Report: Padres likely to trade outfielder Chris Denorfia - MLB

The Padres swapped All-Star closer Huston Street to the Angels last night in a six-player trade and they likely aren’t done making deals.

According to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, the Padres are expected to trade outfielder Chris Denorfia before the July 31 non-waiver deadline. The 34-year-old is batting just .244/.295/.329 with one home run this season, but he owns an .809 OPS against southpaws for his career and could be a useful platoon player/extra outfielder for a contender. He’s making $2.25 million in 2014 and will be a free agent this offseason.

The return for Denorfia will likely be minimal, but the Padres could fetch more if they end up dealing third baseman Chase Headley, right-hander Ian Kennedy, and new closer Joaquin Benoit. All three names continue to surface in trade rumors, with the Blue Jays among the teams linked to Headley.

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CARSON CITY, Nev. — The Nevada Senate adjourned Thursday without voting on a financing bill for a proposed $1.5 billion Las Vegas Strip stadium for the Oakland Athletics, extending the special legislative session into the next week amid negotiations over whether to contribute $380 million in public funding to the project.

The measure can still be amended by lawmakers, and if it passes the Senate it would still need approval from the Assembly before going to the desk of Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, who has expressed support for it. Both the state Senate and Assembly are adjourned until Monday.

In a hearing that began Wednesday and stretched into the early morning hours Thursday, lawmakers peppered tourism officials and a representative from a firm partnering with the ball club with questions about the feasibility and benefits of financing such a deal.

Public funds for the stadium would mainly come from $180 million in transferable tax credits and $120 million in county bonds. Backers have pledged that the creation of a special tax district around the proposed stadium would generate enough money to pay off those bonds and interest. The plan would not directly raise taxes.

The A’s would not owe property taxes for the publicly owned stadium. Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, would also contribute $25 million in credit toward infrastructure costs.

A’s representatives and some tourism officials say a deal would further grow Las Vegas’ developing sports scene and act as an economic engine, but a growing chorus of economists and some lawmakers warn that the project would bring minimal benefits for the hefty public price tag.