nats Wilson Ramos from the Twins, Hart could certainly fetch at least a couple B-plus prospects.

Then, of course, there’s Prince Fielder. While Milwaukee’s initial demand from the White Sox—Gordon Beckham—was obscene, the Brewers wouldn’t have to settle for much less if they were willing to eat a substantial chunk of his salary.

The fat lady is singing in Miller Park, no matter what the front office says. The only race Brewers fans should care about at this point is the one involving anthropomorphic sausages.

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With only one full day remaining before the non-waiver trade deadline, and 60 games left to be played on their schedule, the Los Angeles Dodgers find themselves trailing the division leading San Diego Padres by a full seven games, and are seeing their chances of returning to the playoffs gradually disappear.

Even the line for the lone wild card spot is becoming quite crowded, and yet the Dodgers continue to push on and hope that solid play down the stretch will elevate them in the standings.

All of Dodgertown is hoping that the offense finds a spark, and General Manager Ned Colletti has already stated that he will do his best to find help for the Los Angeles pitching staff.

Although the Dodgers starting pitchers have fared quite well over the last several weeks, the fifth spot in the rotation still seems to be an area of concern for Los Angeles.

The following slides break down six possible pitchers, in order, of who could most benefit the Dodgers down the home stretch of the season, and provide a statistical commentary of why they are a good fit for Los Angeles.

Begin Slideshow

It had been reported over the last couple of days that the Minnesota Twins were looking to acquire a pitcher in order to bolster a bullpen that could use work, despite having the best ERA in the league today.

It appears as though the Twins have found that man. But he most certainly came with a price.

In exchange for the 26-year-old right-hander, Minnesota had to trade one of their best prospects, catcher Wilson Ramos.

Ramos, who will turn 23 on August 10, was called up on May 1 in order to start for Joe Mauer, who was injured at that time.

In seven games with Minnesota, Ramos averaged .296 at the plate with 1 RBI. His best game actually occurred in his first contest with the club, where he went 4-for-5 with a run scored.

However, in his next 22 at-bats, Wilson managed only four hits, and was sent back down to the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings on May 13.

Minnesota also sent minor league pitcher Joe Testa along with Ramos in the deal for Capps.

Testa, a left-hander, is a 24-year-old pitcher who will likely need more time in the minors before he can make any significant value to the Nationals organization.

In Matt Capps, the Minnesota Twins are getting an all-star closer who will take over for the man who was substituting for Joe Nathan, Jon Rauch.

Where we stand now, Minnesota will likely move Rauch to the set-up role, which will allow Matt Guerrier to be a middle-reliever that the Twins needed.

Capps, who was an all-star this year, recorded 26 saves in 30 opportunities for the Nationals this season.

Matt is currently pitching on a one year, $3.5 million deal, which means Minnesota is likely only going to use Capps as a rental in order to help their bullpen, and give them a better shot at competing with the likes of the Yankees, Rays, Red Sox, White Sox, and Rangers in the American League.

Many question why Twins General Manager Bill Smith was willing to give up so much for so little. But in retrospect, Ramos would likely only see the field on rare occasions, especially with Joe Mauer in front of him.

Also, Minnesota has Drew Butera and Jose Morales, who are both young and talented catchers who will be able to fill in for Mauer when he’s either resting or injured.

As a Twins fan myself, I am pleased with the move. If we didn’t have such a stable catcher in Mauer on our roster, I would be opposed to the move.

It’s also being reported that the Twins may not be done making trade deadline moves in order to upgrade their pitching rotation.

With both Scott Baker and Nick Blackburn pitching terribly, Minnesota could use another quality starter.

A year ago, the Twins acquired Carl Pavano from the Indians in order to help out their staff. To this day, Pavano has been an ace for the Twins pitching staff.

Ted Lilly was said to be a target of interest for the Twins a couple days ago, but that rumor has since been shot down because Minnesota is apparently on Lilly’s “no-trade list.”

Nonetheless, there are still quality starting pitchers out there who are looking to be traded before the deadline occurs.

Edwin Jackson, Jeremy Bonderman, Javier Vazquez, and Dontrelle Willis are all starting pitchers with expiring contracts that the Twins could make a move for.

It’ll be an interesting 24 hours for the Twins organization. I’ll definitely be checking the web and ESPN to see if Minnesota makes any moves.

Stay tuned!

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Milwaukee Brewer Trevor Hoffman isn’t available at this year’s trade deadline, but that didn’t stop Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein from asking after the closer he first met while working for the San Diego Padres, according to Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal.

Not remotely effective this season, Hoffman owns a 6.82 ERA over 33 innings and joins a nearly all-inclusive group of relievers that the Red Sox are pursuing in the final days leading up to the non-waiver trade deadline this Saturday.

Today, the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo reviewed all the relievers the Red Sox have reportedly sought over the past month. The list includes Matt Capps, Scott Downs, Kyle Farnsworth, Mike Gonzalez, Sean Marshall, Will Ohman, Rafael Perez, Kerry Wood, Michael Wuertz, and former Red Sox David Aardsma and Craig Breslow.

True to his word, Epstein has been scouring rosters for available bullpen help. Despite injuries to outfielders, catchers, infielders and starters alike, the Red Sox might would be closer than seven games back in the American League East if they had an effective bullpen.

The 2010 Red Sox pen’s weaker components have blown 14 saves and allowed a Major League-worst 43 homers en route to a 4.42 ERA. This is frighteningly close to the Orioles’ 4.47 mark. Journeyman Scott Atchison (4.05 ERA), trade-candidate Ramon Ramirez (4.57 ERA), flame-thrower Manny Delcarmen (4.86 ERA), and southpaw Hideki Okajima (5.81 ERA) are the primary underperformers.

The Red Sox must make at least one move for a reliever before the deadline if they are to compete through August and into September. The next 48 hours could decide Boston’s 2010 fate.

If you’d like to kno w as soon as Peter’s Red Sox articles have posted, you can follow him on Twitter at BoSoxUpdate.

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With the Major League Baseball trade deadline just three days away, we are starting to see the trades pick up.

Early last night we saw the Cleveland Indians trade Jhonny Peralta to the Detroit Tigers and later in the night, we had another trade.

Podsednik is going to Cali

The Kansas City Royals sent OF Scott Podsednik to the Los Angeles Dodgers for minor league catcher Lucas May and minor league pitcher Elisaul Pimentel. The Dodgers will also assume the remaining $650,000 left on Podsednik’s contract.

I like this trade for the Dodgers for two reasons—

1. Podsednik gives them outfield depth for the remainder of the season. Believe it or not, Podsednik was one of the best free agent acquisitions of the offseason.

Signed by the Royals for one-year and $1.75 million, Podsednik was hitting .309 with a .352 OBP and 30 steals in 42 attempts for KC in 2010. According to Fangraphs , Podsednik was worth $4.8 million in value to the Royals in 2010. That is a very good signing at the end of the day.

With Manny Ramirez and Reed Johnson currently on the DL, Podsednik can be a more than serviceable fill-in for those two while they are out. When Ramirez comes back, Podsednik will be a valuable pinch-runner off the bench for Joe Torre’s club.

2. This trade keeps Podsednik away from the Dodgers’ rivals. The Dodgers really didn’t need to have Podsednik, but in getting him from the Royals, they keep him away from the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres who were both searching for outfield help.

I am not saying Podsednik is a HUGE difference maker, but any advantage the Dodgers can get over their division rivals is certainly a plus.

The Royals get in return two fringe prospects according to Baseball America’s Ben Badler (If you are not following him on Twitter , you most definitely should). May is a 25-year-old catcher who is a career .260 minor league hitter. He does have some pop in his bat (25 HR’s in High Single A in 2007), but only projects as a decent at best backup catcher in the majors according to Badler.

Pimentel is a 22-year-old right-handed pitcher, who has a career 3.68 ERA and 8.1 K’s/9 in four minor league seasons. He is a fringe prospect that throws 89-93, but has an inconsistent slider and change according to Badler.

Podsednik should be in a Dodgers’ uniform tonight when they take on the first place Padres in San Diego.

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg

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For the Philadelphia Phillies, are two Roys better than one?

Multiple sources are reporting Thursday morning that the Phillies and Houston Astros have agreed to terms on a deal that will send Roy Oswalt to Philadelphia.  The teams are said to have the players and the money in place, and are simply awaiting Oswalt’s okay.

According to Mark Berman of FOX 26 Sports in Houston, the Astros have approached Oswalt, he is aware that a deal is on the table, and the teams are simply waiting for his response.

Oswalt has a No Trade Clause, which he must waive in order for the Astros to deal him. Oswalt has said to be insistent that his $16 million 2012 team option be picked up by any team seeking to acquire him.

The deal, which comes one day after the smashing debut of Phillies rookie Domonic Brown, looks to reinvent a team that has struggled this season under the weight of expectations and injuries.  The Phils are currently without their starters Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, and Shane Victorino, as well as veteran starting pitcher Jamie Moyer.

While the official trade deadline is this Saturday at 4:00 pm, there is an informal deadline of sorts attached to this deal.  Oswalt, who is one win away from Joe Niekro’s Astros career record of 144, is scheduled to start against Milwaukee on Friday night.

Sources say that if Oswalt is still an Astro by then, he will not be dealt.

The deal would bring a mixture of excitement and consternation for the Phillies and their fans.  Oswalt, who is owed $16 million for each of the next two seasons, would appear to be quite a bit more expensive, and a little more removed from his prime, than Cliff Lee, whom the Phillies had and chose to trade citing salary concerns.

Lee is making $9 million this season.

And if the Oswalt deal involves dealing Phillies second year man J.A. Happ, then the Phils will have gone from a potential front four of Roy Halladay, Lee, Cole Hamels, and Happ, to a rotation of Halladay, Hamels, Oswalt, and Joe Blanton.

While the latter would seem to be quite good, the former would have been unstoppable.

Asher B. Chancey lives in Philadelphia and is a co-founder of BaseballEvolution.com .

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According to Los Angeles Dodgers General Manager Ned Colletti, he’s only just begun.

Just moments after finalizing the deal for Kansas City Royals outfielder Scott Podsednik, Colletti said to the media, “As of right now, it’s all pitching between now and the 31st.”

But clearly, with just a little over two days remaining before Saturday’s 4:00 pm trade deadline, the Dodgers have some sorting out to do with their roster.

By adding Podsednik, Los Angeles gets a player who is almost a mirror image of current Dodgers outfielder Xavier Paul.

Both are left-handed hitters, the only differences between the two are Podsednik is a bit quicker on the basepaths and offers a ton more experience, while Paul has a much stronger arm defensively.

So it’s safe to suppose that if Manny Ramirez returns in the coming weeks that Paul is either included in another trade package which will take place before Saturday, or he will be optioned back to Triple-A Albuquerque to create roster space.

For now, Paul is safe as Colletti emphasized that the biggest reason for acquiring Podsednik was to use him as a safeguard in case Ramirez and injured Reed Johnson remain sidelined longer than expected.

Assuming that the starting outfield for the most part will consist of Ramirez, Matt Kemp, and Andre Ethier down the stretch of the season, 16-year veteran Garret Anderson will likely be pushed aside, clearing space for Podsednik and a healthy Reed Johnson as reserves.

While the Dodgers’ most recent struggles have obviously been caused by a lack of offense, especially in the power department, Jay Gibbons, John Lindsey, and Russ Mitchell continue to tear the hide off the ball in Albuquerque.

Yet, instead of giving an opportunity to one of these farm players, Los Angeles has decided to play with a total of four outfielders and 13 pitchers over the recent weeks. Among the four outfielders, Garret Anderson maintains a roster spot, despite batting .182 and having only two home runs, 12 RBI, and a .277 slugging percentage in 148 at-bats this season.

And among the 13 pitchers on the squad, James McDonald (11.12 ERA), Travis Schlichting (3.00 ERA), Jack Taschner (27.00 ERA as a Dodger), Jeff Weaver (4.09 ERA), and George Sherrill (6.94 ERA), have all been used as middle relievers in tight contests over the last few weeks, and have been nothing short of eaten alive by opposing hitters.

To add insult to injury, Sherrill has been occupying a very valuable roster spot despite being placed on waivers by the club on July 14.

As lefty ace Clayton Kershaw continues to serve his five-game suspension for plunking a San Francisco Giants outfielder last week, John Ely is expected to get at least a spot start this weekend, which will require an additional vacant roster spot. Also, yet another opening on the squad will be needed to make room for Podsednik on Thursday. 

All that being said, both Ned Colletti and manager Joe Torre will be busy over the next 24 hours playing musical chairs with personnel.

As Colletti says he’s finished with making moves for position players before the trade deadline, the Dodgers bench still lacks any kind of pop whatsoever in the power department.

Podsednik (5 HR), Reed Johnson (0 HR), Jamey Carroll (0 HR), Brad Ausmus (0 HR), Garret Anderson (2 HR), and even Ronnie Belliard (.213 avg., 2 HR) pose the least bit of threat to knock the ball out of the yard if used in pinch hitting roles. Overall, Los Angeles ranks 25th in the Major League in home runs as a team.

As of Thursday evening, the Dodgers have won five of their last seven games, yet they still remain six games back of the division leading San Diego Padres. Their weaknesses are clear—lack of offense and ineffective middle relief in the bullpen.

Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, Russell Martin, and Casey Blake have all been playing below their potential, and need to find their grooves in a big kind of way if Los Angeles is going to have success.

In terms of making trades, perhaps Ned Colletti needs to prioritize middle relief pitchers over the starting rotation, because the starters have been throwing just fine.

And get the roster back in working order, too.

With only 61 games remaining on the schedule, and the Dodgers hoping to close out in strong fashion, there’s absolutely no room for error—and certainly little room for players batting less than .200, or pitchers with more than a 6.00 ERA.

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As the trade deadline looms and pitchers have moved from team to team, the last guy standing is Roy Oswalt. Where will he end up?

Here’s a shocker: He ain’t goin’ nowhere. Why? Oswalt is hurt. Most likely his perpetually bad back.

Reds’ fans saw it in his last outing, July 24, where he lasted only 70 pitches.  Pirates’ fans saw it in Oswalt’s outing before he lost to the Reds, July 18, when he stuck around for a whopping 65 pitches.

Keep those dates in mind.

In those last two games his line looks like this: 9 IP, 16 H, 8 ER.

How and when did he get hurt?

First off, Oswalt has a long history of back issues. In fact, his last reported Cortisone shot was on July 7—”reported.”

The next night, July 8, he took the hill and voodoo-dolled himself.

Oswalt tossed a one-hit, complete game shutout.

He threw 117 pitches, equalling his May 9 season high.

A conspiracy theorist might say Oswalt was feeling pretty good after the shot and was trying his damnedest to get out of Houston, took the mound, and threw a whale of a game.

Hurting his fragile back in the process.

Would you spend around $20 million over the next two years on a guy needed for two months, with the possibility of having to ink a deal requiring your team to take on an additional year—knowing that his back is acting up?

Okay, so what made the dates July 18 and July 24 so important? Think for a second.

Answer: His previous start was July 8, why the 10-day rest? The July 13, 2010 All-Star Game?

Nope. July 8 was a Thursday. The All-Star break began on a Monday. The Astros resumed play on Friday, July 16, vs. Pittsburgh.

Why didn’t Oswalt pitch that game?

Why did he wait until Sunday, July 18?

And why did he only last 65 pitches, going only four innings?

It’s not like he took the mound in the fifth and couldn’t get anybody out.  Chris Sampson relieved Roy Oswalt before the fifth started.

Oswalt had only given up two earned runs.

So, again, why was he done after only 65 pitches?

His next outing vs. the Reds was horrible—10 base runners in five innings, six earned runs on 70 pitches.

Oswalt is scheduled to pitch Friday, July 30, against Milwaukee.

From now until game time on Friday, Houston is on the phone trying wheel a deal for Oswalt before everyone realizes that, for the remainder of the season, he is a toast.

The reported Cortisone shot and the next night’s one-hitter serve as a classic example of the old cliché, “be careful what you wish for.” 

That or maybe a little Karma biting Oswalt for being such a prig to the team that paid him ungodly amounts of money throughout his entire career.

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