He is an interim GM desperate to impress his bosses before the upcoming interviews.

I’ll bet he doesn’t get traded before the deadline and then we try and get him through waivers.

NL GM: Hello

Lee P: Hi, this is Lee P. with the Mariners. Are you interested in Jarrod Washburn?

NL GM: Well, we could be.

Lee P: How about Washburn and $4M for two of your top prospects?

(pause)

NL GM: Are you fucking crazy?

Lee P: No.

(pause)

Lee P: Well, what if I decreased my asking price by 50%?

NL GM: So, you’re saying I get a half-off sale? Okay. That works. I’ll fax you the papers now.

Lee P: Thank you, sir. Pleasure doing business.

NL GM: (faxes papers) ... (pause) ... Wait, dammit!

you just can’t piss off everyone who’s willing to deal with you.

I will…. speak highly of him on this website.

So far, so good. You’ve gotta know when to compromise, but so far, he’s doing the right thing.

I’ve seen rumors tying the Mets to Arthur Rhodes, Raul Ibanez, and now Jarrod Washburn… As Buster Olney says:

The Mets’ priorities as they near the deadline are No. 1, a reliever; No. 2, a corner outfielder; and No. 3, an experienced starting pitcher.

Hey, why we have one of each and they are all up on the trading block… would be fun to see a giant firesale going to the Mets.

Either we get something for him before the trade deadline or we get the salary dump after the deadline. Even the M’s can’t mess this up, right?

The folks at Newsday have also been all over this deal from the beginning. They call this a “dead’’ deal, but I don’t share that opinion. I agree with Harper above in that the Yankee spin-meisters only want folks to think it’s dead so that the M’s will cave and throw Washburn out there. But as we mentioned two days ago, and which the Newsday reporters do in their piece, the M’s are really under no pressure to get a cash-only deal done with the Yankees on Washburn. You can do that in August, since waivers won’t be an issue in a salary dump. Well, they could be an issue for the Yankees if a team steps up to claim Washburn, either out of interest or to block a trade.

But if it’s a salary-only deal anyway, the M’s can just let that claiming team take Washburn and all of his salary. What do they care? At most, they’d lose that third-rate, token prospect the Yanks are offering to throw in right now. No big deal. As we discussed, as long as the Yanks stick to their current position, the M’s are under no pressure to move Washburn by tomorrow. They can always call New York’s bluff and then, if they really are desperate to unload his salary, just make the move on Aug. 1. New York’s needs won’t change in one day. They aren’t going to walk away from the salary-only deal just because 24 hours have passed.

Marlins are playing down Rhodes talk.

And Washburn is still a Mariner.

There is no floor.