Things still quiet on trade front

TORONTO - The Devil Rays continue to navigate their way through the trade waters, but it's unlikely they will make a deal before today's 4 p.m. nonwaiver trade deadline.

Rays general manager Chuck LaMar has had plenty of offers over the past few days, but he hasn't been impressed enough to pull a trigger on a deal. And the Rays don't expect to get blown away with an offer before the deadline.

"Chuck has talked to enough teams and he has had an opportunity to do a few things if he chose," Rays manager Lou Piniella said. "But people, other teams, want to give us backup people, and we're not interested in just trading for backup people."

At first, most of the Rays' trade rumors appeared to involve pitchers such as Joe Kennedy and Victor Zambrano. Lately the focus has shifted to veterans such as pitchers Jeremi Gonzalez and Al Levine and infielders Marlon Anderson and Travis Lee.

But the Rays haven't found what they're looking for in return.

"Our focus is trying to find young position players, and we haven't been offered that commodity," Piniella said. "It seems to me that unless something happens here in the last (few) hours, we'll stay the way we are."

MAKING MOVES: The Rays made a couple roster moves Wednesday, calling up infielders Jeff Liefer and Jared Sandberg from Triple-A Durham. To make room, the Rays shipped pitcher Jason Standridge and outfielder Matt Diaz to Durham.

"We got a little more versatility with the players we got up here," Piniella said. "Sandberg can play first and third and Liefer can play the outfield and play first and third, also."

This is the second Rays stint for both players. Sandberg was with the Rays from May 13 to June 12 and hit .237 in 59 at-bats. Liefer, claimed off waivers from Montreal in June, made four starts at third base, going 1-for-12.

He made his presence felt in the fourth when he hit a two-run home run, his first homer since May 14 against San Francisco while playing for the Expos.

With the addition of Liefer, the Rays now have 39 players on the 40-man roster.

DURHAM BOUND: Diaz and Standridge weren't happy about going back to Triple A, but both handled the news well and are optimistic they will return.

Standridge appeared in eight games, including seven starts, after being called up on June 10. He went 0-5 with a 6.37 ERA and had recently been sent to the bullpen.

"We don't want him sitting in the bullpen," Piniella said. "We sent him out so he can start in Triple A."

Diaz, meantime, went 1-for-9 in four games.

"I had a blast," Diaz said, who, interestingly, said he had heard through the minor-league grapevine that the Rays were a team with poor camaraderie.

Diaz said that rumor was "false" and that he can't wait to rejoin the Rays someday.

"If they need a right-handed bat off the bench in the future," Diaz said, "I'll happily put in my application."

MORE MOVES: Look for the Rays to call up two or three minor-league pitchers to work out of the bullpen this weekend in Kansas City.

"We're going to bring in a couple of young pitchers and put them in the bullpen and let them get their feet wet, and give them some experience," Piniella said. "We'll see how they do, see how they respond. Those are our plans."

Candidates include Northeast High product Doug Waechter and Evan Rust from Durham, and Jon Switzer and Chad Gaudin from Double-A Orlando.

MISCELLANY: Rookie Rocco Baldelli has a bit of a sore back, so he was used as a designated hitter Wednesday instead of his usual centerfield. ... The Blue Jays have a league-low 18 stolen bases. The Rays' Carl Crawford has 28.