MLB Trade Deadline 2012 Tracker: Updates, Reaction and Analysis

Welcome to the MLB trade deadline tracker!

We will do our level best to keep you up to date on all of the latest happenings as we approach the deadline, Tuesday at 4 p.m. EDT.

Major League Baseball has certainly been abuzz over the past few days with a bevy of trades already completed.

The biggest thus far has been the trade between the Los Angeles Angels and Milwaukee Brewers, with the Angels acquiring starter Zack Greinke for prospect shortstop Jean Segura and pitchers Johnny Hellweg and Ariel Pena.

The New York Yankees pulled off one of the most surprising deals thus far, picking up right fielder Ichiro Suzuki from the Seattle Mariners for two marginal minor league pitchers.

The Detroit Tigers helped themselves in multiple ways with their acquisition of second baseman Omar Infante and starting pitcher Anibal Sanchez from the Miami Marlins. It cost the Tigers dearly, however, giving up top pitching prospect Jacob Turner, catcher Rob Brantly and Double-A pitcher Brian Flynn.

We will keep you up to date on all of the transactions so keep it right here as as we decipher all of the activity in MLB.

4:37 PM ET

That wraps up our live coverage of MLB Trade Deadline 2012.

We hope that we provided you with the best possible information and news as it occurred, and we will as always continue to keep you updated on all the latest in Major League Baseball as the regular season winds down and the playoffs begin.

We thank you all for following!

4:33 PM ET

Several players expected to be in play at the trade deadline remain in place, for now.

Chase Headley, Matt Garza, Rafael Betacourt, Josh Johnson and Alfonso Soriano are the biggest names that didn't move at the deadline.

One has to wonder if the changes in the collective bargaining agreement affected player movement. No doubt that will be debated in the coming days and weeks.

4:28 PM ET

The Chicago Cubs picked up a minor league pitcher and third baseman in exchange for Ryan Dempster.

The #Cubs get back RHP Kyle Hendricks, 3B Christian Villanueva, both at Myrtle Beach from #Rangers.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) July 31, 2012

Hendricks was 5-8 with a 2.82 ERA in 20 starts at Myrtle Beach, while Villanueva was hitting .285 with 10 HR and 59 RBI.

4:23 PM ET

In the deal that sent closer Jonathan Broxton to the Cincinnati Reds, the Kansas City Royals received two minor league pitchers in return.

#Royals acquire AAA Lefty Donnie Joseph and AA righty JC Sulbaran for Broxton. #Reds
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 31, 2012

Joseph was selected by the Reds in the third round of the 2009 MLB Draft, and has posted a 1.72 ERA in 44 appearances between Double-A and Triple-A ball this season.

Sulbaran was picked up in the 30th of the 2008 MLB Draft by the Reds, posting a 7-7 record and 4.04 ERA in 19 starts at Double-A Pensacola.

4:09 PM ET

Charles LeClaire-US PRESSWIRE

The New York Yankees may not have gotten Ryan Dempster, but they are on the verge of another deal.

This from Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

#Yankees on verge of getting Casey McGehee for Chad Qualls from #Pirates
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) July 31, 2012

McGehee would presumably help out at third with A-Rod on the disabled list with a broken bone in his hand.

4:05 PM ET

Wow, a shocker at the end of the deadline. The Texas Rangers apparently swooped in at the last minute, acquiring Ryan Dempster from the Chicago Cubs, according to multiple sources.

This from Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

Can confirm that #Rangers have gotten Dempster. NOt #Yankees
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) July 31, 2012

Also confirmed by Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports and Buster Olney of ESPN.

Confirmed: #Rangers get Dempter. First reported by @buster_espn
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 31, 2012

The Rangers got their starter, countering the Angels' pick-up of Zack Greinke last week.

3:56 PM ET

Lots of movement on the fluid status of Chicago Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster.

Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports tweeted that the Dodgers have pulled out of talks.

Dodgers have pulled out of Dempster talks, according to source.
— Tim Brown (@TBrownYahoo) July 31, 2012

Jim Bowden of ESPN is reporting that a deal with the Yankees could be in the works.

Yankees may have acquired Dempster...trying to get confirmation
— JIM BOWDEN (@JimBowdenESPNxm) July 31, 2012

Nothing confirmed as of yet either way, will continue updating.

3:33 PM ET

In the trade that sent first baseman Gaby Sanchez to the Pittsburgh Pirates, Double-A reliever Kyle Kaminska was also included in the deal.

Kaminska was 6-3 with a 5.11 ERA in 31 relief appearances for Jacksonville.

3:30 PM ET

Kelvin Kuo-US PRESSWIRE

According to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com, the Cincinnati Reds have acquired Kansas City Royals closer Jonathan Broxton.

Source: #Reds get Broxton.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 31, 2012

Details to come as soon as they are made available.

3:12 PM ET

Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

The Pittsburgh Pirates might be hoping that first baseman Gaby Sanchez just needs a change of scenery.

Marlins trade Gaby Sanchez to Pirates for Gorkys Hernandez....Sanchez has a chance to rebound for Pirates...Hernandez not going to hit
— JIM BOWDEN (@JimBowdenESPNxm) July 31, 2012

Sanchez has largely struggled this season, hitting just .202 with three HR and 17 RBI, which included a demotion to Triple-A earlier this season.

Hernandez, a 24-year-old outfield prospect from Venezuela, has hit just .083 in 25 at-bats for the Pirates. He hit .257 in 67 games at Triple-A Indianapolis.

3:06 PM ET

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

With one hour remaining until the trade deadline, the Boston Red Sox have finally entered the fray.

According to Jim Bowden of ESPN, the Sox acquired reliever Craig Breslow from the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Red Sox get Craig Breslow for Matt Albers and Scott Podsednik
— JIM BOWDEN (@JimBowdenESPNxm) July 31, 2012

Breslow certainly gives the Red Sox a nice lift in the bullpen, posting a 2.70 ERA in 40 appearances this season for the D-Backs.

2:53 PM ET

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

The St. Louis Cardinals have been very quiet throughout the days leading up today's trade deadline.

Until now, that is.

MLB.com expert Peter Gammons is reporting that the Cardinals have acquired reliever Edward Mujica from the Miami Marlins.

Cards got Edward mujica for Zachary Cox
— Peter Gammons (@pgammo) July 31, 2012

Cox, a third baseman drafted by the Cardinals in the first round of the 2010 MLB Draft, is the No. 4 prospect in their system according to Baseball America. Cox is hitting .254 with nine HR and 30 RBI at Triple-A Memphis.

Mujica will help bolster a struggling Cardinals bullpen. He has posted a 4.38 ERA in 41 games for the Marlins this season.

2:31 PM ET

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com is reporting that Ryan Dempster would give his okay to a deal with the New York Yankees.

source says dempster told the #cubs he will agree to a #yankees trade
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) July 31, 2012

This is far from a done deal, however. Joel Sherman of the New York Post says that several details need to be ironed out.

$$ would have to be involved in Dempster deal to #Yankees and with 90 mins to deadline no $$ talk yet. So logistics working against it #Cubs
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) July 31, 2012

We are now officially 90 minutes away from the deadline.

2:24 PM ET

In the case of Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Ryan Dempster, the phrase "familiarity breeds contempt" may not necessarily apply.

According to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com, the New York Yankees could be in play for Dempster, and familiar faces in New York could help the cause.

Not sure if Dempster would go to #Yankees yet, but his old GM Hendry and pitching coach Rothschild are already there.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 31, 2012

Hendry was the Cubs' GM from 2002 until last year, and Rothschild was Dempster's pitching coach for the Cubs for seven years (2004-2010).

2:09 PM ET

Eric Hartline-US PRESSWIRE

In the trade between the San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies involving Hunter Pence, Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com is reporting that the Phillies received three players in return.

The deal is Joseph, Schierholtz and Single-A RHP Seth Rosin for Pence. To be announced shortly.
— Andrew Baggarly (@CSNBaggs) July 31, 2012

As reported earlier, Joseph is the Giants' No. 2 prospect according to Baseball America.

Rosin was drafted by the Giants in the fourth round of the 2010 MLB Draft, and has posted a 4.31 ERA in 34 appearances this season for Advanced Single-A San Jose.

Schierholtz has a .257 average with five homers and 17 RBI in 77 games for the Giants. Schierholtz is eligible for arbitration for two more seasons.

1:57 PM ET

Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

According to Jim Bowden of ESPN, it appears as if the Chicago Cubs are playing hardball with the Los Angeles Dodgers concerning pitcher Ryan Dempster.

Cubs source just told me that a Dempster deal to Dodgers NOT done and that Dempster opened up to other teams & they are working hard w 1 now
— JIM BOWDEN (@JimBowdenESPNxm) July 31, 2012

Bowden muses whether or not two other teams may have jumped into the fold.

Could Rangers or Nationals have jumped in on Dempster at this point? or are Cubs creating leverage to get the Dodgers to give in here????
— JIM BOWDEN (@JimBowdenESPNxm) July 31, 2012

And the beat goes on...

1:42 PM ET

With all of the activity over the past two days, the city of New York has yet to chime in, very much unlike their counterparts in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post wonders about that as well.

2 1-2 hrs to deadline and in last 10 mins #Yankees #Mets both tell me still think unlikely to deal. NYC quiet. SoCal loud at deadline
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) July 31, 2012

The Yankees haven't been completely quiet with their acquisition of Ichiro Suzuki, but no news at all from Queens as of yet.

1:23 PM ET

Apparently, the deal between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs for pitcher Ryan Dempster isn't a done deal yet.

Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com says that the two sides are still hashing out details.

No agreement yet in Ryan Dempster negotiations. Hardball going on with less than 3 hours before deadline.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 31, 2012

It's largely assumed that Dempster will waive his no-trade clause, so obviously that's not one of the issues being decided.

1:18 PM ET

Brace Hemmelgarn-US PRESSWIRE

Official statement from Los Angeles Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti on the acquistion of Shane Victorino from the Philadelphia Phillies.

“We’re excited to add an All-Star caliber player with postseason experience,” said Colletti. “He plays the game with passion, gives us a top of the order bat from both sides of the plate, can steal bases and is solid defensively in the outfield.”

It's presumed that Victorino will play in left field with Matt Kemp firmly planted in center.

1:03 PM ET

With the impact trades pulled off by both the Dodgers and Giants in the NL West, does that leave the Arizona Diamondbacks out in the cold?

Not according to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com.

#Diamondbacks execs meeting behind closed doors at hotel in LA. Reported earlier they want to get elite SP. Now they need to counter LA, SF.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 31, 2012

The D-Backs are still in the thick of things at 52-51, just 3.5 games behind the Dodgers and Giants and 6.5 games back in the race for the two NL Wild Card slots.

12:55 PM ET

Rob Grabowski-US PRESSWIRE

The Miami Marlins have certainly been active already in the days leading up to today's trade deadline, and they have been actively trying to find a willing suitor for first baseman Carlos Lee.

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Marlins will take action on Lee if not dealt by 4 p.m. EDT today.

The #Marlins say they plan to put Carlos Lee on waivers if they can't trade him by today's non-waiver deadline.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) July 31, 2012

Lee has hit .271 with one homer and 12 RBI in 21 games for Miami.

12:49 PM ET

With regard to the news involving the trades of Hunter Pence and Ryan Dempster to the Giants and Dodgers respectively, Jim Bowden of ESPN brings up an excellent point.

Deals are never deals until all medicals/physicals are approved...deals are never deals until approved by Commissioner's Office......
— JIM BOWDEN (@JimBowdenESPNxm) July 31, 2012

Always good to include a disclaimer, especially when rumors of transactions are flying hot and heavy.

12:39 PM ET

Peter G. Aiken-US PRESSWIRE

According to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com, the Giants are sending first base/catching prospect Tommy Joseph to the Philadelphia Phillies in the deal involving Hunter Pence.