ESPN is saying . . .
Three Cleveland scouts -- including the club's director of player personnel, Steve Lubratich -- were in Lehigh Valley to watch the Phillies' Triple-A team play an 11 a.m. ET game.
Lehigh Valley starter Carlos Carrasco, who has been a subject of talks between the two teams, was abruptly scratched from his start in that game with no explanation from the club.
An official of a team that had been speaking to Cleveland about Lee told ESPN.com Wednesday morning it was his impression that Lee was about to be traded elsewhere, and the Phillies' discussions with Toronto about Roy Halladay have slowed to a trickle in the last 24 hours.
Many outlets have reported that the Phillies are hellbent on getting a starter and many more are saying that Halladay is increasingly unlikely to go anywhere. Not hard to do the math there.
UPDATE: More details on Lee and Philly:
The defending World Series champion have offered the Cleveland Indians a package of players for Lee, a baseball official familiar with the trade proposal told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
Philadelphia's offer doesn't include top pitching prospect Kyle Drabek, the person said on condition of anonymity because negotiations are ongoing. The non-waiver trade deadline is Friday.
Drabek was a clear dealbreaker for Philly, and their off-limits sign on him is why the Jays won't deal Halladay.
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Good on the Quakers. That tells Toronto to drop dead with their bait and switch talks that really was never anything but a waste of time. After the Phils get Cliff Lee, the Blue Jays still won't have any young prospects. The Phillies are still loaded at Reading (AA) and Allentown (AAA). This still doesn't guarantee a deep October run to the World Series but it certainly helps.