By Jayson Stark
ESPN.com
You can forget those rumblings that Steve Finley is about to get traded to the Marlins or Phillies.
According to several baseball people who were in touch with the Diamondbacks on Tuesday, Arizona GM Joe Garagiola Jr. informed both clubs that Finley had decided he would not waive his no-trade clause to go to a team on the East Coast.
That news wasn't greeted particularly warmly by the Marlins or Phillies, obviously. But it wasn't the Diamondbacks' favorite development of the week, either.
Arizona had been hoping to trade Finley out of the division and then re-sign him this winter. Now, he figures to not only wind up in San Diego, Los Angeles or San Francisco for the rest of this year -- but he's also a fair bet to get an extension.
There have been reports in the last few days that both the Marlins and Phillies were closing in on trades for Finley. And it appeared by late Monday that Florida and Arizona had nearly agreed on a package that would have sent highly regarded Marlins first-base prospect Jason Stokes, plus a top pitching prospect, to Arizona for Finley.
The Phillies, meanwhile, had talked about various two-for-one deals that almost certainly would have included center fielder Marlon Byrd, plus another prospect, for Finley.
However, when it became apparent to Finley this week that he had three options in the NL West -- two of them near his home north of San Diego -- he informed the Diamondbacks that, for family reasons, he would waive his no-trade clause only if he were traded to a team in California.
The Giants -- who nearly signed Finley as a free agent before the 2003 season -- have been pursuing Finley for weeks. But if Finley had a choice of clubs, he would no doubt prefer a team in Southern California, because it's closer to home.
The Dodgers would be his second choice. And there have been indications that Dodgers GM Paul DePodesta might have the best fit for the Diamondbacks. DePodesta hasn't ruled out trading any of his top prospects, with the possible exception of Edwin Jackson. And the clubs have talked about a three-for-one deal that was believed to center around first baseman James Loney. One source said he believed the clubs even had agreed on two of the three players.
Arizona has tried to drive the toughest bargain with the Padres, because the Diamondbacks knew a deal -- and probable extension -- would eliminate any chance they had of re-signing Finley. But San Diego stepped up its efforts to deal for him in the last few days, working on potential three- and four-team trades that could meet Arizona's luxury-item asking price.
Finley has asked Arizona to work out some kind of deal by Thursday, to give him time to consider his options. The Diamondbacks were already doing their best to accommodate him on that front. Now, they have no choice but to also hand him the steering wheel and virtually allow him to choose where he wants to go.