The Rangers had to clear two roster spots to make room for Brandon Webb and Arthur Rhodes on the 40 man roster, and to clear those spots, Texas has opted to designate Max Ramirez and Clay Rapada for assignment.
Both guys were on high on the likely suspect list, and the Rangers now have 10 days to trade, waive or release each player. Given that Boston and other teams have had interest in Ramirez in the past, I wouldn't be surprised if a team grabs him on waivers and at least takes a look at his this spring, with the possibility of running him through waivers again before the season starts if he doesn't make that team's Opening Day roster.
If Ramirez were to clear waivers, he could be outrighted to the minors.
My guess is that the Rangers trade him for a Mark Hamburger/Michael Hernandez type in the next week or so.
As for Rapada, he's a sidearming lefty in an organization with a lot of lefty arms. As he's been outrighted before, he can become a free agent if he clears waivers. I suspect he'll clear and then start talking to other clubs about a minor league deal.