Report: Phillies Brown For Bautista Megadeal Not Happening, “Not Even Close”

It appears Dom Brown won't be on the move after all, and it appears talk last night that he was going to be has been reduced to Cliff Lee for Justin Upton 2.0.

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports that a Brown for Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista trade isn't happening, "not even close." Howard Eskin of FOX 29 last night reported that Phillies GM Ruben Amaro was "deep in serious talks" with Toronto over a deal for more than just Brown.

Baseball's winter meetings, where team executives mingle for hours, feeling each other out and kicking around hypotheticals, are fertile ground for blockbuster trades and free agent megadeals.

That also makes them ripe for miscommunication, such as ESPN's Pedro Gomez last year reporting that a Lee for Upton deal that never happened was imminent, and "throwing stuff at a wall," such as Eskin's "reporting" last night.

Matt Hammond covers the Phillies for 97.3 ESPN-FM. 

Follow him on Twitter at @MKH973. Catch him every Saturday from 12-2 on “Sports Bash Saturday.”