The first course comes from our buddy Mark Bowman at Braves.com:

According to a National League source, Diamondback fans might not want to get too excited about the possibility of landing Mark Teixeira.   This source believes the Yankees, Rays and Angels are more likely to land the switch-hitting first baseman before Thursday's Trade Deadline.

The Diamondbacks still have the potential of providing a good fit for the Braves.  But as long as they're offering Chad Tracy, instead of Connor Jackson, Wren seems more apt to look elsewhere.

Second course is from Jon Heyman at SI.com:

The Braves originally are believed to have sought James Loney from the Dodgers, Casey Kotchman from the Angels, Kevin Youkilis from the Red Sox or Conor Jackson from the Diamondbacks. None of those requests is believed to have been met, but Arizona had a good substitute for Jackson in Tracy. Even so, there's no evidence yet the teams are close to consummating a trade.

Here's a hearty helping of Ken Rosenthal from Fox.com:

Almost immediately after the Braves decided to trade Mark Teixeira on Monday, the Diamondbacks emerged as the apparent front-runner to land the switch-hitting first baseman.

At least two other clubs are in the mix for Teixeira, major-league sources say. But those teams might only be backups for the Braves if their talks with the Diamondbacks about a package built around first baseman Chad Tracy fail to progress.

The Dodgers and Rays are among the clubs that have shown interest in Teixeira, and both have young players who interest the Braves. But the Dodgers, set at first with James Loney for four more years, have little interest in Teixeira, who is a free agent at the end of the season. And the Rays, seeking long-term success, are less motivated than other clubs to acquire a rental player.

The Yankees and Red Sox are on the periphery of the Teixeira discussions, sources say. Boston is aggressively shopping left fielder Manny Ramirez, but a Ramirez-for-Teixeira exchange would make little sense for the Braves, who are essentially conceding their season.

The Angels, meanwhile, are reluctant to trade first baseman Casey Kotchman for Teixeira, and their chances of acquiring a hitter are "remote at best," according to a source with knowledge of the club's plans.

And to finish it all off, here's a taste of confusion from Jack Magruder (his name sounds like he should be a private detective or a district attorney) of the East Valley Tribune (Phoenix paper):

It appears Mark Teixeira and Manny Ramirez will not be Diamondbacks.

The D-Backs have been linked to both sluggers in recent published reports, but a major league source with knowledge of the situation said there is "no way" either will end up with the D-Backs before the July 31 nonwaiver trade deadline.

After the D-Backs inquired about Teixeira earlier this month, Atlanta came back with an offer that the D-Backs dismissed out of hand — Chad Tracy and minor league right-handers Max Scherzer and Jarrod Parker, according to two sources. Atlanta also brought up Conor Jackson.

The sides just don’t match up, the source said.

The only thing that could change the balance is if Atlanta comes way down in its demands, a source said, and would take a starter — Tracy — and a mid-level prospect. Atlanta risks getting nothing for Teixeira, since he will be a free agent after this season.

Tisk, tisk, little Phoenix reporter. The D'Backs will essentially be getting two draft picks along with Teixeira, so trading a young prospect like Parker and/or even a guy like Scherzer is acceptable because of the ability to restock your system next year. Frank Wren knows this and he's using it as part of the deal -- he'll play hardball with this trade, even though some people think it's a lean market. Heck, it was essentially two teams last year for Tex and the Rangers extracted five prospects.

The latest hottest rumor has the Braves inquiring with Arizona and the availability of Conor Jackson. Contrary to that rumor Peter Gammons said tonight on Baseball Tonight that the Diamondbacks are "not going to trade Conor Jackson." That makes sense as Jackson is still the future at first base for the D-Backs, but just as we speculated earlier that Chad Tracy could replace Jackson at first in the event of a trade, Tracy could also be used as incentive in a deal to replace Tex at first for the Braves. Gammons said,

Chad Tracy plus Jarrod Parker, Arizona will think about it and think about it hard... I think the Braves will too.

As a Braves fan (which I am) that deal would be done and done. Jarrod Parker is pretty much a top one or two future starter and if the D-Backs are willing to deal that plus Tracey for two months of Tex then I'm sold -- that's a whole lot more and a whole lot faster than two draft picks. Yes, Chad Tracy is not the glam choice that some would like, but he's a better defender than Conor Jackson and he's a more flexible player and still a guy who could rattle off 25 homers in a year while maintaining good plate discipline. Tracy may not be the future first baseman some fans think we want in return, but remember we only want him to bridge the gap to Tyler Flowers and Freddie Freeman, so a year or two of Chad Tracey fills that void.

We also have to look at the quality of the one singular prospect we could get in return. If we can get a guy like Jarrod Parker, then I'm 100% sold, because the consensus is that he can be a 1 or 2. The comparisons of him are to Tim Lincecum and Scott Kazmir -- 'nuf said.

Buster Olney mentioned that the Indians' willingness to deal Casey Blake could hurt the Teixeira market -- Blake can play first, third, outfield and DH. We will have to watch what happens with him closely.

Six days until the trade deadline and all reports are that we won't see much movement until just before the 4pm eastern deadline on July 31st. Once Brian Fuentes and that first outfielder gets traded (whoever it is); that will set the wheels in motion big time, and teams will be scrambling for the next best thing.......... that's where the Braves can cash in. All indications are that they're laying the appropriate groundwork to be key players at the deadline.

Have I mentioned that I love this time of year? Is it me or is it more exciting that the Braves could be sellers rather than buyers? We've made some great trades the last few years, but I'm ready to reload and get some young talent and watch it grow. (Though, the way this season is going, that sentament could change tomorrow.)