July 24 roundup: Deadline one week away

With plenty of time left before the Trade Deadline hits, Tampa Bay’s B.J. Upton is already tired of the rumors.

Upton reiterated to the St. Petersburg Times that he’d like to remain with the Rays but also said, “If it happens, it happens.”

*Yahoo!’s Jeff Passan says one scout thinks the Tigers are the favorite to land Dodgers pitcher Hiroki Kuroda, but would have to give up some of their best prospects.

* The Astros’ two best offensive players — Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn — have received considerable attention in trade talks and the club is willing to listen.

* With all the talk around baseball of the impending deadline, Cubs manager Mike Quade hopes his players ignore it.

“Show up every day and focus on who we’re playing,” Quade said Sunday about what their approach should be. “Everybody deals with stuff differently, whether it’s speculation or reality.”

In other Cubs news, at least four teams are eyeing Kosuke Fukudome, according to ESPNChicago.com.

– Joey Nowak