7/27 12:38: Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports points out that over the past three season, Downs’ numbers against the three AL East powers – the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays – are much worse than his numbers against all other clubs.

The Yankees, Red Sox and Rays are batting .289/.379/.454 against Downs since the start of the 2008 season. All of his other opponents are batting .205/.266/.276.

Downs’ ERA against the three AL East powers during that time is 4.35. His ERA against all other clubs is 1.66.

7/27 10:11: A source with knowledge of the Blue Jays’ plans (via George A. King III of the New York Post) says the Yankees and Red Sox are nose to nose on Jays’ left-handed reliever Downs.

“It’s the Yankees and Red Sox,” said the source”And he is clearly the best reliever out there.”

7/26 00:31: In addition to his likely Type-A status, the Blue Jays believe that Downs can command a multi-year deal next season, and therefore the team can justify a high asking price.

Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports says,

Meanwhile, a team that trades for Downs can re-sign him to a multi-year contract, attempt to retain him on a one-year, non-guaranteed deal in arbitration or receive two high draft picks if he signs with another club.

7/25 10:30: Buster Olney of ESPN is reporting that the Blue Jays are asking a high price for Downs which has made rival GM’s interested to see what Toronto will actually get for him.   “To this point, they’ve asked for high-end return for Downs because they think they should be compensated for the fact that he could be a Type A free agent. Some rival executives think that shouldn’t matter, because they don’t believe any team would surrender a first- or second-round pick for a non-closer. Boston and the Yankees are among the teams that have spoken with Toronto.”

7/25 09:25: Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports tweets that there’s “Fierce competition” for Toronto Blue Jays’ reliever Scott Downs. He says the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox are the among the favorites, and the New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds and Minnesota Twins are involved too.

Last week, we heard from Ed Price of AOL FanHouse that the Yankees and the Red Sox had “big-time” interest in the left-hander.

Downs is making $4 million this season and has a 2.56 ERA. He’s particularly effective against left-handers, who at the time were just hitting .208 against him. Earlier this month, the Philadelphia Phillies also had interest in the lefty. One thing to note is that Downs will likely be a Type-A free agent after the season.