With Cliff Lee being dealt, our prediction of the Rangers as Roy's destination has now fallen by the wayside (though with the ownership in question, it looked less and less likely as the days went on). So who's interested?
Here's who we know are looking for pitching, or at least are giving that indication by going hard after Lee:
Cincinnati
New York Yankees
New York Mets
Minnesota Twins
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Reds would need the Astros to pick up a major chunk of Roy's contract, but have the prospects. They're obviously also within the division.
The Yankees were all over Lee, but with Jesus Montero as the chief trading chip. Montero is a catcher, but there are questions about his ability to actually catch. If the Astros wanted Montero, they would shift his position - what with Jason Castro entrenched behind the plate.
The Mets are balking at what the Astros want - though this can change as we get closer to the deadline.
The Twins look like they really want pitching to bolster their rotation, having lost 11 of their last 16 games. Denard Span:
"I don't think anybody would get offended, or if anybody is naïve enough to think that if the organization goes out and brings in some help that they're saying we can't do it on our own. I don't think anybody would take it that way. We want to do whatever it takes to win a championship. That's how this game is. If we can get better, I don't think anything's wrong with that. Even in this room, when we got the guys we got last year, I think everybody, if anything, was happy because the organization gave us some help to get over the hump, and it worked."
The Dodgers were in on Lee, but there are questions about the level of prospects they could offer, and whether they would be suitable for Houston.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
