Thursday Rangers Trade Rumors: Something's Gonna Happen, Right?

I mean, we are all having fun here, right?

6:00 p.m. CDT: Jon Heyman lists the Rangers as the likeliest destination for Zack Greinke, and handicaps their odds of acquiring him at 9-5, while also noting that the Rangers had two scouts present at Greinke's outing in Philadelphia on Tuesday, including Jim Colborn, the Rangers' senior advisor of Pacific Rim operations and multiple-time major league pitching coach; Jim Bowden concurs with that selection, listing the Rangers, Angels, and Braves (in order) as the likeliest landing spots for Greinke (CBSSports.com, ESPN.com)

● 2:00 p.m. CDT: Brewers general manager Doug Melvin has declared that Zack Greinke will "definitely" be traded before Tuesday's non-waiver trade deadline; all long-term contract negotiations between Milwaukee and Greinke's camp have been cut off, and with a deal now being inevitable, Melvin has taken his sales pitch public: "If you're in a pennant race, [Greinke] is a difference maker. He can go deep into games. He's never been on the DL except for a basketball injury [breaking a rib in February 2011]. He's very athletic. And he's great in the clubhouse.'' (Bob Nightengale, USA Today)

● Per Jon Heyman: "The selling Marlins are seeking a "Teixeira-like" package for top young starter Josh Johnson, so unless the requests are lowered there is no guarantee he'll join Anibal Sanchez, Omar Infante and Hanley Ramirez as ex-Marlins. Plus, they're telling teams Jose Reyes and Mark Buehrle are off-limits altogether." (CBSSports.com)

● 12:00 p.m. CDT: The Rangers, Dodgers, and Angels are reportedly all bidding on Rays right-hander James Shields right now, and Danny Knobler is reporting that all three teams have already gone so far as to submit offers, although the Rays have yet to commit to any one offer as of yet; the Angels were thought to be dangling center fielder Peter Bourjos as a major component of their offer on Shields (CBSSports.com)

● Tom Haudricourt on the Rangers' pursuit of Zack Greinke: The Rangers' primary target was Hamels, and now that he is off the market they will have even more interest in Greinke. Their top prospect is shortstop Jurickson Profar, whom the Brewers would love to have, but Texas considers him an untouchable. Third baseman Mike Olt is another coveted prospect, but the Brewers have a three-year commitment to [Aramis] Ramirez, who would have to be moved to make room. The Brewers would be very interested in obtaining left-hander Martin Perez, the Rangers' top pitching prospect, and also have scouted right-hander Justin Grimm." (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

● Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi on Cliff Lee, whom rival executives believe the Phillies will at least entertain offers on before next Tuesday's trade deadline: "The Texas Rangers, whom Lee helped to the World Series in 2010, dispatched top scout Don Welke to watch one of his recent starts. Texas GM Jon Daniels is believed to prefer Lee to Hamels; after all, Daniels offered Lee well more than $100 million as a free agent two offseasons ago. The Rangers would be more likely to trade minor league third baseman Mike Olt for Lee, than a two-month rental such as Milwaukee’s Zack Greinke. Lee’s no-trade clause allows him to block trades to 21 teams, according to a major-league source. The Rangers and New York Yankees are among the eight teams to which he can be assigned without his permission." (FOXSports.com)

● The trade talk on Josh Johnson has become eminently confusing, with one report indicating the Rangers were willing to move Mike Olt for him and another saying they weren't, and with some within the industry expecting a Johnson trade, and others calling it more of a 50-50 proposition; Jayson Stark does write this, for what it's worth: "An official of one club that spoke with the Marlins' brass told [ESPN] on Wednesday that he would estimate the odds Johnson stays in Miami at '95 percent.' ... An executive of another club reports the Marlins say they will trade Johnson only for a package centered around a young, star-caliber player who isn't arbitration-eligible." (ESPN.com)

● Yesterday, T.R. Sullivan intimated that Zack Greinke was at the top of the Rangers' revised wish list, and speculated that James Shields probably won't become available (at least for a price that Texas would find palatable), while also noting that the Rangers "don't have a great scouting report" on Josh Johnson and that the Phillies appear unwilling to help out with any salary relief in order to facilitate a Cliff Lee trade (MLB.com)