The Trade Wire

[Atlanta Braves GM]

Darren Dreifort, recently acquired by the Pittsburgh Pirates, was reportedly released on Monday, August 22nd. The reasons behind the releasing were simple. The Pirates simply didn't want to pay the $13,000,000, and are hoping that another team will pick up Dreifort's large contract.



Another player to be released on Monday was Florida Marlins 2B Damion Easley. The veteran 2B, who will make $500,000 this season from the Marlins unless signed by another team for that much or more, was released because, simply put, the Marlins no longer had any interest in the 2B.



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Mike Piazza will return to the Mets. The Mets gave up Rod Barajas, SP Yusmeiro Petit and Tyler Yates to the Rangers in return for the slugger.

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Hayden Penn is on the move again, this time to Pittsburgh. Penn, along with Luis Terrero and Daylan Childress of the Twins were sent to Pittsburgh in return for 1B Daryle Ward and OF Milton Bradley.

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Division rivals Washington and New York reportedly came to an agreement on Sunday. The Mets will send SP Tom Glavine, former Athletic Joe Blanton, and veteran 1B Jose Offerman to the Nationals in return for Ryan Drese and Tony Armas Jr.

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The Nationals made their second move on Sunday, and this one was quite a big one. The Nats acquired Paul Byrd, Garret Anderson and Esteban Yan from the Angels in return for Esteban Loazia and talented yet problematic Jose Guillen.

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Hayden Penn, talented SP prospect, is another player who has seen quite a few teams this offseason. Baltimore, Atlanta, Arizona, and now, Minnesota. The Twins landed Penn, along with JD Durbin in return for Sean Burnett.

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The Toronto Blue Jays and New York Mets reached a deal on Saturday, with the Blue Jays sending talented SP Gustavo Chacin, 1B Eric Hinske and backup OF Reed Johnson to the Mets for 3 recently acquired Mets in Jung Bong, 1B Hee Seop Choi and OF Shannon Stewart Stewart.

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The Dodgers and Mets reached a deal on Saturday, with the Mets acquiring young 1B in Hee Seop Choi in exchanged for Scott Hatteberg and AAA OF Eric Valent.

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A few players will be returning back to their original teams following the colossal 17-player trade. The Red Sox will ship Adrian Gonzalez back to the Rangers, along with RP Ben Weber in order to bolster their RP by re-acquiring Mike Timlin and Mike Myers, 2 relievers who played for the club when they won the World Series last season.

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Talented SS prospect Sergio Santos and former-Marlins starter Jason Vargas, now of the Diamondbacks, were traded to the Blue Jays in exchange for SP Chad Gaudin, who will take the 5th spot in the D-Backs rotation. Blue Jays GM Ricardi feels the deal will help them as Gaudin really had no future in the Jays organization.

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The Texas Rangers shipped off recently acquired and highly touted Canadian CF Adam Stern to Arizona in exchange for 1B/OF prospect Conor Jackson.

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The Cincinatti Reds seem poised to make the playoffs this season, and their recent transaction continues to point in this direction. Curt Schilling, a pioneer in Boston after his 2004 campaign, was sent to Cincinatti, along with highly touted SS Hanley Ramirez and powerful OF Trot Nixon. In exchanged for there franchise players, the Red Sox acquired former Brave John Smoltz, Ben Weber, D'Angelo Jimenez and Guillermo Mota.

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Kyle Lohse feels like he has been around the league this offseason since the implementation of the salary cap, but all roads led to home in the end. The Twins re-acquired Lohse from Boston in exchange for Juan Rincon and Mark Corey.

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Josh Fogg of the Pittsburgh Pirates took quite a bit to land, but in the end, Fogg will be donning a Dodgers uniform come this season. The Dodgers sent Jose Valentin, Darren Dreifort, and Mike Venafro in order to land the starter, who will most likely be one of the top 3 starters for the Dodgers.

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Brad Penny, Yhency Brazoban, Jayson Werth and Milton Bradley of the Los Angeles Dodgers were reportedly shipped to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday. In exchange for those players, the Pirates send former Tiger Jason Johnson, SP prospect Brian Bullington, all-star OF Torii Hunter, and 3B prospect TyWiggington. LA's top 3 starters from last season are no more in just 2 trades...

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Manny Ramirez was once again traded this off season. Ramirez, the talented franchise RF, was shipped from Cincinatti to Los Angeles, along with Kaz Ishii and Jeriome Robertson for SP Derek Lowe and SP Jeff Weaver.

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In a deal rumoured as the Chicago Swap, Tadahito Iguchi and Joe Crede were sent cross-town to the Cubs for Nomar Garciaparra and Todd Walker. The White Sox may be giving up too much in Iguchi just for Garciaparra, but only time will tell.

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Steve Kline, who had apparently gotten in a fight with Baltimore Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo, was promply shipped to Seattle for the relief services of Shigetoshi Hasegawa.

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The Baltimoe Orioles continued crafting their team on Thursday, this time adding Mike Lowell to replace Melvin Mora's gaping hole at 3B. The Orioles, who also got Brad Halsey, payed a heavy price by sending Daniel Cabrera and Bill Mueller, but it was one the O's were willing to pay.

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Jason Giambi is on the move once again, this time, back to New York. This time, he will be playing for the Mets. The Mets paid a hefty sum for the All-Star slugger, giving up reliever Braden Looper, CF prosepct Lastings Milledge, 1B/3B Chad Tracy, and reliever prospect Royce Ring.

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Well, the Red Sox Get LF Kevin Mench, 1B Adrian Gonzalez, CL Joe Nathan, RP James Baldwin, SP RA Dickey, RP Erasmo Ramirez, SP Joaquin Benoit, SP Kyle Lohse, and UTIL Mark DeRosa while the Rangers Get RP Keith Foulke, RP Mike Timlin, OF Adam Stern, SP Wade Miller, RP Matt Mantei, RP Mike Myers, 2B Tony Graffinino, and OF Adam Hyzdu. Phew and WTH!

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The Diamondbacks boldly stated that the man with coolest hair-do in the MLB, Royce Clayton, had to go. And to what better of a team than the New York Mets. The Mets shipped off starter Aaron Heilman in return for Clayton, who is expected to play behind Bobby Crosby.

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Mike Piazza, long a centerpiece in the Mets offense and a fan favorite joins the list of other fan favorites to be shipped this season after the implementation of a $89 M salary cap. Piazza, who makes $15M this year alone, was shipped to the Rangers in return for C Rod Barajas, OF Brian Jordan, and IF Gregg Colbrunn.

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Hank Blalock, or Mookie, as John Schuerholz likes to call him, was traded today, and most reports indicated he would be, to the Atlanta Braves. The Braves paid the price, however, shipping of one of the best prospects in the OF in Jeff Francoeur and a solid reliever in Macay McBride. The Braves may win this year, yet something tells me Francouer will pay dividends for the Rangers.

[Atlanta Braves GM]

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Chipper Jones and Kyle Lohse have bounced around several times this season, and their trip to Arizona was just another stop in the constant struggle to find a home. The D-Backs shipped off the two for Luis Castillo, another player being tossed around, OF Jason Botts, and 3B Kevin Youkilis.

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Not too sure what to make of this trade yet. The Twins ship off former Pirate Jack Wilson, Willie Eyre, Scott Spiezio, and Francisco Liriano for Craig Wilson, Brian Reith, Mark Corey, former Twin Nick Punto, and Cesar Crespo.

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Mark Redman will bring his veteran talent to a young pitching squad this season, as reports have indicated he will be traded. Redman, joined be SP prospect Van Benschoten was shipped to Detroit earlier today in return for starter Jason Johnson, Tony Giarratano, and OF Brad Barnes.

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One of the few 1-1 trades, Juan Uribe of the White Sox was traded for Orlando Cabrera of the Angles. The Angels get a younger and more talented SS while the Sox add a veteran SS to their squad.

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Shawn Green was always a priority to get rid of for the D-Backs, and Wednesday sure saw that happen. Green was shipped to Chicago straight up for Matt Lawton.

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Finally, in an attempt to add some starting pitching, the Reds acquired John Thomson, and Kaz Ishii from the New York Mets. In return, the Reds give up Jung Bong, and recently acquired Shannon Stewart, but was this too much to pay for the two?

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Certainly an interesting move considering the Reds predicament, the reds shipped off their most respectable, young SP in Aarong Harang to the Nationals for Brad Wilkerson. Yes, the Reds add another key OF, but really, who pitches for the Reds now?

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Ken Griffey Jr. discussed the possibility of being traded, and said he would welcome a trade to a contending team. And shortly after acquiring Manny Ramirez and his $22 million contract, Griffey seemed next in line to be cut by the Reds GM, possessed to make as many trades in the shortest possible time on Tuesday night it seemed. Griffey Jr., along with AAA 2B Willie Bergolla, was sent to Arizona in return for Cliff Floyd and Shannon Stewart. Judging by the trade, Stewart will most likely be sent elsewhere we hope in return for some pitching, but hey, this is the Cincinatti Reds....

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Most people have to be thinking what the Marlins GM was doing on Wednesday night. Shortly after acquiring Manny Ramirez, the Marlins decided to ship him off. Along with Manny went closer Guillermo Mota. In return for the two, the Marlins acquired, from the Cincinatti Reds, OF Willy Mo Pena, 3B Prospect Edwin Encarnacion, and again reliever Dave Weathers. Manny, now at $22M, will join Griffey in a talent OF core.

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Shortly after shipping off Smoltz to the Reds and acquiring Austin Kearns, the Braves felt the Jason Lane was no longer part of the equation. The Braves shipped Lane, along with top pitching prospect Hayden Penn to the Diamondbacks in return for Sidney Ponson and Jose Valverde, whom they see as a set-up man.

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Manny Ramirez was finally traded on Wednesday, and both he and the Red Sox GM were quite happy with it. The Red Sox acquire a top OF in Miguel Cabrera in return for Manny, and the Marlins land Manny's fat $20M contract, or sorry, $21M contract due to Manny's $1M a trade contract incentive.

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The Reds made their first move Wednesday night, acquiring one of the best pitchers in the game. John Smoltz, whom the Braves GM was hesitant on trading, was shipped to Cincinatti, along with recently acquired utility Keith Ginter for OF Austin Kearns and Paul Wilson, who will most likely either find himself traded or in a LRP situation for the Braves.

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A pair of veterans were traded on Wednesday, this time between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers acquire a solid veteran closer in Jose Mesa, while the Pirates add a solid leader in the infield in Fernando Vina.

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Brad Halsey and recently acquired former Yankee Chien-Ming Wang was traded on Wednesday by the Diamondbacks to the Florida Marlins. The Marlins give up SP Chris Young and Jason Vargas in the exchanged.

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Another colossal deal since the implementation of a salary cap, the Florida Marlins seem intent on shipping away most of their pitching. The Oakland Athletics acquired SP A.J. Burnett, 1B Carlos Delgado, speedy OF Juan Pierre, and top 100 C prospect Josh Willingham in return for all-star Eric Chavez, 1B Erubiel Durazo, recently acquired Kris Benson, and OF Mark Kotsay. There was a lot of fuss surrounding this deal, but the commissioner felt the trade was not worthy of all the attention.

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In a smaller deal, the Minnesota Twins and Arizona Diamondbacks swapped some players. The Twins acquire OF help in Luis Terrero, while the D-Backs acquire top 100 pitching prospect JD Durbin.

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Texas Rangers GM John Hart made his best move late Tuesday night with the newly added Florida Marlins. The Rangers continued to add to their increasingly respectable pitching staff, this time adding the servies of Josh Beckett. The Rangers also acquired 2B Luis Castillo from the Marlines, in return for SP Chris Young, young SS Jose Reyes (acquired from the Mets for Matthews Jr.), and two relievers in Frank Francisco and Carlos Almanzar.

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Perhaps the most controversial deal the league will see, the Mets and Athletics worked around 3 deals on Tuesday before finally agreeing. The Athletics acquire Ace Pedro Martinez and young, talented, and cheap 3B David Wright, along with SP Kris Benson, in return for SP Rich Harden, SS Bobby Crosby, 1B Scott Hatteberg, and SP Joe Blanton. Pedro and Zito willl give the A's a powerful 1-2 punch, and knowing Beane, that's not enough, expect something very soon involving Chavez.

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The Baltimore Orioles are sure doing as much as they can to add starting pitching, and Tuesday's Orioles deal was similiar to their others. The Orioles acquire the Big Unit Randy Johnson from the Yankees after agreeing to take on his contract. In return, the Yankees acquire some bullpen help in Rick Bauer and Jorge Julio.

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The Yankees made their most interesting move just after shipping Chipper on Tuesday morning. To fill the hole at SS, the Yankees traded to Pittsburgh for Alex Cintron and Ryan Doumit. For the two players, the Yankees gave up all-star catcher Jorge Posada AND pitching prospect Sean Henn, along with Melky Cabrera, the OF prospect. I guess SS is filled, but what about C?

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The New York Yankees made another big move on Tuesday morning, this time shipping newly acquired All Star 3B Chipper Jones and his $15M contract, along with pitching prospect Chien-Ming Wang to Arizona. In return, the Yankees acquire Troy Glaus and Shawn Estes.

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Late Monday night/Saturday morning, the Seattle Mariners and New York Mets struck deal. Godzilla's cries will no longer be heard thundering through New York City, as Hideki Matsui finds himself a new home. Matsui was traded by the Mets, along with 1B Doug Mientkiewicz and pitching prospect Philip Humber to the Mariners in return for 1B Richie Sexson...I know it would seem like there should be more, but nope, that's it.

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This year may just end up being a tale of two cities, as the New York Yankees acquired Carlos Beltran from their Same city brethren. The Yankees also got Gary Matthews Jr. in the deal, which sent SP Al Leiter and OF Hideki Matsui to don Met's uniforms come opening day.

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Perhaps the biggest trade the league will ever see, the Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees reached a deal of epic proportions. Having just shipped starting 1B Adam LaRoche, the Braves acquired Jason Giambi from the Yankees. Along with Giambi, the Braves get SS Derek Jeter and SP Shawn Chacon. In exchange, the Yankees acquire 3B Chipper Jones and 2B Marcus Giles, along with Atlanta reliever Chris Reitsma.

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In an effort to shore up their starting pitching, the Braves sent two former Mets, back to the Mets organization. John Thomson and Esix Snead, who both played for the Mets during their careers, will find their way back to Shea Stadium. In return, the Braves acquired SP Victor Zambrano.

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The Braves and Astros had been trying to reach a deal for a long time, and Monday finally brought about that day. The Astros acquire 1B Adam LaRoche and RP Jay Powell from the Braves, in return for OF Jason Lane and SP prospect Ezequiel Astacio.

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In a smaller deal, the Braves added SP Claudio Vargas from the Diamondbacks in exhange for RP Jorge Vasquez.

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Alex Rodriguez was traded in the first move the Yankee's made since re-joining the league. A-Rod was shipped to Minnesota, along with half of the MLB it seems these days. Along with A-Rod went Jaret Wright, the Yankees failed experiment. In return, the Yankee's acquired SP Brad Radke and OF Jacque Jones, plus $17,000,000 off of their total salary in their attempt to make the leagues salary cap.

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Minnesota and Pittsburgh hooked up again, this time to a much greater magnitude. Torii Hunter will be wearing a Pirates uniform come opening day, and Ryan Franklin won't even get to don his Twins uniform, but rather, a Pirates uni. The Twins, in return for Hunter and Franklin, acquire OF Tike Redman and SP Sean Burnett.

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The Diamondbacks continued in their frenzy of moves, this time acquired Kip Wells from the Pirates in exchange for SS Alex Cintron and RP Casey Daigle.

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While not the most significant of all trades, the Seattle Mariners and Minnesota Twins once again agreed on terms, with the Mariners sending 3B Scott Spiezio to the Twins for SS Juan Castro.

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The Oakand Athletics made their second move of the trade season, shipping off Jason Kendall and his large contract to Arizona in exchange for C Robby Hammock and RP Greg Aquino. The Diamondbacks have been rather busy recently in their attempts to bring their team back to the show.

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The Twins made another big move in their mind, shipping off Joe Mays and talented RP J.C. Romero for SP Ryan Franklin, formerly of the Seattle Mariners.

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The Pittsburgh Pirates, after just joining the league, made their first splash in the trade market, shipping off SS Jack Wilson in return for 2B Nick Punto and C Mike Redmond. Now why exactly...no one knows.

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Cliff Floyd will no longer be playing his home games at Shea Stadium, reports confirm. The slugger has reportedly been sent to Arizona to make his new home at Bank One. In exchange for Floyd and 1B Brain Daubach, the Mets receive OF Luis Gonzalez and 1B Chad Tracy from the Diamondbacks.

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Former New York Mets SS Jose Reyes is packing up his bag's on Saturday and moving to Texas in exchange for OF Gary Matthews Jr.

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Kenny Rogers is on the move to Boston, reports have confirmed, but how long he will stay there is the big question considering the Red Sox GM's track record. Rogers will join the Sox starting rotation, as the Red Sox shipped off newly acquired Russ Ortiz (who remember, was traded for newly acquired Sidney Ponson) and 3B Kevin Youkilis.

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The Minnesota Twins GM made it clear he wanted to get rid of Shannon Stewart, and on Saturday, his wish was finally granted. The Twins unloaded Shannon Stewart on the Diamondbacks, in exchange for SP Javier Vazquez and RP Oscar Villareal. The Twins also traded SP Kyle Lohse in the deal.

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In a swap of starting pitchers, newly acquired Red Sox Sidney Ponson was traded to the Diamondbacks in exchange for Russ Ortiz. The move is a part of the continuing trend by the Red Sox to lower their cap with the recent addition of the Salary Cap by the commissioner.

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The Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox, division rivals in the AL East, came to an agreement on Saturday, with the O's sending SP Sidney Ponson and 3B Melvin Mora to the Red Sox in return for SP Matt Clement and 3B Bill Mueller. Only time will tell who got the better end of this deal.

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In another exchange between division foes, the Seattle Mariners and Anahiem Angels reached a deal sending 3B Adrian Beltre to the Angels, along with SS Willie Bloomquist and C Miguel Ojeda, in return for SS Chone Figgins, C Jose Molina, and two prospects, 3B Dallas McPherson and C Jeff Mathis. On initial glance, the Angels got the better of this one, but their trades put them over the cap and put the Mariners under with a couple of solid prospects.

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The Atlanta Braves shipped off veteran started Mike Hampton to the Baltimore Orioles in return for former Brave Eli Marrero and pitching prospect Hayden Penn. Also being sent to the Orioles was SP Sam McConnell. The Braves were happy to unload Hampton's contract on the Orioles, the contract paying $121 Million over 8 years. The Orioles feel confident that this will help them in their World Series pursuit.

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The Twins and Rangers came to an agreement on Friday, exchanging relievers Joe Nathan and Francisco Cordero, and catchers Matt LeCroy and Gerald Laird.

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The Braves and Athletics talked for several days before finally coming to a deal. The Braves send Rafael Furcal, Ryan Langerhans, and Pete Orr to the A's for Jay Payton, Marco Scutaro, and Keith Ginter.

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It became clear on Friday that Alfonso Soriano was going to be traded, whether it be to Oakland, Anahiem, or finally, to Atlanta. The Braves send Kelly Johnson and Brian Jordan to Texas, along with pitching prospect Kyle Davies, in return for the slugger Soriano and shortstop prospect Joaquin Arias.

[Atlanta Braves GM]

Updated through Monday.