Yesterday, Joel Sherman of the New York Post said the Astros might move their long-time first baseman. The White Sox are likely considering Berkman as a plan B if they cannot acquire Adam Dunn from the Washington Nationals.

One stipulation to note, Berkman has a no-trade clause in his contract, but Sherman says that he could be a lower-cost option for most teams that don’t like what the Washington Nationals may be asking for Dunn. Berkman has a $15 million team option for 2011, and he previously told Bernardo Fallas of the Houston Chronicle that he hasn’t gotten any indication that the Astros will pick it up.

Berkman has previously has said that he would waive his no-trade clause to a team if they picked up his team option in the process.

Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer says the Indians will audition players to take over Peralta’s third base position. Jayson Nix gets the first shot, but management will be looking for a long-term substitute for Peralta. Manager Manny Acta said the Tribe will explore the third baseman free-agent market this winter to see who is available.

Hoynes points out that possible free agents the Tribe can look into include Garrett Atkins, Wilson Betemit, Geoff Blum, Jorge Cantu, Pedro Feliz, Jerry Hairston Jr., Bill Hall, Wes Helms, Brandon Inge, Jose Lopez, Mike Lowell, Melvin Mora, Peralta, Robb Quinlan, Miguel Tejada, Juan Uribe and Ty Wigginton.

7/30 08:40: Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports tweets, “Source: #Diamondbacks not sure they want to move Heilman. Interest in Qualls. LaRoche could move Saturday after smoke on Dunn clears.”

7/30 08:31: A source close to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports says that the Nationals are fielding offers for Dunn from other clubs. That want to see if they can do better than Edwin Jackson.

7/30 08:05: A source close to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports says the Chicago White Sox are still in play for a possible three-way deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Washington Nationals. The deal would include Adam Dunn going from the Nationals to the White Sox, right-handed pitcher Edwin Jackson going from the Diamondbacks to the Nationals and right-handed pitcher Daniel Hudson going from the White Sox to the Diamondbacks. If the deal fails Jackson would end up with the White Sox.

Rosenthal notes the deal is in the Nationals’ hands.

According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Cardinals officials have said that they have payroll flexibility – not just to add on for this season but to acquire a player with a contract beyond 2010.

As far as middle infielders go, we talked about Stephen Drew below, but Diamondbacks’ Kelly Johnson would also be another fit. Goold mentions that it’s unlikely that Arizona would move two arbitratoin-eligible players in Drew and Johnson.

7/29 16:01; After making a good effort, but failing on acquiring Roy Oswalt from their division foes, the St. Louis Cardinals are focusing their efforts on second-tier pitching and starting middle infield help, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Three pitchers could be targets of the Cards: Aaron Cook, Jake Westbrook and Paul Maholm.

We talked earlier about a possible deal for Colorado Rockies starting right-handed pitcher Aaron Cook. Cook is owed roughly $14.25 million on his deal, so he’s a pricey option.

Right-handed pitcher Westbrook of the Cleveland Indians has been in numerous trade talks.  Westbrook is a free agent after this season, and has about $4.48 million left on this year’s contract, so he’d be a good fit for the Cards who don’t want to take on too much payroll.

There’s no confirmation of the Cards’ interest in left-handed pitcher Maholm, but he could be a fit in St. Louis. The Dodgers are also looking at the left-hander.

As far as starting middle infielders, Stephen Drew has been linked to the Cardinals. GM John Mozeliak has downplayed the team’s chances of acquiring a middle infielder.

It is not known whether a deal is close. The Cubs almost certainly would need to include cash to cover part of the nearly $5 million combined that Lilly and Theriot are owed for the rest of the season.

Lilly is a free agent at the end of the season. Theriot is under club control for two additional years.

7/30 07:33:

7/30 00:00: Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports tweets, “Second prospect in discussed Jackson-Hudson deal would be a pitcher going to #Dbacks, source says. ”

7/29 23:13: Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports says that the White Sox are in “serious discussions” for Edwin Jackson.  They would send Daniel Hudson and a prospect to the D-Backs.

7/29 22:48:The White Sox have been attempting to acquire Adam Dunn in recent days.  We have also heard speculation about a possible 3-way trade that would land Edwin Jackson with the Nationals and Dunn in Chicago.  Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports is reporting that the White Sox may now be shifting their focus to acquiring Edwin Jackson and keeping him.

While the White Sox covet Dunn, they have grown discouraged about their chances of completing a trade with the Nationals, sources say.  The White Sox offense also has improved during the team’s recent surge, and currently ranks seventh in the American League in runs per game.

The White Sox need for another starting pitcher arose after right-hander Jake Peavy was lost for the season with a shoulder injury. Peavy’s replacement, rookie righty Daniel Hudson, has a 6.32 ERA in three starts.  If any trade is made, Hudson could potentially be a centerpiece in a trade for Jackson.

Miller suggests that Edmonds would make sense for the San Francisco Giants since they are are looking for an outfielder who can improve the offense.

Edmonds, 40, signed a Minor League deal with the Brewers in January. He will earn between $2-2.5 million based on performance incentives.

7/29 10:57: Once all of the Roy Oswalt rumors go away, the Chicago Cubs’ left-handed pitcher Ted Lilly will become the best pitcher left on the market, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports. This is barring a last-minute mystery starting becoming available of course.

Rosenthal reminds us that last July the Mariners’ Felix Hernandez was dangled at the last minute, and he suggests that Kansas City Royals’ Zack Greinke could be this year’s mystery pitcher that could make noise in the next 48 hours.

Teams such as the Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets and Detroit Tigers could enter the mix on Lilly. One stipulation to note – the Twins are on Lilly’s no-trade list, so he would need to be compensated in some way to pitch for Minnesota, but according to a source, Lilly is more open to a trade.

The Boston Globe says:

The Padres were seeking an infielder before they acquired Miguel Tejada from Baltimore yesterday. They also need outfield help. In Bill Hall, Jeremy Hermida, and Darnell McDonald, the Red Sox will have an excess of outfielders once Jacoby Ellsbury returns.  The Sox could be interested in Padres left-handed reliever Joe Thatcher.

Red Sox manager Terry Francona is not sure if a trade is needed:

“I don’t think about it. We spend so much time and get consumed with what we’re supposed to get consumed with, trying to win. The stuff about the trade deadline, I haven’t given it much thought because it doesn’t help,’’ he said.

“I know Theo is out there always doing what he thinks is in our best interest. I trust that. We’re just trying to do our part.’’

The Boston Globe thinks Saturday’s deadline will be far less historic for the Sox, rather the team should look forward to the August deadline.

Since there are no names, we can only speculate given the rumors that we’ve heard over the last few days. Here are a few candidates:

Hitters: Adam Dunn (Washington Nationals), Prince Fielder or Corey Hart (Milwaukee Brewers – but it is believed that they are off the trading table, Jose Guillen (Kansas City Royals), Ty Wigginton (Baltimore Orioles), Jose Bautista (Toronto Blue Jays), Cody Ross (Florida Marlins), Lyle Overbay (Toronto Blue Jays)

Pitchers: Scott Downs (Toronto Blue Jays), Will Ohman (Baltimore Orioles), Brandon League (Seattle Mariners)

But the Giants believe they aren’t so desperate offensively that they must overpay for a proven hitter. Despite Thursday’s 5-0 loss to Florida, they lead the National League with 141 runs scored in July. They’re 18-8 this month. As a result, they’re willing to stand pat.

“I like this club, I do,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “If it’s the right fit, I’m sure something would happen, but this is a good team with a lot of movable parts. …”

San Francisco reportedly has expressed interest in Toronto lefty Scott Downs, Baltimore’s Will Ohman and Seattle’s Brandon League.

Information from MLB.com was used in this article.

Texas right out of the gate was willing to part with their top three prospects, just to get the conversation rolling for the hard-throwing Florida ace.

Before a conversation could even get started, the Marlins made it clear that Johnson is “unmovable.”

In the first of a four-year, $39 million contract, Johnson is one of the top talents in the game. The 26-year-old right-hander is 10-3 and he holds a MLB-leading 1.72 ERA.

7/29 13:14: So what’s going on with Washington Nationals’ first baseman Adam Dunn? He’s somewhat in trade limbo.

The last we heard, was that the Washington Nationals were either working on or will present a contract extension offer to Dunn sometime before the Trade Deadline on Saturday. It will likely be a last minute deal. If Dunn accepts the deal, he stays. If he declines the deal, the Nationals will likely trade him.

Buster Olney of ESPN reminds us that the Chicago White Sox have been aggressive, but are not “well-armed’ to go after him. Olney adds that the Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Yankees will be the most motivated to not only add him to their already potent lineup, but also keep him out of their rival’s hands.

The Nationals says they are not engaged with the Yankees, but the Yankees and Rays are hovering.

Earlier today, Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports said the Yankees are out of the Dunn chase, but we’ll see if that holds up.

7/29 18:32: Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports said the San Diego Padres may not be done shopping. It looks like they may be interested in an outfielder or starting pitcher. Rosenthal emphasizes that the Pads are looking for modestly priced players that could provide a modest impact.

Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated suggests that Colorado Rockies outfielder Brad Hawpe would be a good fit for San Diego, but he’s a little expensive. Looking over the PRO Rumors contract database, Hawpe is signed through this year for $7.5 million, so any team that acquires him now will be responsible for about $3 million. There is a team option for $10 million in 2011, but it can be bought out for $500,000.

There were rumors earlier that the Chicago White Sox were one of a number of teams “poking around” on Hawpe. Hawpe could be the White Sox’ Plan B in the event they cannot acquire Washington Nationals’ first baseman Adam Dunn.

La Velle E. Neal III of the Star-Tribune was the first one to report that Wilson Ramos was removed from the lineup at Triple-A Rochester.

A source close to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune was the first to say that Ramos was headed to the Washington Nationals.

7/29 19:03: Jon Paul Morosi says “Source says Capps is “close” to being traded to #Twins.”

7/29 18:55: Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune says “Ramos is headed to Washington by a reliable scouting source.”

7/29 16:45: According to sources close to Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports, the Twins are unlikely to get Ted Lilly from the Cubs.

He also adds that the Twins are more confident about adding a reliever than a starter.

7/29 14:58: A source close to Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports says the Minnesota Twins are beginning to think prices won’t come down for starting pitching, so they may have to wait until August to acquire a pitcher.

On Tuesday, we mentioned the Minnesota Twins are looking to acquire additional starting pitching despite the fact that their starting rotation posted a 1.06 ERA during their last turn around, but as many general managers in baseball say – you can’t ever have enough pitcher.

Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports said the Twins have asked the Chicago Cubs about left-handed pitcher Ted Lilly. The problem is that the Twins are on Lilly’s no-trade list. Lilly is being paid $4 million, and he’s a free agent after the season. Rosenthal says that it will take additional compensation for Lilly to waive his no-trade clause.

Lilly could possibly clear waivers in August, so he could still be apart of a contender before the end of the season. Keep in mind that Lilly is probably the best starting pitcher available out there  now that the big names are off the table, so there will be fierce competition for the left-hander.

We started with the Roy Oswalt rumors late last night into this morning, then we saw the Astros quickly move newly-acquired OF Anthony Gose to the Toronto Blue Jays for IF Brett Wallace (yes, Brett not Michael – inside joke), then the Rangers and Marlins finally agreed on Jorge Cantu, then the Padres snagged Miguel Tejada from the Orioles, and finally Buck Showalter unofficially became the manager of Tejada’s former club. But the day is not done yet! So who knows what may happen.

We still have about 43.5 hours before the Trade Deadline hits, and there may be a few more trades, so keep on checking back. In the meantime, check out these PRO Rumors:

When Los Angeles GM Tony Reagins was asked if he was buying or selling, he said, “We’re looking to improve. That’s about as plain as I can put it. We’re still looking at opportunities. I got a lot of phone calls today.” (Ken Rosenthal, FOX Sports)

PRO Rumors will be on the air with the Friarhood tonight at 8:00pm PST. Check it out at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/friarhood

Tom Krasovic of AOL FanHouse says the Padres are working on another trade, and he specifically said it’s a move beyond the 1-for-1 for Tejada.

The Angels are not ready to become sellers yet, but it could change in the next 36 hours, according to Buster Olney of ESPN. If they hit the market, Maicer Izturis is safe from being moved.

Ken Davidoff of Newsday says the Mets and Cubs are talking about Ted Lilly, but Davidoff doubts a trade will occur.

“They have decided they’re close enough to contention that they’re not selling, so Hart and Fielder are off the market,” Law said, citing an executive from a rival club that was interested in a Brewers player.

Teams such as the San Francisco Giants were looking at acquiring either Fielder or Hart.

So if they are not selling, could the Brewers be buyers?

Law wonders if pitchers like Ted Lilly, Jake Westbrook or Edwin Jackson could be key pieces the Brewers could add to the their roster via trade. Many of these pitchers could clear waivers, so that buys the team another month to get seriously back into the NL Central race, and then the front office can commit to one of these bigger name starting pitchers.

The Diamondbacks are young, and will be very competitive in the next few years with their core group including outfielder Justin Upton and Chris Young and infielder Mark Reynolds. By getting rid of payroll now, they can set themselves up to financial cover their youth when it comes time to write up new contracts.

Jackson is rumored to be a part of a three-team deal where he would be sent to the Washington Nationals.

The New York Yankees were in on Wigginton earlier this month, but recently dropped their interest in him.

Wigginton was recently suspended for an on-field altercation, but president of baseball operations, Andy MacPhail, doesn’t believe that would impact his trade value.

7/29 13:43: An AL special advisor to the GM tells Joel Sherman of the New York Post that the Houston Astros might move first baseman Lance Berkman. Ken Rosenthal also has confirmed that Berkman is “in play”

If they move Berkman, it’s a sure sign that Astros’ owner Drayton McLane has embraced the rebuilding of his franchise.

One stipulation to note, Berkman has a no-trade clause in his contract, but Sherman says that he could be a lower-cost option for most teams that don’t like what the Washington Nationals may be asking for Adam Dunn.

Berkman has a $15 million team option for 2011, and he previously told Bernardo Fallas of the Houston Chronicle that he hasn’t gotten any indication that the team will pick it up.

Berkman has previously has said that he would waive his no-trade clause to a team if they picked up his team option in the process.

On Monday, Jayson Stark of ESPN that there were rumblings of a three-team deal involving the Washington Nationals, Chicago White Sox and Arizona Diamondbacks. The deal would send Jackson from the Diamondbacks to the Nationals. Dunn would go to the Chicago White Sox and a “bunch” of young pitchers to Arizona. With the White Sox not certain to acquire Dunn, it’s possible that another team could take their place in this three-way deal.

Looking over the PRO Rumors contract database, Hawpe is signed through this year for $7.5 million, so any team that acquires him now will be responsible for about $3 million. There is a team option for $10 million in 2011, but it can be bought out for $500,000.

Renck adds, “If Rockies were willing to eat Hawpe’s money, the could get a prospsect. But have to be worth it. Don’t just want to pay him to go away”

Cook is owed roughly $14.25 million on his deal. Renck reminds us that the market for starters is really thin, so the former All-Star’s demand could increase the Rockies’ asking price.

The Phillies were in on Cook, but that’s out the window now that they acquired Roy Oswalt.

On Tuesday, Joel Sherman of the New York Post said the Colorado Rockies want to put Jhoulys Chacin back into the rotation, and so they are quietly shopping starting pitcher Cook. They are telling teams that they would either eat some dollars or take back a contract. The righty doesn’t have a no-trade clause in his contract, so the Rockies are free to move him to the highest bidder.

Cook, 31, is 4-6 with a 4.78 ERA in 19 starts this season.

Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated says money will go to San Diego.

So it looks like the Padres acquired Tejada for Wynn Pelzer and cash (pending MLB approval)

7/29 14:46: Dan Hayes of the North County Times says the Padres gave up Wynn Pelzer. The deal is still pending MLB approval.

7/29 14:27: Baltimore Orioles infielder Miguel Tejada has been scratched from today’s lineup. According to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore-Sun, it is believed that Tejada is being dealt to the San Diego Padres pending league approval.

Connolly adds, “#Orioles Money must be exchanging hands for league approval. Josh Bell has been removed from [Baltimore Orioles' Triple-A] AAA lineup and is heading to KC for Os game”

Tejada, 36, is hitting .269 with 7 home runs and 39 RBIs in 97 games for the Orioles this season. He’s primarily been playing third base, but the Padres think he can return to his shortstop roots. Earlier today, we heard from Scott Miller of CBSSports.com that Tejada is owed about $2 million for the rest of the 2010 season, and he will likely cost the Padres a mid-level prospect.

Larish was added to the 40-man roster last Sunday.