NEW YORK (AP) — Here are the latest developments as Major League Baseball approaches its 4 p.m. EDT deadline Friday for trades where players do not first have to pass through waivers (all times Eastern):
3:40 p.m.
AP Sports Writer Rob Maaddi in the Phillies clubhouse says outfielder Ben Revere is telling media that he has been traded to Toronto.
There’s 20 minutes to the deadline.
3:05 p.m.
Cole Hamels explains in a farewell Philadelphia news conference why he’s happy to go to Texas, saying he thinks the Rangers are close to being ready to compete for a playoff spot.
___
3:00 p.m.
With one hour to the non-waiver trade deadline let’s take a look at the players who have switched teams so far on Friday: Cole Hamels to Texas, Gerardo Parra to Baltimore, Mark Lowe to Toronto, Jonathan Broxton to St. Louis, Kyle Jepsen to Minnesota.
___
2:40 p.m.
There’s less than 90 minutes to the deadline — although deals will continue to be announced after 4 p.m. because MLB has to approve the trades.
In the most recent deal, the Tampa Bay Rays sent righty reliever Kevin Jepsen to the Minnesota Twins, who have a hold on the second AL wild card.
The fading Rays got two low-level minor league pitchers in return. They called up right-hander Kirby Yates from Triple-A Durham to fill Jepsen’s spot in the ‘pen.
Jepsen was 2-5 with a 2.81 ERA in 46 games this season for Rays.
___
2:05 p.m.
The busy Blue Jays have made another deal, acquiring reliever Mark Lowe from the Seattle Mariners for three minor league pitchers.
Lowe joins another newcomer, LaTroy Hawkins, in a much improved bullpen. Lowe has allowed just four earned runs over 36 innings (1.00 ERA) for the Mariners this season.
The Blue Jays also added lefty ace Rep. David Price (D-NC) in a deal with Detroit Thursday. Price’s arrival arrival in Toronto today has been delayed by a flat tire.
___
1:55 p.m.
Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. is talking about the Cole Hamels trade, saying “there was no shortage of suitors” for the lefty ace.
The deal with Texas, in the works for months, gave the Phillies exactly what they were looking for, depth and talent.
Amaro doesn’t appear to be worried about minor leaguer Jorge Alfaro’s ankle injury. The Phillies expect him to be a catcher, though he’s athletic enough to play first base and outfield. He also said veteran pitcher Matt Harrison probably won’t make his next start but needs to be evaluated by team doctors.
One thing Amaro wouldn’t shed new light on: Hamels shooting down a trade to Houston, though, he did say: “Cole earned the right to decide where he wants to go.”
___
1:25 p.m.
David Price’s arrival in Toronto fell flat — the ace got a flat tire on his way to the introductory news conference.
Blue Jays fans on Twitter offered to rescue the stranded pitcher, who was acquired from Detroit on Thursday. One fan offered advice to the star, too: “If you change the tire..RIGHT HAND ONLY!!!”
The Blue Jays announced they were postponing the 3:30 p.m. start to the news conference, just as Price tweeted a photo of his gray sports car being loaded onto a truck.
___
1 p.m.
We’re three hours from the deadline Friday and there’s a lot of activity — even with stars such as David Price, Troy Tulowitzki, Johnny Cueto and Jonathan Papelbon having already been dealt in the past week.
The Texas Rangers finalized their deal to acquire premier pitcher Cole Hamels from the Philadelphia Phillies. The MLB-leading Cardinals bolstered their bullpen by picking up right-hander Jonathan Broxton and the Baltimore Orioles got outfielder Gerrardo Parra from Milwaukee in an effort to keep up with the busy Blue Jays.
Other big names that could move before the 4 p.m. EDT deadline: San Diego’s Craig Kimbrel and Justin Upton, Cincinnati’s Jay Bruce and Aroldis Chapman, Detroit slugger Yoenis Cespedes, Phillies outfielder Ben Revere and Cleveland pitcher Carlos Carrasco.
___
12:55 p.m.
The St. Louis Cardinals have acquired reliever Jonathan Broxton from the Milwaukee Brewers, supplementing their bullpen with another veteran.
The NL Central-leading Cardinals sent minor league outfielder Malik Collymore to their division rivals. St. Louis also received an unspecified amount of cash in the deal announced hours before the trade deadline on Friday afternoon.
The 31-year-old Broxton has struggled this season in Milwaukee. The right-hander is 1-2 with a 5.89 ERA.
Last week, St. Louis acquired another right-hander, former closer Steve Cishek from Miami, also for a minor leaguer.
The last-place Brewers continue to trade away veterans. They dealt outfielder Gerardo Parra earlier Friday to Baltimore for minor league pitcher Zach Davies.
Broxton and Parra were both acquired at last year’s deadline by the Brewers, who were contending at the time.
___
12:50 p.m.
The Baltimore Orioles have obtained left fielder Gerardo Parra from the Milwaukee Brewers in a trade for a minor league right-hander Zach Davies.
The deal was reached hours before Friday’s non-waiver trade deadline.
The 28-year-old Parra batted .328 with nine homers and 31 RBIs in 100 games this year. He’s hitting .279 over 6-plus seasons, most of them with Arizona.
Parra has played all three outfield positions and is a two-time Gold Glove winner. He had a 14-game hitting streak through Thursday.
Davies is 5-6 with a 2.84 ERA in 19 games with Triple-A Norfolk. He was assigned to Triple-A Colorado Springs.
Baltimore cleared a roster spot by designating right-hander Bud Norris for assignment.
Comment count on this article reflects comments made on Breitbart.com and Facebook. Visit Breitbart's Facebook Page.