Tim Dierkes at MLB TradeRumors has a run-down on all the Brian Fuentes whispers. To his list of teams supposedly interested (Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Phillies and A's) you can add the Tampa Bay Rays, as this report indicates (it also mentions their interest in Holliday). Dierkes also notices something many Rockies fans have about our current relief situation. That is to say, Taylor Buchholz's performance to date should make it that much easier for the Rockies to deal Fuentes without remorse.
The three AL East teams and two NL East teams on the list make it likely that the Rockies will be able to extract a fairly sizable premium for Brian -at least two quality prospects/young players, I'd say- as you have a situation where teams will have added interest in not only getting his arm for themselves, but also in keeping him from going to a divisional rival. Despite his struggles Saturday night, the interest doesn't seem to be abating, and the added leverage of the compensation picks the Rockies would receive if they held onto him just make this an almost ideal sell situation. It's pretty clear that Brian will be significantly overvalued by this market.
The Holliday situation isn't so transparent, as the impact player the Rockies are after in return for him has yet to be offered, and that more than anything else is what led Dan O'Dowd to pull him off the market. I think the odds of us trading him before the end of July are signinficantly lower than those that say he stays until the offseason but a recent spate of injuries to corners among the contenders and the Rockies ugly road trip opens up the possibility more than it seemed to be a week ago.
If there is one measure of solace to be taken in this lost season, it's that San Diego seems to be in an even faster sinking boat, but with less of a core to build around going forward. I mean, say what you will about being swept on the road by the Royals and Tigers, but the Padres got clocked at home by the Mariners. Apparently, they are now ready to purge.