Truth & Rumors > MLB

07:07 AM ET 07.29 | An agreement to acquire Roy Oswalt notwithstanding, Philadelphia is among the clubs scouting Jose Bautista, and Toronto has been scouting Philly closely, too. Phillies superscout Dave Hollins was at the Rogers Centre on Wednesday night, the sixth consecutive game he has seen the Jays play. He was also in Detroit for the weekend series. ... Jim Beattie, now one of the Jays' top pro scouts, was with the Phillies in St. Louis last week and followed them home to watch them play the Colorado Rockies on the weekend. Beattie left and former Chicago Cubs GM Ed Lynch, another Jays scout, took his seat to watch the Phillies-Rockies matchup Monday.

Toronto Sun

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07:06 AM ET 07.29 | As Miguel Tejada's name swirls around in the possible trade blender, St. Louis, apparently, is out. The Cardinals contacted the Orioles about Tejada, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, but there was "no traction" for a trade. ... Tejada is drawing lukewarm interest from the Yanks, according to the New York Post. The former AL MVP is Philadelphia's top infield target, according to an ESPN.com report, and the Padres are interested in the longtime shortstop, too. The 36-year-old makes $6MM this season (about $2.3MM remains) and he projects as a Type B free agent, though he's close to Type A status. That likely won't matter, since Tejada is hitting .271/.309/.364 and an arbitration offer seems unlikely.

MLB Trade Rumors

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07:09 AM ET 07.29 | Though he might be moved in time to make his next start for a new team, there is the question of whether Ted Lilly might re-sign with the Cubbies in 2011. The Cubs say they won't make that kind of decision until after the season. And several factors might come into play, not the least of which is how quickly and efficiently they can unload right-hander Carlos Zambrano. ... "We'll see," Lilly said. "We're getting toward the end of July, and those kinds of things are a ways away. So many things between now and then can happen. I think it's evident I would prefer to stay here for the future. But you get to that point where you get the opportunity to become a free agent, those don't come around too often."

Chicago Sun-Times

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07:08 AM ET 07.29 | Derrek Lee, simply, didn't want to leave. Lee told reporters he discussed the possible trade with the Angels -- it would have brought prospects to the Cubs -- for about 24 hours before telling Jim Hendry no thanks. He contacted friends who play for the Angels, he said, and had long talks with his family members. It was an "agonizing" process, he said, but he is comfortable with the decision to ride out this season. "I just decided that for me and my family, the best thing to do is to stay here," Lee said. "That was the decision I made. Jim and I had good conversations about it. He has been great about it."

Chicago Tribune

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07:53 AM ET 07.29 | New York, "just about out on Ted Lilly" and seemingly further from Brett Myers, may pass on deadline dealing. The Mets have talked regularly with the Cubs, but feel that there is not a match because the Mets are not willing to take on most to all of the $4 million-plus Lilly is still owed for this year and give up prospects. As for Myers, the Mets had interest, but they found the Astros almost completely unwilling to engage in serious discussions. Myers and the Astros have a mutual option for $8 million next year, and the Mets official said, "I think Houston wants to bring him back next year." More and more, the Mets are wondering if it is prudent to wait until August to see if they are contenders and then make a trade for a pitcher who gets through waivers, especially since plenty of expensive arms are expected to do so.

New York Post

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