It isn’t on Justin Upton’s level, but the Rick Porcello trade saga continues.

The Detroit Tigers, who have six starting pitchers, have continued to discuss Porcello with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Seattle Mariners and perhaps other teams, according to major league sources.

The Tigers likely would ask for a shortstop, late-inning reliever or right-handed-hitting outfielder in return. They don’t appear to be a finalist for free agent outfielder Scott Hairston, who likely will make his decision between the Mets and Yankees.

Porcello, 24, has great appeal to teams because he won’t become a free agent until after the 2015 season. He went 10-12 with a 4.59 ERA last season, but those numbers figure to improve markedly if he pitches in front of a better infield defense. (The 2012 Tigers had little range at third base, shortstop and first base.)

The Tigers aren’t forced to trade Porcello because of a roster crunch. If they keep Porcello, he would be a well-above-average fifth starter behind Justin Verlander, Doug Fister, Anibal Sanchez and Max Scherzer. In that scenario, Drew Smyly could move to the bullpen — a role in which he excelled during the 2012 postseason.

The Tigers discussed Porcello with the Texas Rangers earlier this offseason, but those talks failed to progress. The Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres also expressed interest in Porcello.

— Jon Paul Morosi

The Texas Rangers, Pittsburgh Pirates and San Diego Padres are among the teams pursuing free-agent starter Shaun Marcum, according to major-league sources.

Marcum went 7-4 with a 3.70 ERA in 21 starts for Milwaukee during an injury-shortened 2012 season. But he finished healthy, making three consecutive quality starts to end the year.

The Rangers have made no secret of their need for a starting pitcher, particularly considering they may part with a young starter if the long-awaited trade for Arizona’s Justin Upton is consummated. Marcum has proven that he can succeed in a hitter-friendly American League ballpark, going 37-25 with a 3.85 ERA in nearly 600 innings with the Toronto Blue Jays from 2005 through 2010.

The Pirates’ interest in Marcum is a sign that they aren’t completely confident they will finalize their agreement with free agent left-hander Francisco Liriano. The Pirates and Liriano appeared to have a two-year deal before he injured his right arm during the offseason.

The Padres have been looking for a starting pitcher for most of the offseason; they would like to add an experienced arm to what could be a very young rotation.

-- Jon Paul Morosi

Washington Nationals players voted last year to split a full postseason share among personnel in the organization’s scouting and player development departments.

While there is precedent for such action by a team, it isn’t routine. Players more frequently include employees who are around the club every day, such as clubhouse attendants and bullpen catchers.

For every playoff team, the distribution of shares is voted on before the postseason begins by players who spent the entire year with the club. The Nationals awarded 49 full shares, each valued at $37,045.32.

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said “a few key veterans” led the push to include the scouting and player development staff in the bonus pool.

“That was a nice gesture showing their appreciation for all of the hours and hard work that those individuals put in,” Rizzo said through a team spokesperson. “There are a lot of behind-the-scenes individuals who contribute to a winning season, and I was glad to see our players recognize those people.”

The Nationals declined to say how many employees were included in the disbursement.

-- Jon Paul Morosi

Adam LaRoche was one thing — the Boston Red Sox didn’t want to sign him to a three-year free-agent contract and forfeit their second-round draft pick as compensation.

But, as the Red Sox enter Day 40 of their standoff with free-agent catcher/first baseman Mike Napoli, why wouldn’t they want to trade for the Washington Nationals’ Mike Morse?

The Sox, sources say, are one of the clubs in contact with the Nationals about Morse, who became expendable this week when the Nats re-signed LaRoche to a two-year, $24 million deal.

While the Sox’s public position is that they continue to talk with Napoli, they can back off him the moment they add another first baseman. They are not obligated to Napoli because they have yet to finalize his three-year, $39 million agreement.

Morse, 30, would require less of a financial commitment than Napoli, 31 – he is under contract for $7 million next season before becoming eligible for free agency. He is resistant to becoming a DH, sources say, but that would not be a problem for the Sox, who would use him at first and David Ortiz as their full-time DH.

To get Morse, the Sox would need to part with young talent and possibly a left-handed reliever — perhaps a high price for a player who only once in his career has appeared in more than 102 games in a season. Then again, the payoff would include keeping Morse away from two interested division rivals — the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays.

The prospect of losing Napoli, on the other hand, would not be nearly as daunting to the Red Sox. Napoli remains a free agent, and no other club appears to have made a serious effort to sign him after Sox medical personnel detected an issue with one of his hips in his physical, according to sources.

The Sox, sources say, want to restructure Napoli’s deal with protective language. The four-year, $40 million free-agent contract that the Detroit Tigers awarded catcher Ivan Rodriguez in 2004 could serve as one model.

Rodriguez’s deal stated that if he was on the disabled list for 35 or more days in ’04 or ’05 because of his lower spine, the Tigers could void the rest of the contract by paying him a $5 million buyout. The same provision also existed in ’06, but with a $4 million buyout.

The Sox likely want to rework Napoli’s deal so that if a significant problem arose with his hip, they could escape with something less than a three-year guarantee.

As it turned out, Rodriguez completed his contract with the Tigers without once going on the DL for any condition, and the team even exercised his $13 million option for ’08.

The Sox obviously would hope for a similar outcome with Napoli. But it might be less of a risk to just trade for Morse.

— Ken Rosenthal

Some quick thoughts on some teams that still have work to do. Warning: The following list is not meant to be all-inclusive. Other clubs also are trying to upgrade.

*Padres. One rival executive says there is no chance that general manager Josh Byrnes completes his off-season with the addition of free-agent right-hander Jason Marquis as his only significant move.

The Padres seem disinclined to make a strong play for any of the free-agent remaining starters, believing that some of their youngsters can be the rough equivalent of veterans such as Joe Saunders, and at a much lower price.

A trade for a pitcher such as the Detroit Tigers’ Rick Porcello, Kansas City Royals’ Luke Hochevar or Los Angeles Dodgers’ Aaron Harang remains possible, though the Padres might be content to wait until spring training to better determine their needs.

The Chase Headley-for-Justin Upton talks failed to progress, according to major-league sources.

*Orioles. They’ve lost first baseman Mark Reynolds, and to this point all they’ve done is re-sign outfielder Nate McLouth and trade for two borderline major leaguers, outfielder Trayvon Robinson and infielder Yamaico Navarro.

The Orioles were one of the teams that pursued Upton, showing strong interest a few weeks back. Those talks sputtered, however, and the team currently appears more focused on adding a starting pitcher. Saunders remains a target, according to sources; the Orioles checked in on Porcello, but couldn’t find a match.

The addition of a middle-of-the-order hitter also wouldn’t hurt. The Orioles recently spoke with free-agent designated hitter Lance Berkman, but were not interested in paying him big dollars, knowing that Berkman has suffered injuries three of the past four seasons.

Something to remember: The O’s could pursue Nationals left fielder Michael Morse in a trade if the Nats resign free-agent first baseman Adam LaRoche. Or, the O’s could conserve their resources and address their needs later.

*Rockies. Bottom feeding for pitching – right-handers Jeff Karstens, Derek Lowe, Aaron Cook and Jair Jurrjens are among the possibilities, though some of those pitchers interest the club only on minor-league deals.

One intriguing longshot: Rafael Soriano. The Rockies only could sign the free-agent closer if his market crashed and he was willing to accept say, a two-year, $16 million deal. The team would lose a second-round pick for signing Soriano; its first rounder is protected.

*Phillies. Most of the heavy lifting is done, but the Phils continue to look for a right-handed hitting outfielder.

Manager Charlie Manuel likes Darin Ruf, and the team has discussed going with platoons in both left and right, incorporating Dominic Brown, John Mayberry and possibly Laynce Nix.

Ruf is a right-hander hitter, but has only 33 major-league at-bats. The Phillies, sources say, continue to look at all options, including the signing of free agent Scott Hairston and trades for the Chicago Cubs’ Alfonso Soriano and Los Angeles Angels’ Vernon Wells.

Hairston, however, reportedly wants a two-year contract in the $8 million range, and that price might be too steep for the Phillies’ liking.

*Mets. Trivia question: Who are Mike Baxter, Collin Cowgill, Lucas Duda and Kirk Nieuwenhuis? The current outfielders on the Mets’ 40-man roster.

Andrew Brown and Brian Bixler, two players on minor-league contracts, also figure into the mix, and the Mets surely will sign another outfielder. Hairston is among the options; he won’t find more playing time elsewhere.

The Mets also are looking for a fifth starter, and they’re reportedly interested in free-agent right-handers Carl Pavano, Shaun Marcum and Chris Young.

Don’t expect free-agent outfielder Grady Sizemore to sign with a team anytime soon. 

Sizemore, 30, underwent microfracture surgery on his right knee in September, and does not want to commit to a team until he is ready to play again, according to his agent, Joe Urbon.

“It could be Opening Day. It could be midseason,” Urbon said. “Midseason is more likely.”

Urbon said that a number of teams have expressed interest in Sizemore, and that some have offered to sign him and allow him to rehabilitate at his own pace.

Sizemore, however, felt like he tried to rush back last season to fulfill his one-year, $5 million free-agent contract with the Cleveland Indians. As it turned out, he did not play a single game.

By waiting, the three-time All-Star can simply focus on his recovery without being specifically obligated to a team. Once healthy, he still will be young enough to play for a number of years.

— Ken Rosenthal

The Seattle Mariners and Miami Marlins have had discussions about a trade that would send outfielder Giancarlo Stanton to Seattle, but one source told FOXSports.com that a deal appears doubtful at this point.

After failing to sign free agent Josh Hamilton, the Mariners still are looking for a big bat to help what was the American League’s worst offense in 2012. The Mariners traded for Kendrys Morales and signed veteran outfielders Jason Bay and Raul Ibañez. But they need more run production for the middle of their lineup.

The Mariners have the sort of young pitching depth that could entice the Marlins to part with Stanton, a powerful right-handed slugger. Stanton has hit 93 career home runs and turned 23 years old in November. Of all players to debut after 1965, he has the second most home runs through his age 22 season; only Alex Rodriguez (106) has more, according to research through Baseball-Reference.com.

Marlins assistant general manager Dan Jennings recently told Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio that the team isn’t shopping Stanton but would listen to offers for him.

-- Jon Paul Morosi

Right-hander Jose Veras has limited experience as a major-league closer — just five saves in 17 opportunities.

But the Houston Astros, who signed Veras to a one-year, $2 million free-agent contract on Friday, plan to give him a chance to pitch in the ninth inning.

Veras’ contract, in fact, includes a series of “games finished” clauses that would increase his earnings significantly if he becomes the 2013 version of Fernando Rodney.

Such a development isn’t likely — Veras must prove that he can succeed in the role, and the Astros do not figure to be as good as the Tampa Bay Rays were last season.

Still, as a closer, Veras would stand to earn not just his $1.85 million base salary in ’13, but also as much as $500,000 in incentives based on games finished.

His deal also includes a $3.25 million club option or $150,000 buyout for ’14 — and the size of the option can increase to between $4 million and $5.5 million based on games finished, with Veras again eligible to receive $500,000 in incentives.

Veras, 32, spent last season with the Milwaukee Brewers, producing a 3.63 ERA in 72 appearances. It was the third straight season in which he produced a sub-4.00 ERA.

— Ken Rosenthal

The Mariners, Orioles and Padres have contacted the Tigers about trading for right-hander Rick Porcello, according to major-league sources. It’s believed that Seattle and Baltimore are more actively interested than San Diego at this point.

Detroit has six starters after re-signing Anibal Sanchez, and Tigers officials are willing to consider offers for Porcello. The Tigers are looking for a right-handed outfield bat and late-inning bullpen arm. They could obtain one or both by dealing Porcello.

The Tigers don’t have a closer in place for 2013, so they may look to acquire a reliever who could grow into the role – such as Seattle’s Stephen Pryor or Baltimore’s Pedro Strop. San Diego has an abundance of right-handed bullpen arms, including Luke Gregerson, Brad Brach, Brad Boxberger, Dale Thayer, Nick Vincent and closer Huston Street. Padres outfielder Chris Denorfia also may have appeal to the Tigers as a platoon partner for Andy Dirks in left.

Porcello went 10-12 with a 4.59 ERA this year, but he likely would fare much better with an improved infield defense behind him. He surrendered the most hits in the AL this year (226) but his strikeout-to-walk and home run rates have improved steadily over his career. Porcello, who turns 24 next week, isn’t eligible for free agency until after the 2015 season, which is part of his appeal.

The Angels were another potential trade destination for Porcello until they filled their rotation vacancy by trading Kendrys Morales to Seattle for left-hander Jason Vargas. The same trade put Seattle in play as a Porcello suitor, since the Mariners now must replace the 217-1/3 innings Vargas delivered this year.

-- Jon Paul Morosi

Earlier this week, a source told FOXSports.com that two American League teams had been in recent touch with the Los Angeles Dodgers about a trade for right fielder Andre Ethier.

One of those teams was the Seattle Mariners, but the talks failed to progress, major-league sources say. The other team is not known.

Ethier, 30, would be an excellent fit for the Mariners, who had the lowest combined OPS from their outfield of any team in the American League last season.

The Mariners’ new hitting coach, Dave Hansen, previously was with the Dodgers. But the Dodgers’ willingness to move Ethier remains in question.

The Dodgers are shopping Ethier, major-league sources say, but one official with knowledge of the team’s recent discussions says that the latest talks about him stemmed from inquiries by the two AL teams.

Ethier agreed to a five-year, $85 million contract extension with the Dodgers just six months ago. It seems doubtful that any team would take the contract in its entirety. Ethier is a career .238 hitter against left-handed pitching.

— Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi

Yes, the Dodgers had conversations with Josh Hamilton’s agents, Michael Moye and Scott Sanderson. But the impetus for the discussions came from the agents, not club officials, and the talks failed to progress, major-league sources say.

It’s understandable that Moye and Sanderson would want to engage the Dodgers, who under their new ownership have become the biggest spenders in the sport. But Hamilton, who agreed Thursday to a five-year, $125 million free-agent contract with the Angels, just wasn’t a fit.

The Dodgers, according to sources, explored the possibility to the extent that they did background work on Hamilton. The sides spoke on the final day of the winter meetings, and were in contact as recently as a few days ago. But the Dodgers never seriously entertained the possibility of signing Hamilton and never made him an offer, sources said.

All three Dodgers outfielders — Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp and Carl Crawford — are signed to long, expensive contracts. The only way to clear a spot for Hamilton, given the lack of a designated hitter in the National League, would have been to trade Ethier. And Ethier starts his five-year, $85 million extension this season.

Hamilton, then, amounted to a player that the Dodgers just couldn’t have. And as we’ve seen over the last six months, there aren’t too many of those.

— Ken Rosenthal

The Los Angeles Dodgers, after acquiring utility man Skip Schumaker, began clearing the logjam on their roster Wednesday by designating outfielder/first baseman Scott Van Slyke for assignment.

But the team isn’t finished yet.

Including Schumaker, the Dodgers still feature seven reserve infielders on their 40-man roster. And Nick Punto and Juan Uribe are the two most likely to go, according to a major-league source.

Punto, 35, could be an attractive trade candidate — he is a respected role player who will earn a relatively modest $1.5 million next season.

Uribe, 33, is more likely to be released; no team will want to take on his $7 million salary, not when he is coming off two injury-marred seasons and a sub-.560 OPS in both.

The Dodgers’ other utility candidates include Schumaker, Jerry Hairston, Elian Herrera, Dee Gordon and Justin Sellers.

Gordon remains a candidate to be traded. Hairston is coming off hip surgery, Sellers back surgery. Both are expected back for the start of spring training.

— Ken Rosenthal 

The Tigers and Mariners have had preliminary discussions about a trade that would send outfielder Brennan Boesch to Seattle, according to major-league sources.

No such move is close, the sources said, but Boesch remains a secondary possibility for the Mariners in the event that their top outfield targets — Josh Hamilton chief among them — end up elsewhere.

The Tigers could seek left-handed relief pitching in return for Boesch, and the Mariners are positioned to have three lefties in their bullpen: Oliver Perez, Lucas Luetge and former Tiger Charlie Furbush.

Boesch, 27, is a streaky left-handed power hitter who finished fifth in American League Rookie of the Year balloting in 2010. He has a career .729 OPS with 42 home runs in 380 games.

— Jon Paul Morosi

Sean Burnett’s deal with the Angels is worth a guaranteed $8 million over two years, but the value could jump to $13.25 million over three years if he achieves all available incentives, one source confirmed.

Burnett, one of the top left-handed relievers on the free-agent market, has a club option for 2015 worth $4.5 million; it will vest if he appears in 110 games between the ’13 and ’14 seasons. His recent track record suggests he has a good chance to do so. He averaged roughly 70 appearances per year over the past four seasons.

Burnett’s deal also includes incentives for appearances per season, beginning with $100,000 for 30 games.

The contract is the second-highest for a free-agent lefty reliever this offseason. Jeremy Affeldt set the market when he returned to the San Francisco Giants on a three-year, $18 million deal.

Burnett had a 2.38 ERA over 70 appearances with the Washington Nationals this year. The Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers were among the teams that pursued him before he agreed to his contract with the Angels.  

— Jon Paul Morosi

The New York Mets upped the ante Monday night in their bid to keep National League Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey in the fold.

They made a new extension offer that would add two years and $20 miilion to the $5 million Dickey is scheduled to earn next season, according to sources. The previous offer was said to be a two-year extension worth $16 million.

The new terms were first reported by Andy Martino of the New York Daily News.

The report also said the Mets could still consider trading Dickey, perhaps to the Texas Rangers — with whom the Mets had talked earlier.

Dickey is said to be seeking $31 million total over three years in an extension, according to reports.

The Mets' current offer — three years, $25 million, including this season — is the exact deal the Kansas City Royals gave free-agent right-hander Jeremy Guthrie. And Guthrie, obviously, did not win a Cy Young.