Per Richard Justice:
Seems to be decent chance Lance Berkman gets traded this afternoon. Yanks seem be leader, but Rays, others interested.
And then Jayson Stark speculates that Berkman will most likely clear waivers, so could still be dealt after the July 31st trade deadline has passed.
It's been a busy day on the trade front, with Edwin Jackson getting dealt to the White Sox and rumors floating that he's being used to help the White Sox acquire Adam Dunn. Some people are saying the Nationals love E-Jax, while others are saying they don't want him. Who knows? The Rays haven't been linked with Adam Dunn much so far today, but anything is possible; remember that Texas wasn't rumored to be in on the Cliff Lee trade until the very last possible moment.
We've covered Lance Berkman's situation here before, and I don't see how he's a good fit for the Rays unless Houston eats a lot of his salary for this season or they agree that his 2011 option for $15M will not be picked up. Berkman has a full no-trade clause, though, so that might be tricky to work around. He's a talented player and would be a great offensive addition, so for the right price he would be a great fit. And it's always possible that the Rays are involved merely to keep the Yankees from acquiring him...or vice versa, I suppose.
In the end, odds are if the Rays do anything, they're going to surprise us by announcing a completed trade out of the blue. Only 25 hours and counting to go....