re: yesterdays news ...

Larry Stone says "Detroit general manager Dave Dombrowski explained why he settled on the Yankees and Diamondbacks as his trading partners ...  "At times, there were a couple of situations that might have happened. I think the phone calls to me were much more on a persistent basis, because really, when you looked at it, there were only a few places that really satisfied what we needed. And it kept coming back to this situation, which we felt was the best one for us. Even though at times it looked like, well, this might not work, we might have to switch off...I really didn't want to give this one up, because we felt it was the one situation that kept coming back to giving us that young starter and that young center fielder, and also giving us additional pieces to the deal."

The Mariners didn't have the center fielder, and while Brandon Morrow was certainly discussed, the Mariners appeared to be reluctant to give up the bulk in pitching prospects (Josh Fields, Phillippe Aumont, Shawn Kelley) that the Tigers were seeking. And the Tigers were looking for players that would help them in 2010.

and Geoff Baker on Harden:

"Players and clubs are going to market and feel about players differently," Zduriencik said. "And some clubs will pay a player certain dollars and other clubs won't. It's the world you live in." Zduriencik was speaking in general terms and did not even officially confirm he'd offered Harden a deal. But sources had indicated the Mariners were hesitant about accelerator clauses Harden's camp had asked for, leading to his selection of the Rangers.