Tipsheet: Rumor mill whirls at All-Star break - STLtoday.com

Baseball's trade market is finally heating up. General managers are assessing their team at the All-Star break and dialing up their colleagues to see what's shaking. Fans can expect a flurry of activity before the waivers-free trade deadline. The fun could start immediately if the Philadelphia Phillies would finally get around to offloading veteran talent. The Phillies front office is in utter disarray with GM Ruben Amaro Jr. seemingly incapacitated while awaiting his firing. Reliever Jonathan Papelbon tried to speed up the fire sale by demanding a trade at the All-Star Game. "I signed up with a team that won 102 games, and I expected certain things. But it's time for the Phillies to you-know-what or get off the pot. The Chicago Cubs and Toronto Blue Jays are among the teams interested in Papelbon. Other logical Phillies assets to move are pitcher Cole Hamels , first baseman Ryan Howard and outfielder Ben Revere. If the Phillies finally start moving players, that could jar other obvious sellers into action and give potential buyers (like the Cardinals) more to choose from. Among the veterans other teams are tracking is power-hitting outfielder Jay Bruce -- who has lifted his batting average from. Source: www.stltoday.com