July 31, 2001

With baseball's non-waiver deadline awaiting at 4 p.m. ET, here's the latest last-minute trade talk:

Mets, Mariners in running for Burnitz

Jeromy Burnitz

Brewers outfielder Jeromy Burnitz is a last-minute entry on the trade block. According to Newsday, the Mets and Mariners can acquire the slugger if they supply Milwaukee with some young pitching help. In the Mets' case, that would be Glendon Rusch plus likely a prospect or two. The Mariners, meanwhile, might be able to grab him in a package that includes Joel Pineiro and 11-1 Triple-A righty Dennis Stark.

M's closer on Encarnacion

Juan Encarnacion

The Mariners and Tigers will go to the wire for Juan Encarnacion with talks for Shannon Stewart essentially dead. Tuesday's Seattle Times reports that the Mariners offered young right-hander Joel Pineiro plus Dennis Stark, but Detroit also wants Triple-A shortstop Ramon Vazquez. Fortunately, the Mariners are in Motown, so they can work out their differences in person.

Cards shop Lankford to San Diego

Ray Lankford

Ray Lankford seems resigned to waiving his no-trade rights, and the Cardinals are looking wherever they can to deal their struggling outfielder. That somewhere could very well be San Diego, according to Tuesday's St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Cards GM Walt Jocketty is trying to convince the Padres to take him for righty Woody Williams, even offering to pick up a portion of Lankford's salary for this season ($8.1 million) and next ($7.3 million). One report had Lankford, who has fallen out of the starting lineup, cleaning out his locker. Talks between the Padres and Twins on Williams ended when Rick Reed went to Minnesota for Lawton, but the Twins were enticing San Diego with an outfielder before that happened.

Red Sox close in on Urbina

Ugueth Urbina

Montreal's Ugueth Urbina is expected to be dealt before today's deadline, with the Red Sox in heated pursuit of both. The Expos want Tomo Ohka plus one of their top left-handed prospects, Casey Fossum or Greg Montalbano, according to the Providence Journal. At best, they can get Ohka, Paxton Crawford or Sun-Woo Kim plus a lower-tier prospect. The Diamondbacks and Dodgers are also involved, with Los Angeles also eyeing Pittsburgh's Terry Mulholland. Neither team wants to deal from their 25-man roster.

Rays' Vaughn, Grieve priced to move

Greg Vaughn

Devil Rays GM Chuck Lamar has admitted that he'll take next to nothing for high-priced players he's trying to unload, namely Greg Vaughn. With $19 million coming to him over the next two years, Vaughn will be tough to unload, but the Rays will even pick up part of that according to the Tampa Tribune. The Twins and Mariners have the need for an outfielder and financial flexibility. Twins owner Carl Pohlad wants to win now, according to Tuesday's Minneapolis Star-Tribune, and he's willing to add to the payroll to do it. Moreover, Minnesota expressed the need for a right-handed hitter even before trading Matt Lawton. Ben Grieve would seem more attractive because of his age, but his hitting woes make him unappealing to contenders.

Escobar's start might keep him in Toronto

Kelvim Escobar

Scouts from the Cardinals, Astros and Rangers watched Kelvim Escobar hold the Yankees in check for 4 2/3 innings during his start Saturday, but the strong performance might have convinced the Blue Jays to hold onto the right-hander. The Jays could still revisit their talks with A's about trading Escobar for catcher Ramon Hernandez. That depends on whether Oakland can pry backup catcher Wiki Gonzalez from San Diego. Considering Padres starting catcher Ben Davis' deep slump and fatigue, that will be tough.

Cardinals, Indians pursue Reds' Sullivan

Scott Sullivan

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that the Indians have had a scout watching the Reds play the Braves the past couple days. He's believed to be looking at Cincinnati reliever Scott Sullivan, one of the most durable long men in the league. The Cardinals might also be interested in Sullivan after sending special assistant Bob Gebhard to Cincinnati for Saturday's game.

Ordonez could go to Pirates, D-Backs

Rey Ordonez

The New York Post reported that Mets shortstop Rey Ordonez could be traded to the Pirates for Derek Bell. Given that the Pirates overpaid another shortstop, Pat Meares, that would seem unlikely from Pittsburgh's standpoint. The D-Backs remain interested in Ordonez as well as Reds counterparts Pokey Reese and perhaps his teammate, Danny Graves. ... If the Mets beat the odds and find a taker for Ordonez, they'll also turn to Reese as his replacement, according to the New York Post. The Reds want top pitching talent in return and don't much care for Pat Strange or Grant Roberts.

O's could be buying and selling

Jeff Conine

The O's would like to acquire Montreal closer Ugueth Urbina but are looking to ship out Jose Mercedes and Jeff Conine to whoever wants them, according to the Baltimore Sun. They could also end up trading Sidney Ponson. The Orioles might be inclined to keep Conine because of his relatively low $3.5 million salary for a player of his production.