According to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com, the Yankees are interested in acquiring Marlins third baseman Wes Helms. Helms this season is batting .243 with three homers. Yankees manager Joe Girardi managed Helms in Florida. He is respected in the clubhouse and has postseason experience with from his days with the Braves and Phillies. Helms is a free agent after this season.

Cleveland reliever Kerry Wood has been placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to July 12, because of a blister on his right index finger. Wood, who is 1-4 with a 6.30 ERA in 23 appearances and has converted eight saves in 11 opportunities, has now been on the DL twice this season.

When appearing on “The Big Show” Friday Peter Gammons said the Red Sox didn’t have interest in Wood after there was initially some speculation that the Sox would be targeting the closer as a potential trade deadline acquisition.

“I mentioned him but I was told that the Red Sox have no interest in him because of his contract and his unpredictability,” Gammons said. “He’ll get traded because it’s hard not to take a shot with that stuff. He’s still throwing 97-98, he doesn’t have great results but he’s still throwing very hard. I think one issue you want to think about is with Kerry’s presence and ego, will he pitch in the seventh inning and how is he going to react? I think someone will take him. I don’t know if the Dodgers will give up prospects … but I think that might be a possibility. I think the Cardinals are definitely a possibility.”

According to Dan Hayes of the North County (CA) Times, the San Diego Padres and first baseman Adrian Gonzalez have not had contract talks regarding an extension. Hayes Tweets that Gonzalez said at the All-Star Game that he is looking for an eight-year deal. The Padres have a club option on Gonzalez for $5.5 million next season.

According to a tweet from Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com, the Yankees “would love to have” Royals closer Joakim Soria and Nationals slugger Adam Dunn. Rosenthal writes that the Nationals’ price tag for a Dunn deal would be “exorbitant” and that the Royals would need to be “overwhelmed” with an offer in order to trade Soria.

Soria has a very team-friendly contract and is just 26 years old. He makes $4 million this season, $6 million next season and his deal calls for club options in 2012, 2013, and 2014. He has a 2.31 earned run average with 25 saves and 43 strikeouts in 35 appearances this season.

Dunn is hitting a career-high .288 with a .372 on-base percentage and a career-high .960 OPS. He’s hit 22 homers and drove in 59 runs this season.

Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse has heard from a source that the Red Sox, who Price writes are “just about tapped out” payroll-wise, will not take on significant contracts at the trade deadline. In fact, the source tells Price, Theo Epstein and Co. will have to “jump through hoops” in order for ownership to allow them to add $500,000 over the rest of the season.

The Red Sox would be charged luxury tax if their payroll were to exceed $170 million. The team began the season at $162.7 million, but Price notes that players on the 40 man roster also figure into the number. Luxury tax is 22.5 percent of however much the payroll exceeds $170 million by.

Price writes that the Red Sox have about $45 million worth of players on the disabled list, and that given their concerns over luxury tax the team may simply wait it out.

Though the Red Sox are reported to have interest in Royals outfielder David DeJesus, Alex Speier wrote earlier this week that the Royals are asking for an awful lot in return. One of the bigger reasons a DeJesus deal figures to be costly for whomever trades for him is the fact that he himself is not all that expensive.

The outfielder, who began the year batting leadoff but has been a No. 3 hitter since Scott Podsednik took over the leadoff spot in mid-May, comes with a relatively cheap price tag. He is making just $4.7 million this season, and his contract includes a club option for $6 million next year. That’s pretty cheap money for a guy who is currently hitting .326 with a .395 on-base percentage and a .758 OPS.

Writes Speier: