MLB Trade Deadline: Giants Reportedly Interested In Jose Guillen If Royals Pay Most Of Salary

The Jose Guillen rumor mill continues to churn.

Hours after ESPN's Buster Olney reported that the Royals were willing to take a hit on Guillen's salary if it meant trading him for prospects, Jim Bowden of FOXSports.com reports there is a team interested.

That team is the Giants ... if the Royals pay "most" of the $6-plus million he has remaining on a three-year, $36 million deal signed in 2007.

It's unclear at this point if there have been any legitimate discussions between the two sides.

One point to keep in mind here is that Bowden cited a Royals source. Now, the Royals want to drive up interest in Guillen in order to secure the best deal possible, right? So a quick way to do that may be to float the Giants name out there to give the perception that there are teams getting in line to take a closer look at Guillen.

We're not sure if that's the case, but the month of July, with the trade deadline looming, can fairly be characterized as liars' season.