Rumor Mill Roundup: July 17

With the trade deadline right around the corner, our MLB editor brings you the top five rumors every day until July 31.

- The Mariners are done, and they have been for awhile, which means the next two weeks could bring a flurry of activity in the Pacific Northwest, writes the Seattle Post-Intelligencer's David Andriesen. Perhaps the most intriguing name? Adrian Beltre, who is under contract through 2009 at a somewhat modest $12 million. Beltre won't save a team's offense by himself, but he does have decent pop, he's a terrific defender at the hot corner and he's probably the Mariners' most valuable asset they're actually willing to part with. A reunion with his old team, the Dodgers, could make a lot of sense.

- The Phillies can't be feeling too great about their position these days. The Mets are charging hard in the NL East and the Brewers moved to the head of the wild card class by adding CC Sabathia. All-Star second baseman Chase Utley says he would welcome a pitching upgrade. For now, it appears he'll have to settle for Brett Myers, who will return to the Philadelphia rotation July 23 after a stint in the minors.

The Phillies have been connected to every big pitching name on the trade market that's even been joked about -- from Matt Cain to A.J. Burnett to Erik Bedard. Still, considering the cost and quality of those pitchers and the relative lack of depth in their farm system, the Phils' best bet might be to gamble on Myers, who hasn't pitched nearly as badly as his 5.84 ERA would suggest, returning to form.

- The Marlins need a catcher and have spoken with the Tigers about Ivan Rodriguez, but so far Detroit has told them it isn't dealing Pudge -- at least not while they still harbor playoff hopes. It's not likely that the Tigers will fall out of the race over the next two weeks, opening them up to a deal, but it's hard not to agree with Josh Alper. Florida has a bit of pitching depth, which Detroit desperately needs to make a run in the AL Central. The Tigers have Brandon Inge, who could easily step behind the dish and replace Rodriguez with little or no dropoff. Perhaps the teams will revisit these talks as the deadline gets closer.

- The Yankees are the latest team to say they haven't ruled out signing Barry Bonds with Hideki Matsui's season in doubt, but the chances are still exceedingly slim that Barry Bonds dons a major league uniform again. Wouldn't GM Brian Cashman better serve his team by moving Johnny Damon or Jason Giambi to DH and pursuing a corner bat on the trade market anyway?

- Veteran right-hander Freddy Garcia is almost ready to return to the mound and is receiving interest from numerous teams. Garcia, who is recovering from shoulder surgery, was last effective in 2006. Still, if he could provide even a nominal boost to some team's rotation, much like Bartolo Colon did in Boston earlier this season, then he's probably worth a flyer.