The Philadelphia Inquirer reports the Philadelphia Phillies and Colorado Rockies were serious about a trade that would have netted the Phillies LF Matt Holliday and LHP Brian Fuentes.  According to the paper, this is what was required from the Phillies and why this was deemd serious.

Word had leaked out of Bowie, Md., last week that the Rockies had been sitting on the Reading Phillies for four days, checking the parent club's top Double A prospects.

A source told Morning Report that pitching prospect Carlos Carrasco would have to be included in the deal, and that the Rockies also wanted centerfielder Shane Victorino.

According to Foxsports, the deal would also have cost the Phillies Lou Marson (a top catching prospect) and starting pitcher J.A. Happ

I'm not convinced the Rockies would have done it given their climb in contention in the weak NL West - 6 games out while being 14 games under .500.  Hopefully the deal was killed by the Rockies and not the Phillies.  Both players would have made the Phils the favorite in the NL East and completed the transformation of the Phillies to the 21st century version of the Blake Street Bombers.

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Instead of projecting my own opinions on to any one reporters distillation of what his or her teams needs or what his or her team wants the reporter to circulate, I am just going to give the links and a money quote.  You decide the merits of the r`umor.

While some of these absolutely scream for a comment, I am refraining. (In the body of the post, that is.  I cannot vouch for restraint in the Comments)  Amongst the players mentioned are Xavier Nady and Damso Marte of Pittsburgh, A.J. Burnett in Toronto, Barry Bonds to the New York Yankees, and Brian Fuentes of Colorado and interest in Clint Barmes and Willy Taveras by the Tampa Bay Rays.

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What looked like a slow season for closer churn at the half way point is about to change.  Pittsburgh Pirates' closer Matt Capps was disabled by a shoulder injury that will keep him out for two months.  This gives Damaso Marte and Tyler Yates the chance to be the latest Saves to be plucked from the free agent pool.  Given Marte is a lefty and Yates has terrible peripherals, the opportunity exists for a third unrostered Pirates reliever to get saves.

Cleveland Indians brass is meeting today to discuss their own closer sitatuion (and likely raising the white flag and trading C.C. Sabthia).  Closer Joe Borowski has been awful since returning from a triceps injury on May 24th.  Over 13 appearances, he has pitched 12.7 innings and allowed six earned runs, 17 hits, walked four and struck out just six.  He is 4-6 in Save Opportunities with a distressing .42 GB/FB ratio.

To me, this looks like the same pitcher who has been unthreatened in his role.  In his absence, Rafael Betancourt saved four games before ceding the job to Masahide Kobayashi who saved two before JoBo's return.  He has since notched a couple more saves and looks like the next in line if the Indians remove JoBo or, better yet, trade him to a contender.

Previous to Matt Capps' injury, there had been just three closers who lost their jobs this season and two who had lost it due to injury.  Jason Isringhausen of the St. Louis Cardinals has ceded the role to Ryan Franklin, Eric Gagne lost it to Salomon Torres in Milwaukee, and Manny corpas choked it up to Brian Fuentes in Colorado.  J.J. Putz has temporarily given the closer job to Brandon Morrow as he deals with elbow issues in Seattle, and Rafael Soriano has coughed up the Atlanta Braves' closer job to a line of relievers.

Over the past several seasons, closer turnover has been in the 40% range meaning 12 teams have changed closers during the season.  This led many a fantasy player to lower the value of closers.  So far, that conclusion has not been helpful in fantasy strategies.

The issue isn't whether this can continue, it is whether the lack of closer churn has put those fantasy players who punt saves too far behind the pack to catch-up even if the churn increases over the remaining 75 games or so.