Dunn On The Block?

According to SI.com, the Arizona Diamondbacks have made an offer for Cincinnati Reds outfielder Adam Dunn. The Diamondbacks would send infielder Chad Tracy to the Reds, the report says.

Cincinnati general manager Walt Jocketty, however, denied the report to the local writers, saying that he has not had any conversations about Dunn today.

Dunn, a polarizing player who has drawn scant interest, is currently leading the majors with 32 home runs and has driven in 74 runs. While his low batting average and high strikeout totals cause many within the industry to undervalue the left-handed slugger, he truly has been among the most productive hitters in the game, posting a .952 OPS in 104 games. He is a Three True Outcome player who hits a homer, draws a walk, or strikes out in the majority of his plate appearances, but his on-base skills rival any hitter in the National League. He is making $13 million this year, and will become a free agent at the end of the season.

Tracy, who was included in the Diamondbacks' offer to the Atlanta Braves in the Mark Teixeira sweepstakes, is batting .300/.342/.480 with six home runs and 27 RBIs in 47 games. The Braves, according to sources, wanted a deal to include Conor Jackson, not Tracy, causing them to take the Los Angeles' package of Casey Kotchman and Stephen Marek.

Dunn would undoubtedly provide a major boost to the Arizona lineup, which has struggled to score runs since their record-setting month back in April.

Update: According to Jayson Stark, the Reds began talks with the Tampa Bay Rays about Dunn on Wednesday night. The two teams are only in the conversation stages right now, but they could pick up on Thursday, he says. Also, by talking to Dunn, the Rays gain leverage with their discussions with Pittsburgh about Bay, perhaps making this just a smoke storm.

Fuentes Back On The Market?

Brian Fuentes is perhaps the best relief pitcher on the market, with George Sherrill no longer available (Baltimore wants to keep him) and Arthur Rhodes reportedly headed to the Florida Marlins. The Colorado Rockies, after losing a few games to start the week, are reportedly buyers again, though they were considering making a run in the wide-open National League West with their recent surge. GM Dan O'Dowd informed Fuentes this weekend that he was most likely not going to get traded. According to ESPN.com, though, O'Dowd has reconsidered his stance, now looking to shop the left-handed closer again. The Rays are no longer in the running, though, because the Rockies' asking price-Wade Davis or Jeremy Hellickson-is way too high for a two-month relief rental.

Bay To Tampa Bay Not Likely:

Bay is most likely not going to be traded to the Rays, after all of the talk that went on today. Following serious discussions, the Pittsburgh Pirates and Tampa Bay are at ends on which prospects to be included the deal. The Pirates, no longer searching for a multi-player package, are looking for "two high-level" prospects. Reid Brignac and Jeff Niemann, the former first-round pick out of Rice University, were two of the prospects whose names came up in the discussions, reports say. However, the Pirates are looking for someone along the lines of Davis or Hellickson, each of whom has been labeled off limits by Tampa Bay.

Niemann was roughed up in his outing on Tuesday night, which certainly did not increase his chances of being included in any package. He is still among the most likely prospects to get moved if the Rays' Vice President of Baseball Operations, Andrew Friedman, pulls the trigger on any deal. Brignac, on the other hand, is less likely to go, as his defensive skills at shortstop are major league average already and he has tremendous power potential. While he needs to improve his on-base skills, it would take an excellent offer for Tampa Bay to part ways with its potential future shortstop.

Also making matters complicated, the Boston Red Sox are reportedly close to sending disgruntled slugger Manny Ramirez to the Marlins in three-team deal involving Pittsburgh. If Ramirez, who has complained about his current situation in Boston and seems lost right now, is actually dealt to Florida, Boston GM Theo Epstein will attempt to replace his production in the lineup with Bay.

Bay, finally healthy, is batting .282/.375/.519 with 22 home runs and 64 RBIs.

To reach Tyler Hissey, send an email to TylerHissey@gmail.com.