The Cubs are one of the teams the Blue Jays have contacted regarding pitcher Roy Halladay. However, before Cubs fans start salivating at the prospect of the former Cy Young winner in the rotation with Ted Lilly, Carlos Zambrano, and Ryan Dempster, there's a catch. He's owed $15.75 million in 2010, and the Blue Jays want some of the Cubs' top prospects. No. 1, the team can't take on Halladay's salary. The Blue Jays apparently have a wish list and Milton Bradley is not on it. A player like highly regarded shortstop Starlin Castro most likely is, and the Cubs don't want to part with him, especially since they might only have Halladay for one year. The right-hander was 17-10 with a 2.79 ERA this season, and is a free agent after 2010. One thing the Blue Jays did make clear to the Cubs is they want to move Halladay this offseason.

-- Carrie Muskat

One of the best free-agent signings under the national radar last season was Angels left fielder Juan Rivera, who could be available in trade talks according to "indications" received by Jon Heyman of SI.com.

Rivera, 31, produced career highs in homers (25) and RBIs (82) while batting .287 with .478 slugging and .332 on-base marks. He also played a career-high 138 games, finally fully recovered from a broken leg suffered after the '06 season, and excelled defensively, showcasing a strong, accurate arm that also plays in right field.

A big part of Rivera's appeal is his contract. He has two years left at a total of $9.5 million. The Rays, having exercised Carl Crawford's $10 million option and facing losing him as a free agent after the '10 season, could in effect get two years of Rivera for one year of Crawford. That doesn't sound like too bad a deal if the Rays feel they can come close to matching what Crawford gives them as a table-setter and base-stealing machine.

There have been reports that the Angels talked to the Tigers about Curtis Granderson, a solid player and quality citizen of the game. But Granderson's struggles against lefties are a concern, and he'd be making a move to a corner OF spot, where Crawford has flourished. Starter Edwin Jackson of the Tigers also could hold major appeal to the Angels either in a solo deal or an expanded deal involving Granderson.

All of this speculation hinges on the destinations of such high-profile Angels free agents as John Lackey, Chone Figgins and Vladimir Guerrero, now accepting offers from all clubs with the Angels exclusive rights expiring Thursday night.

-- Lyle Spencer

  

Four to six teams have expressed interest in acquiring Milton Bradley, with the interest in varying degrees, depending on how much of the $21 million still owed the outfielder that the Cubs are willing to pick up.

However, top officials at both the Rangers and Cubs on Friday denied a Chicago Tribune report, which outlined a three-team swap that included the Mets. The proposed deal had Bradley going to the Rangers, who would ship Kevin Millwood to the Mets. The Cubs would get second baseman Luis Castillo from New York.

Yes, the Cubs would like to improve their second base situation. Millwood is owed $12 million in the last year of his deal, and the Mets need pitching. According to the Tribune, the Cubs would have to pay part of the $21 million remaining on Bradley's contract.

But a top Cubs official said there was no truth to the rumor. A high-ranking Rangers official told MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan such a deal is "not happening."

There is legitimate interest in Bradley, even after his dropoff in '09, his first year in Chicago. Teams have told GM Jim Hendry to keep them in the loop, and are waiting to see whether the Cubs will eat some of Bradley's contract.

There have been reports that the Cubs would take Tampa Bay outfielder Pat Burrell in a deal for Bradley, but Burrell is owed $9 million in 2010 and the Rays reportedly want Chicago to pick up part of Bradley's money as well.

-- Carrie Muskat

The White Sox may be close to signing a one-year deal with Omar Vizquel to be their backup infielder, according to a report by Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com.

Vizquel, 42, would give the White Sox a versatile backup for nearly all the infield positions. Last season, Vizquel played third base, second base and shortstop while batting .266 in 62 games for the Rangers.

The White Sox said Friday that besides the five additions the club made to their 40-man roster, there would be no other news today.

In addition to his ability to play nearly everywhere in the infield, Vizquel would also give the White Sox a veteran infielder to help mentor shortstop Alexei Ramirez and second baseman Gordon Beckham, who is making his second position change in two years.

This is not the first time that the White Sox have reportedly had interest in Vizquel. The club was close to signing him to a two-year deal before the start of the 2005 season but Vizquel instead inked a three-year contract with the Giants at the last minute.

-- Kelly Thesier

According to one report, the Rangers, Cubs and Mets are discussing a three-way trade.

The deal has the Rangers sending Kevin Millwood to the Mets, who would trade second baseman Luis Castillo the Cubs. To complete the trade, the Cubs would send Milton Bradley to the Rangers.

Said one high-ranking Rangers official bluntly: "Not happening."

The other two clubs would love the deal. The Rangers have no interest in trading their No. 1 starter in that deal.

-- T.R. Sullivan

New San Diego Padres general manager Jed Hoyer told me on Thursday that the team plans to spend in free agency, though the payroll will again be in the $40-million range as it was a year ago.

The Padres improved 12 games from 2008 despite a lowered payroll that went from roughly $70 million in 2007 to $43 million a year ago. That figure won't change much, though the Padres did get Jake Peavy and Brian Giles off the book in the last year.

"As far as approaching free agency, we're not going to be major players for free agents because of the size of our payroll," Hoyer said. "But we're going to go after targets we like ... aggressively. We have money in the budget to spend on free agency."

The Padres already have $11 million wrapped up in two players -- starting pitcher Chris Young ($6.25 million) and first baseman Adrian Gonzalez ($4.75) -- as well as another $1 million in second baseman David Eckstein.

Counting Young, Gonzalez and Eckstein, and if their four arbitration-eligible players (Heath Bell, Kevin Correia, Kevin Kouzmanoff and Mike Adams) receive raises that amount to, say, $12 million, then that's $24 million. The rest of the roster is comprised of players who made the minimum salary of $400,000 in 2009 or slightly more.

The Padres want a right-handed bat and some help for the starting rotation. This can be had through free agency, some of it. But trades might be the way the Padres go to improve their team in 2010.

-- Corey Brock, Twitter: @FollowThePadres

Paul Lo Duca may have been out of baseball last season. But despite being 37 years old, registering 932 games behind the plate in his Major League career and sustaining various injuries, Lo Duca is aiming to play next season.

MIAMI -- The Marlins may have declined Ross Gload's $2.6 million option earlier this offseason, but they want the veteran lefty hitter back. And according to The Miami Herald, Florida has extended Gload a deal similar to the one Wes Helms received last offseason, at two years for $1.9 million.

Look for the D-backs to use newly-acquired Aaron Heilman in the bullpen rather than the starting rotation.

"He has the stuff to get both left-handers and right-handers out," D-backs GM Josh Byrnes said. "He definitely strengthens our bullpen."

-- Steve Gilbert

PHOENIX -- The D-backs bolstered their bullpen Thursday acquiring right-hander Aaron Heilman from the Cubs in exchange for a pair of Minor Leaguers.

Heilman was 4-4 with a 4.11 ERA and one save in 70 games for the Cubs. The 31-year-old walked 34 and fanned 65 while holding opponents to a .257 average.

The D-backs sent left-handed pitcher Scott Main and infielder Ryne White to the Cubs. Maine, who pitched in the Arizona Fall League this year was a sixth-round selection in the 2007 First-Year Player Draft and split time this past season between Double-A Mobile and Triple-A Reno.

White, meanwhile, was a fourth-round pick in the 2008 First-Year Player Draft. Last season he hit .266 with six homers and 52 RBIs for Class A Visalia.

Heilman is 26-37 with 10 saves and a 4.22 ERA in 375 career games with the Mets and Cubs.

-- Steve Gilbert