TORONTO - Time is ticking on Jermain Defoe and there are a l

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TORONTO - Time is ticking on Jermain Defoe and there are a lot of moving parts for Toronto FC. Willie McCovey Jersey .While reports focus on Torontos price tag for the England striker, The Canadian Press has learned that a Defoe sale is part of a series of complicated moves designed to strengthen the MLS club on a number of fronts.Toronto has several legitimate offers on the table for Defoe. But rather than a strict sale, it is currently looking at a cash and swap deal that will bring a viable striker in return and start a domino effect elsewhere on the roster.U.S. international striker Jozy Altidore, currently with Sunderland, is high on the TFC shopping list.The club will then use the cash to help pay for a creative, attacking midfielder with Toronto identifying two possible marquee targets, both of whom would not be available until July 1. That wish list for a No. 10 includes a highly touted impactful player in his 20s currently plying his trade in Europe.Essentially Toronto is working on a string on deals — coming to terms with MLS headquarters, Defoe and the team buying Defoe, the targeted attacking midfielder and his club, and two other players.Toronto also has its sights set on Real Betis defender Damien Perquis, a 30-year-old French-born Poland international. Reports in Italy have also suggested an interest in 27-year-old Juventus forward Sebastian Giovinco.While the transfer window for English clubs does not close until the end of the month, Toronto is working on a tighter internal deadline. Defoe is due to report back next Saturday and the team does not need a repeat of the drama that surrounded the striker at the end of the summer transfer window.The team is exploring other trade options with the league and has bargaining chips with five of the first 37 picks, including Nos. 6, 9 and 11, at next weeks MLS SuperDraft in Philadelphia. Whatever happens, the club should emerge with some young, inexpensive talent from the draft.Star midfielder Michael Bradley, like Defoe a designated player, is being kept up to date on all the moves and is involved in the decision-making.Should Toronto achieve all its goals, it will need a DP slot come July 1, since the replacement striker and attacking midfielder would bring TFCs DPs to four.Brazilian striker Gilberto is currently Torontos third and last DP. There is the hope that the league might institute some kind of hybrid fourth DP slot which would solve Torontos numbers problems. If not, something would have to give with the Brazilian in the crosshairs.While it has its eyes set on a new set of stars, Toronto appears to be taking a more holistic approach to the roster heading into the 2015 season. In the leadup to the 2014 campaign, Toronto made a loud splash with Defoe, Bradley and Gilberto but failed to address holes and lack of depth elsewhere in the squad.The 32-year-old Defoe is currently on a one-week training stint with Tottenham as he continues his rehab from a groin injury.Defoe started 2014 with a bang and proved, that when healthy, he can score in MLS — with 11 goals in 19 appearances. But injuries forced him to the sidelines the second half of the season and the club finished out of the playoffs for the eighth straight year with an 11-15-8 record.While more than a few Premier League managers have publicly mulled over Defoe and Torontos price tag, the MLS club has insisted that it will only move him for a fair price.Nevertheless, an English newspaper has reported that Toronto has reduced the price tag on Defoe. The tabloid Daily Mirror says Toronto has slashed its asking price from six million pounds (C$10.8 million) to three million ($5.4 million).That goes against GM Tim Bezbatchenkos recent declaration that good strikers are hard to find and come with a market price in the January transfer window.January is traditionally a sellers market. Reliable, experienced strikers are hard to find and, while expensive, their price tag pales in comparison to the money a team can lose by falling out of the Premier League.Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter Will Clark Jersey . - A late-game interception by defensive back Malcolm Butler saved the Super Bowl for the New England Patriots. Jeff Samardzija Jersey . George Hill had 13 points and seven rebounds for the Pacers, who stayed atop the overall NBA standings despite losing twice on their West Coast trip. Los Angeles kept it close into the second half before the Pacers finished an easy win over the injury-riddled Lakers, who have lost five straight. http://www.sfgiantsapparelsshop.com/denard-span-jersey-c-32/ . Winners of two straight, the Flames will try to become the first team in 25 years to go three consecutive games without taking a penalty Saturday night in San Jose. CHICAGO -- Starlin Castro is working hard to overcome the perception that he doesnt care. After making an error that led to three unearned runs in the first inning, the Chicago Cubs shortstop was determined to atone for the mistake. "I just wanted to try and pick up my teammates," Castro said. "Its my fault that I made an error." Castro went 3 for 4 with three RBIs to offset his miscue and help the Cubs outlast the New York Mets for a 5-4 win in a mistake-filled game that featured a combined 13 pitchers and 15 walks. "Starlin had a couple of nice at-bats making up," Chicago manager Rick Renteria said. "He was really upset that he wasnt able to make the play. He thought he should have made the play." Anthony Rizzo went 1 for 2 with two walks and two runs scored for the Cubs. Lucas Duda had a two-run double to lead a Mets offence that again failed to get the clutch hit. New York loaded the bases in the fifth and sixth innings without scoring. The Mets have dropped two straight after winning three in a row and are 8-18 in one-run games. Cubs starter Edwin Jackson (4-5) was victimized by his defence and his own lack of command, but managed to get through five innings, giving up five hits and five walks. Just one of the four runs he surrendered was earned. Hector Rondon pitched the ninth for his seventh save in eight chances. Mets starter Daisuke Matsuzaka didnt make it through the fifth, allowing four runs on four hits and five walks in 4 1-3 innings. Reliever Dana Eveland (0-1) gave up a run in 2-3 of an inning to take the loss. "We got off to a good start," New York manager Terry Collins said. "We just havent been able to add on. Weve had opportunities to put games away. We had the bases loaded several times and were getting guys on so its not like were not getting on base. Were just not hitting with guys on base, which has been the tune thus far the way we started the season." The Mets scorred three unearned runs in the first inning thanks to Castros error. Matt Moore Jersey. With two on and two out, Bobby Abreu hit a sharp grounder up the middle. Castro was playing behind second base in the shift, but booted the ball to allow a run to score. Duda then compounded the Cubs woes by doubling to left field to drive in two runs for a 3-0 lead. The Cubs answered in the bottom of the inning with a pair of runs. Castro plated the first with a run-scoring single and the next batter, Nate Schierholtz, drove in the other with a groundout to first. The Mets stretched the lead to 4-2 in the fourth when Ruben Tejada drilled a 2-0 pitch from Jackson six rows into the left-field bleachers. The solo shot was Tejadas second home run in less than a week. He homered Saturday in Philadelphia to snap a streak of 552 homerless at-bats, the longest active streak in the major leagues at the time. The Mets had a chance to tack on runs in the fifth after loading the bases with two out, but Anthony Recker popped out to first base to end the threat. Jackson threw 110 pitches and was happy that he was allowed to finish the fifth. "When the coaches have an opportunity to come pull you out and the bullpen is ready and they leave you out there," he said, "you feel like you kind of owe it to them -- whatever the situation -- to get through it." The Cubs then pushed across three runs in the bottom of the inning for a 5-4 lead. Fittingly, the winning run scored on a wild pitch from reliever Jeurys Familia. The Cubs bullpen then made it hold up as six relievers combined to keep the Mets scoreless in the final four innings. NOTES: After the game, the Mets designated RHP Buddy Carlyle for assignment. OF Andrew Brown arrived in Chicago on Wednesday and will be activated on Thursday. . Renteria was ejected in the third inning by home plate umpire Todd Tichenor for arguing balls and strikes from the dugout. It was Renterias fourth ejection of the season. 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