FanHouse RonMahay

They're only one game into the season, but Royals manager Trey Hillman is already feeling the heat that comes along with raised expectations. As I'm sure you've heard about or read about already, Hillman decided to leave Kyle Farnsworth in to face Jim Thome during the eighth inning of Tuesday's season opener with two runners on and a 2-1 lead, even though he had Juan Cruz and lefty Ron Mahay warming up in the bullpen.

Well, long story short, four pitches later Thome was launching a fastball into the left-center field bleachers and giving the White Sox a 4-2 lead and an Opening Day victory. As you'd expect, a lot of Royals fans and media were wondering what the heck Hillman was thinking, and I'm not even sure he knows.

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

- The elephant in the room four days from the trade deadline is Manny Ramirez, who once again is on shaky ground in Boston. In a perfect world, the Red Sox would love to rid themselves of the near-constant headache that Ramirez provides. In practice, they are still very much in the hunt for their third World Series in five years and would need to replace his production in step with any deal. That makes the completion of any trade unlikely in the next few days.

Joel Sherman and Mike Puma of the New York Post run down the potential list of suitors for Ramirez, and because of Boston's desire to ship him out of the American League, it is a very short one. The Dodgers, Diamondbacks, Mets and Phillies are the teams with both the need and the financial wherewithal to pick up the tab for Ramirez's $20 million deal. Because the left fielder has 10-5 rights (10 years in the league, five with the same team) he can veto any deal the Red Sox put together. That leads Sherman and Puma to conclude that Ramirez would only accept a deal to Philadelphia, where he would be reunited with manager Charlie Manuel, who was his hitting coach in Cleveland.

- And what of the Rays? The Yankees have gotten stronger already, and could add Jarrod Washburn or another pitcher at any moment. The Red Sox are embroiled in the latest Manny drama, but are more likely to improve from within. Tampa Bay has been pretty quiet, but they are out there looking for upgrades in the form of a right-handed outfield bat and bullpen depth. With Xavier Nady and Casey Blake off the market, the team may look internally for a right-handed bat, with the rehabbing Rocco Baldelli a possibility. That leaves the club looking to trade for a left-handed reliever with Brian Fuentes at the top of the Rays' list, with Arthur Rhodes, Jack Taschner, Will Ohman and Ron Mahay as backup options.

It's been talked about for a while, and yesterday I explained why I thought it made the most sense, but it appears that the Braves and Rangers are about to agree on a deal that will send Mark Teixeira to Atlanta.

From Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal,

The deal is done, pending a review of the medical records of the players involved, according to major-league sources.

The Braves will receive Teixeira and left-handed reliever Ron Mahay.

The Rangers will receive catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Class A shortstop Elvis Andrus and two pitching prospects.

One of the two pitching prospects the Rangers will be getting is believed to be lefty Matt Harrison. One of the stumbling blocks of the deal was that the Rangers weren't sure they wanted Harrison after he experienced some shoulder trouble. An MRI revealed no damage, so the Rangers decided to take a chance.

I think that this will be one of those deals that helps both clubs, which I think is the point of a trade. The Rangers aren't a better team right now without Teixeira, but with the young players they're picking up from the Braves, they're building something in Arlington.

As for the Braves, they just became a lot more dangerous. They now have two powerful switch-hitters in their lineup with Teixeira and Chipper Jones. They've also gotten a first baseman that can hit to go along with his Gold Glove defense. The Braves first basemen have the worst OPS than any other team in the league, and Teixeira will change that.

The question now is, what will the Mets do to answer?

Previously at FanHouse:
Major League Mongering: Who's Going to Get Teixeira?
Braves Up the Ante for Teixeira
Mark Teixeira to Atlanta?

Major League Mongering will look at players rumored to be on the move between now and the July 31st pseudo-trade-deadline.

With all the denying of potential moves the Cubs have done in the past week, it's a safe bet to say they're going to be up to something by Tuesday. As they're one of the more intriguing teams to watch in all of baseball right now, people are watching their every move. The MLB Trade Rumors blog has now noticed that Matt Murton, who was tearing things up in AAA and just promoted to Chicago, was a late scratch last night and on the bench today. Jay Payton, who the Cubs may be interested in, is also on the bench today. Hmmm.

Meanwhile, the Cubs may also be interested in adding yet another catcher to the mix (link also via MLB Trade Rumors), this time talking about Rangers' catcher Gerald Laird. And they're also interested in Rangers' lefty reliever Ron Mahay. I suppose that makes Texas a possible destination for Murton as well.

So, to recap, the Cubs might be trading Matt Murton to Baltimore or maybe Texas for another catcher or maybe an outfielder or possibly some bullpen help. But then, rumor is the name of the game here, so maybe Murton's on the bench because Lou Piniella just doesn't like him and Sweet Lou and Jim Hendry are being serious when they say the Cubs aren't going to do anything before the deadline.