Okay, just a roundup of some things...

Sheehan, in his chat (linked in the earlier post), says he thinks Eric Gagne will be the best player dealt between now and the trade deadline.  

Will Carroll says Gerald Laird is available, but the asking price is high, the result, he says, of the Rangers preferring to keep him.

I could see the Rangers going with something like Catalanotto at first base against righthanders next year, Saltalamacchia catching the majority of the time against righthanders, and then having Laird catch against lefties and Saltalamacchia play first base against them.  If you could put Saltalamacchia behind the plate for 90-100 games and at first base for 40, that would seem to allow you to maximize the return you are getting from those guys.

Kevin Goldstein has some love for Michael Main, although he didn't like the Rangers letting him DH.  But Goldstein thinks Main will be ready for full-season ball next year, which would slot him in Clinton.

You know, speaking of that...there could be a really impressive collection of arms in the two full-season A-ball clubs next year, with Main, Brigham, Feliz, and maybe Beavan in Clinton, while Phillips, Poveda, Kiker, and probably Tommy Hunter are in the Bakersfield rotation.

Buster Olney thinks the Yankees are the most likely destination for Gagne, although I'd have to think that the Yanks are going to have to get off of the whole "Alan Horne is untouchable" mindset.  I'd want more than just Horne for Gagne, anyway, and I wouldn't be surprised if Daniels is holding out for Ian Kennedy.  I'm not sure there's a package involving less than Kennedy that the Yanks could offer for Gagne that is that great.

I've been meaning to mention this, but keep forgetting with all the trade talk...but LSB has been nominated by Bugs and Cranks as one of the top baseball communities on the net.  You can vote for LSB (or one of the other nominees, if you'd like) by going here.  Sons of Sam Horn is the runaway leader right now, but maybe we can get LSB a little higher in the standings...

I've seen some suggestions that the Rangers should claim the recently DFA'd Morgan Ensberg.  I don't really see that that makes any sense...Hank Blalock is going to be back at some point in August, so Ensberg isn't going to have anywhere to play (unless you put him at first base, with the assumption that Saltalamacchia is catching regularly).  

But even then, he's got a .256 EQA this season, his performance last year was the result of an unsustainably high walk rate, and his shoulder is supposedly shot, resulting in his power being way down.  And even if you think you could do something with him, he's arb-eligible after this season and can't be offered less than a 20% paycut, so you'd have to bring him back at more than $4 million, or else non-tender him and let him become a free agent.

I just don't see the point of that.