Homers from Nick Swisher, Mark Teixeira, and Robinson Cano gave the Yanks a victory over the Rays today, despite an 0-for-4 debut for Lance Berkman. Javy V. pitched good, not great, but David Robertson grabbed a win and Mariano Rivera a save…and the Yanks are 2 up in the division. CC Sabathia will face James Shields tomorrow as the Yanks hope to expand their lead to 3. Hopefully, Kerry Wood will meet up with the club tomorrow in Tampa.

Apparently, Chan Ho Park has been designated for assignment to make room for Kerry Wood. Get up and clap your hands, hug people in the street, shout and jump for joy. Now, if only the Yanks would get rid of Chad Gaudin too…and call up the invincible Jon Albaladejo..then we’d have a helluva bullpen. (Okay…helluva might be an exaggeration, but…a bullpen that’s better than it was an hour ago).

With Austin Kearns and Lance Berkman already in pinstripes, the Yanks are adding Kerry Wood to the mix (pending Selig’s approval because of cash exchanging hands)…

Meanwhile, in the rest of the league…

Jonathan Sanchez was seen hugging teammates in the dugout…and he closed last night’s game for some reason…he might be out. Giants are allegedly active, looking at the likes of Jose Bautista, Adam Dunn, and Corey Hart. SF already acquired lefty Javier Lopez from Pittsburgh today.

The Rays are looking into Baltimore’s Luke Scott. He’d be about an equal blow to the Berkman acquisition..but has two more years of team control.

Chone Figgins was the topic of some Atlanta-Seattle discussions…not sure if that will amount to anything.

The Dodgers just got Octavio Dotel from Pittsburgh (third reliever gone today) for “Lamb and McDonald”…I’m assuming one first names is James. (Okay…identity crisis with Lamb…is it Mike, John…is it Lambo?) UPDATE: Jayson Stark says its Andrew Lambo.

Apparently, Adam Dunn is staying in DC.

And a non-trade…Boston DFA’d Jeremy Hermida, calling up one of their big prospects, Ryan Kalish.

UPDATE: Deadline has officially passed…we’ll see if anything happened last minute…

UPDATE: A last minute deal sent Wilkin Ramirez to ATL for a player to be named later or cash…also, apparently those Figgins/League-ATL talks might’ve amounted to something….

UPDATE: Oh, and apparently Will Ohman has been traded…but to where? UPDATE: By “to where” I meant Miami (ie Florida Marlins)…LeBron need a roomie? UPDATE: Rick Vandenhurk for Ohman.

UPDATE: Non-trade…Brett Myers and the Astros are apparently coming to terms on an extension.

UPDATE: Atlanta and Kansas City strike a big deal…Kyle Farnsworth and Rick Ankiel are headed to Georgia with Jesse Chaves (from the R. Soriano trade), Gregor Blanco, and Tim Collins going to the Royals.

UPDATE: Red Sox dealt Ramon Ramirez to San Francisco..not sure for who.

UPDATE: Wood-to-Yanks official.

UPDATE: Mayhaps Jon Daniels made yet another move? The team might be awaiting approval on something…no idea what, though.

Colin Curtis and Juan Miranda are being sent down to triple-A to make room for their replacements: Austin Kearns and Lance Berkman. If the Kerry Wood move goes down, I’d expect a Chan Ho Park DFA. So, decent bit of roster overturn in these 24 hours…hour:fifteen ’till deadline.

Remember when Kerry Wood was awesome/all-the-rage? You know, like on days he was healhty from ’98 to ’04….well that same guy is apparently about to be a Yank…Buster Olney says that Cashman is closing in on a deal for the former Cub/current Indian. Wood’s making $10.5mm this year…so I hope the Indians are picking up some of that. Also, Wood has a miserable 6.30 ERA/5.21 FIP/ 5.04 xFIP in 20 innings this year. Wood saw success in relief in ’07 and ’08 in Chicago (ERAs of 3.33 and 3.26 respectively), but was a mediocre 4.25 ERA/4.15 FIP/4.11 xFIP last year in Cleveland, and after dealing with injuries this year, still isn’t…impressive. He does have a 3.12 ERA in his last 10 appearances (8.2 IP), though…and with 9 K’s, 4 walks, 6 hits.

Most of Wood’s struggles were soon after his return in 7.1 innings in May…when he had an 11.05 ERA/5.43 FIP/5.71 xFIP. In 10.1 June innings, Wood improved to 3.48 ERA/4.86 FIP/3.66 xFIP and then in July (after yet another injury) 3.86 ERA/6.11 FIP/9.04 xFIP. (Granted, he’s only pitched two and a third July innings… that line really means nothing) So, Wood was decent in June…but he still doesn’t seem like anything special. Apparently, anything special was too expensive prospect-wise this year though, so I’ll settle for Wood if it means the end of one of Chan Ho Park or Chad Gaudin in the ‘pen. Last note: Wood has an 8.10 K/9 rate but also gives up 4.95 free passes per 9. So…we’ll see.

UPDATE: Looks like Yanks will send a player to be named later or cash (which I thought Cleveland was sending to NYY…) for Wood. Similar to the Kearns deal.

UPDATE: Yanks will only have to pay $1.5mm of the $ remaining on Wood’s deal…

The deal is official. Yanks get Berkman and cash for Mark Melancon and Jimmy Paredes.

Outside of the Bronx, a 3-way deal sent Jake Westbrook to St. Louis and Ryan Ludwick to San Diego.

Chris Snyder is heading to Pittsburgh (along with $3mm and shortstop Pedro Ciriaco for Bobby Crosby, Ryan Church, and DJ Carrasco…No, I  do not have  any idea why Arizona would want those three…

The Rays got Chad Qualls and his 8.29 ERA while losing Grant Balfour for 4-6 weeks with injuries.

The Cubs and Dodgers are working hard to get a deal that would send Ted Lilly and Ryan Theriot to LA, with Blake Dewitt and then some headed back to the north side of Chicago. UPDATE: Deal’s official. Along with Dewitt, Cubs get minor league arms Brett Wallach and Kyle Smit. Cubs paying half of Lilly/Theriot’s remaining salary.

Disgruntled AL teams, pissed about the asking price on Adam Dunn (aka White Sox and Rays, plus, apparently, the Angels), are asking the Dodgers about Manny Ramirez (currently injured, but with something to prove in a contract year). Jon Heyman says Tim Brown says the Yanks did too…but that’s not happening, especially not with Berkman now in tow.

The Astros are apparently going full-on clearinghouse, making Wandy Rodriguez available.

And the Blue Jays have a high asking price for the league’s HR leader, Jose Bautista.

The trade deadline is in T-minus 5 and a half hours, so be ready for rumors out the wazzoo. Here’s what I’ve got hus far in the day:

Yanks are out on Ted Lilly unless he’s coming at an asking price at the dollar-menu level.

NYY also doesn’t want the always overrated Octavio Dotel on their squad again. (Duh?)

Kenny Rosenthal says the Yanks are still combing through the relief market as they look for one last bench piece, as expected. Rosenthal adds that the Yanks are not in on Wes Helms (that’s good news).

I’ve heard a little chatter about the Yanks talking to Chicago about Ted Lilly and at first, I was confused…Pettitte’s coming back soon, Moseley pitched great, why bother?

Well, here’s what I think: the price for Lilly might be low (ie similar to the Berkman deal with Yanks paying cash…but probably a better prospect or two). Lilly would replace Moseley in the rotation until Andy’s back (which improves the ‘pen, since Dustin goes back there and Chad Gaudin goes bye-bye). Then when Andy’s back, Lilly stays in the rotation and Phil Hughes moves to the ‘pen (bye-bye Chan Ho Park). Then, in the playoffs, the Yanks will only need 4 starters max. (ie. CC, AJ, Pettitte, Vazquez) and Lilly moves to the ‘pen (displacing Moseley…I guess). Not sure if it means anything…but Lilly holds opposing hitters to a .217/.250/.290 line in the first this year, with a 2.50 ERA. So, I guess he could work in relief…

By having Lilly in the rotation, the big “bullpen” acquisition for the Yanks is their all-star starter, Hughes. Yankee Brass loves innings limits, and moving Hughes to the ‘pen lets them maintain those. Plus, Hughes solves the late-inning issues the Yanks have had. The price on Scott Downs and other assorted reliever was much too high, so IF they get Lilly (big IF, hence the capitalization) it’s likely because the price (in prospects) is much less than Toronto was asking for in return for Downs. Lilly has experience in New York (they dealt him in that Jeff Weaver deal…tragic) and wanted to sign with the Bombers as a free-agent…so I bet he’d love to come back to the Bronx..even if he has to relieve come October.

Buster Olney: “With two trades in the books today, the Yankees are working on another — presumably somebody who can play 3B.”

Gordon Wittenmyer: Source: Yankees still in on Lilly, despite multiple moves for hitters.

Third base wise…maybe Melvin Mora? As for Lilly…I don’t understand. Moseley was just great in his start (albeit, it was v. Cleveland) and Andy isn’t going to miss more than, at the extreme most, 5 more starts…more likely somewhere like 3. So, unless Lilly’s going to the ‘pen, or the Yanks decide they need to do a huge limitation on Hughes’ innings and are sending him to the 8th inning, I don’t understand interest in the lefty. Then again, I still don’t get the Kearns trade (sure he’s a righty…but his splits are those of a lefty-stereotype). So…whatever…

According to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Heyman Austin Kearns was removed from his game as an Indian to come over to the Bronx. Rosenthal says the deal is official. Kearns has a .268/.351/.413 line this year playing primarily left field, with some time in right, and less time in center. He’s been subpar defensively in LF and CF but above-par in right…UZR’s a weird stat…You’d assume he replaces Colin Curtis on the roster, and Berkman displaces Juan Miranda.

Kearns is .250/.330/.390 v. lefties…and .278/.361/.424 v. righties….so the righthander’s stats are atypical. Anyone who thinks he’s going to platoon with Curtis Granderson (aka YOU Jon Heyman) is likely mistaken. Sure, he’s an upgrade over Grandy offensively v. lefties, but it’s not like he has great splits or anything…and between that and the lack of defense, I wouldn’t expect a platoon situation. I guess we’ll hear about it when there’s a press conference (by when I mean if) tomorrow. Active day for our buddy Brian Cashman though. Yanks will send a player to be named later to Cleveland…no clue on who, yet.