A couple of things

The biggest holdup in the Gagne deal, other than working out his negotiated rights to refuse a deal to Boston, was 17-year-old outfielder Engel Beltre. When Epstein went to bed at 2 a.m. Tuesday morning, he had refused to include Beltre in the trade, so on Tuesday morning, the Rangers still were down to the Brewers -- who were on Gagne's list of teams to which he could be traded -- and the Red Sox. But Epstein decided a 17-year-old kid a half-dozen years from the big leagues probably was worth including for a shot to win the World Series.

"When Theo called and said he would put Beltre in the deal, it was down to the no-trade language and the paperwork," Daniels said. That paperwork was so complicated that it almost was not completed by the 4 p.m. deadline.

Red Sox and Braves officials were very impressed by the way Daniels made these trades. It had been speculated that he would be trading to save his job. Instead, in Beltre, shortstop Elvis Andrus and right-handed pitcher Neftali Feliz, he got three young players with huge ceilings who might not be in the big leagues for five years. One GM said, "He got three teenagers who, if they went into the draft, would all go in the first 10-15 picks." Another compared Feliz to Mariano Rivera, and the majority of executives believe Saltalamacchia will be a top five catcher a year from now because of his power and his arm. Oh yes, and Gabbard was the best starting pitcher to be traded.