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As the final days before the trade deadline slowly tick away, teams are trying to hammer out deals and make their final rush towards the playoffs.

Zack Greinke is going to be on the move, and Cole Hamels definitely won’t be. However, there’s a lot more to the trade market than just these two. Here is a little bit of an update on how the rumors are developing.

• James Shields could easily be on the move. Joel Sherman of the New York Post noted that the Rays need to hope that either the Texas Rangers or the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim land Greinke because they then can convince the other one to overpay to keep pace. The Rays are still in contention, so there isn’t a ton of pressure for them to trade, but for the right deal, it would make sense.
• The St. Louis Cardinals seem to be somewhat willing to part with coveted pitching prospect Shelby Miller according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. It would obviously take a big deal to make a move, but he has never been this available on the trade market.
• Josh Johnson will be a major target for many teams, and Jerry Crasnick of ESPN noted that the Rangers may be interested. The Marlins want a lot for him, so it will be interesting to see if he moves.
• Nobody quite knows what will happen with Ryan Dempster except for the fact that he will probably be traded somewhere. According to Jon Paul Morosi on Fox Sports, one source believes that Dempster will move after Greinke. Perhaps it’d be almost like a consolation prize.
• At least the Los Angeles Dodgers are interested in Matt Garza according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports, but he was talked about all last winter and nothing ever happened. Still, the odds of him moving are probably better than ever since there are so many teams interested in starting pitching.

These are just some of the hottest rumors on the market right now, but there are always surprises right up until the final bell. With so many teams desperate for pitching, it should be a fantastic market for the sellers.

The Cut-Off Man Chris Berry Interactive Chris Berry Interactive