At 7:10 last night, some 21 hours before the non-waiver trade deadline, Jon Lester — John Lackey, too, for that matter — was still dressed in his Red Sox colors, still on the roster and still standing in the home dugout at Fenway Park even as Brandon Workman, called up to take his start, threw the first pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays.Three hours later, after the Sox had lost for the eighth time in nine games, 6-1, Lester and Lackey were still active members of the team, their lockers intact, without any overt signs that a deal was imminent.

MIAMI -- The Marlins' preference is to add a controllable starter before Thursday afternoon's non-waiver trade deadline. That hasn't precluded them from entertaining a rental – specifically Red Sox left-hander Jon Lester.The demand is such that the Red Sox seem poised to acquire at least one top-shelf...

BOSTON -- While the Red Sox’s starting rotation has been depleted with the trades of Jon Lester to Oakland and John Lackey to St. Louis, Boston did acquire right-hander Joe Kelly from the Cardinals. Kelly, 26, started Game 3 of the 2013 World Series against the Red Sox at Busch Stadium, and had to...

BOSTON -- The Red Sox prefer players with versatility and proven success, and Allen Craig fits that description. The Sox acquired the outfielder/first baseman, along with pitcher Joe Kelly, from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for starting pitcher John Lackey on Thursday. Craig, 30, was an All-Star...

The St. Louis Cardinals landed another middle-of-the-rotation veteran Thursday, acquiring John Lackey from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for starting pitcher Joe Kelly and Allen Craig, who can play first base and the corner outfield positions.

LOS ANGELES – Matt Kemp may be the rare athlete who thrives in the midst of trade rumors. As trade speculation involving him abounded for the second straight night, Kemp powered the Dodgers to a 10th-inning win over the Atlanta Braves, 3-2, on...

The Dodgers do expect to trade OF Matt Kemp before Thursday’s 4 pm non-waiver trade deadline, their GM said (LA Times, July 31). “No one’s ever heard me say we’re shopping Matt Kemp,” he said. “That’s all in another world.”   Matthew Cerrone: The Dodgers want to win now. They’ve invested A LOT of money in […]

It's a minor point. But when I looked at the MLB.com wrap of the game tonight, it was pretty cool to see Andre Ethier--who had one plate appearance in three games in San Francisco, and didn't play a lick last night--front and center congratulating Matt Kemp on his game-winning hit. Ethier PH tonight...

To be fair, the Rangers (Prince Fielder #1, and Shin-Soo Choo #5) and the Yankees (Alex Rodriguez #8, and CC Sabathia #9) also have two slots on the list. But the Dodgers are called out on two of Ned Colletti's deals: Matt Kemp (#7) and Carl Crawford (#10) (link insider only): 7. Matt Kemp, Los Angeles...

According to Brian Windhorst and Marc Stein, it looks like it's only a matter of time before a deal gets done. In an article for ESPN yesterday, Brian Windhorst wrote about how Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters are preparing themselves to play with their new teammate on the Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James. But LeBron wasn't the only new teammate who Windhorst felt was worth mentioning. He also included Kevin Love, and said that signs were  "pointing toward a deal eventually happening." Later in the day yesterday, Windhorst's ESPN colleague, Marc Stein, said that the Cavs were the only team...

The seemingly inevitable appears to be just that. The Timberwolves trade of Kevin Love to Cleveland appears to be just a matter of time. ESPN reported a trade for Love to join LeBron James as a matter of "when," not "if." Wolves trade talks are with with no other team than the Cavaliers, ESPN said. Marc...

Paul George said LeBron James' move to Cleveland won't change their rivalry.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Toward the end of Thursday’s practice, the Patriots’ offense was working on being backed up in its territory when cornerback Darrelle Revis delivered one of the notable plays of the day. With the ball on the 2-yard line, quarterback Tom Brady dropped back into his end zone, was forced to hold the ball a bit longer than desired, and then attempted to fire a short pass over the middle to receiver Kenbrell Thompkins.

The All-Pro defensive back made a nice play against Tom Brady on a day where the defensive backs dominated the wide receivers.

Marshawn Lynch will report to Seahawks training camp sometime in the next day, reports Adam Schefter and Adam Caplan. Marshawn Lynch is planning to end his holdout and is expected to report to Seattle's training camp in next 24 hours, via @caplannfl and me. — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 31, 2014 It's still unclear if the Seahawks will waive his fines, which have piled up to fairly absurd numbers -- $30,000 per day (now up to seven days, I believe), plus some 15% of his signing bonus (prorated). That's somewhere in the neighborhood of $405,000, so it will be interesting to see...

Seattle Seahawks RB Marshawn Lynch ...

The 2014 MLB Trade Deadline will destroy us all. Unless it's very pleasant. The Joe Panik Era didn't even get a danged honeymoon period before the trade rumors started popping up again. This one comes from Andy Martino of the New York Daily News, and the headline reads ... Giants, Blue Jays interested in Mets' Daniel Murphy, but Sandy Alderson may not be selling Pros: The Giants could use additional help at second base. Cons: I'll have to learn which one is Daniel Murphy, which one is David Murphy, and which one is Donnie Murphy. I was doing quite okay not knowing. Murphy is a steady...

The Nationals and Giants are “very interested” in acquiring Mets 2B Daniel Murphy, SiriusXM host Jim Duquette said early Thursday. However, a deal between the Mets and Nationals is considered a “longshot,” according to reporter Ken Rosenthal (FoxSports, July 31). The Mets don’t want to trade...

The two events may seem to be largely unconnected, but there is a direct link between the contract Tyron Smith agreed to and the anticipated return of Josh Brent to the Dallas Cowboys. Josh Brent has completed his sentence and the ensuing treatment program after his conviction for intoxicated manslaughter in the death of his friend and teammate Jerry Brown. He is now expected to meet with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to apply for reinstatement. If that is approved, as anticipated, his next stop should be Oxnard, California and the Dallas Cowboys training camp. Coincidentally, the same day...

OXNARD, Calif. -- When Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo looks to his left, he has a sense of calm. The reason is simple: Tyron Smith. “There is an ease because he is there,” Romo said. “It’s not very often, but he, like anybody, may get beat. You are not going to see that happen multiple...

Media is full of propaganda and you're subjected to their agenda. Don't let them think for you. #staysuckafree ✌️ — Arian Foster (@ArianFoster) July 31, 2014 There should be zero doubt now about what the purpose of Arian Foster's hilariously awkward interview yesterday. He clearly does not like the media. Much of the animosity probably stemmed from his well-publicized saga with alleged girlfriend-on-the-side Brittany Norwood. Marshawn Lynch handles his disdain for the media a little differently by just outright ignoring their questions or answering them through a proxy. What...

The Yankees and Mets are not mentioned among the five teams showing interest in Rangers OF Alex Rios (Heyman, July 31). The Rangers have been working to trade Rios (Martino, July 29), his market is gaining momentum (Brown, July 30), and Texas will pay a portion of the roughly $5 million left on his deal to make get […]

CORTLAND -- Michael Vick abruptly ended his group interview Thursday when a reporter asked him about his least favorite topic: the Jets QB "competition."

Theres a game going on this afternoon, yes. But lets be honest: All eyes will be on Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski today. Todays live blog will serve as both a game thread and a trade deadline chat. FREQUENTLY REFRESH this page for the latest. If you're viewing this on our mobile app, click here for updates and to comment. Who: Detroit Tigers (58-46) vs. Chicago White Sox (52-56)When: 1:08 p.m.Where: Comerica Park in DetroitTV: Fox Sports DetroitRadio: 97.1 The Ticket and the Detroit Tigers radio networkTwitter: Follow James Schmehl and Chris Iott...

CHICAGO -- Chicago Cubs infielder/outfielder Emilio Bonifacio entered the team's clubhouse Thursday morning wearing a suit and carrying luggage. One way or another he's leaving town after the day's game against the Colorado Rockies. The Cubs are headed west for a road trip that begins Friday in Los Angeles against the Dodgers but will Bonifacio be on the team plane or is he flying commercial to a new employer? "I still don't know," Bonifacio said as he headed to the batting cages.

Chris Young vs. Zach McAllister, 4:05pm It’s the trade deadline! The M’s upgraded their offense by picking up OF Chris Denorfia for Abe Almonte and MiLB RP Stephen Kohlscheen. That’s…that’s not going to grab you many headlines even on a quiet trade deadline day, but it’s going to get lost after the A’s made yet This post came from: U.S.S. Mariner, and is copyright by the authors. This RSS feed is intended for the personal use of readers and not, for instance, spam blogs.Game 108, Mariners at Indians

One day after the Nats salvaged their road trip with a 4-3 win over the Marlins, they pick right back up to begin a four-game set with the Phillies at Nationals Park.