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The latest tidbit from Rumor Central has the Red Sox kicking the tires on Rockies ace Ubaldo Jimenez, whose 5-8 record and 4-plus ERA has been disappointing. As a Red Sox fan, would you like to see the Red Sox go after Jimenez? And what would you be comfortable giving up? Let us know in the comments section.

ANAHEIM -- Mike Lowell is doing his part in trying to prove he could be a useful piece to another club, collecting four hits in a game Saturday night and batting .357 (5 for 14) overall in the first three games of his rehab assignment for Triple-A Pawtucket.

But the two teams that have shown the most interest in Lowell, the Texas Rangers and Detroit Tigers, appear headed in other directions. The Rangers, who had a scout in Pawtucket for Lowell’s first game, are closing in on a deal with the Marlins for right-handed hitting infielder Jorge Cantu, a major-league source said Monday, which would eliminate Lowell from Texas’ list. There are other teams -- the Rockies and Giants -- also bidding for Cantu, the source said, but he asserted that the Marlins are well down the road with Texas, as long as the commissioner’s office signs off on the financials of the deal.

Meanwhile, the Tigers sent two scouts to Pawtucket, including amateur scouting director David Chadd, who used to hold the same position with Boston. But over the weekend, the Tigers lost two key run producers to injuries, Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Guillen, both players winding up on the DL. The Tigers are actively looking for bats, but one big-league source with direct knowledge of the Tigers’ thinking said it’s unlikely Detroit will deal for Lowell.

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- While the Red Sox are on the hunt for relievers, one major league source said Monday that the Sox have indicated some willingness to move either Manny Delcarmen or Ramon Ramirez in the right deal.

That possibility may well be predicated on whether the Sox succeed in lining up additional relief help, although the same source said that the Sox are not prepared to pay the price of at least one quality prospect, and possibly two, that the Toronto Blue Jays are asking in return for lefty Scott Downs.

Another lefty that could pop up on the Sox radar is Nationals left-hander Sean Burnett, whose changeup has not been as good as it was before he underwent Tommy John surgery but he still throws a 91- to 93-mile-an-hour fastball and has put up pretty good numbers for the Nats: a 3.03 ERA in 45 appearances, 32 hits and 12 walks in 32 2/3 IP, with 31 strikeouts. Oddly, his lefty-righty splits are backwards this season: He is holding righties to a .184 average, while lefties are batting .321.

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Yes, the Red Sox have been involved in talks for Phillies outfielder Jayson Werth. But it’s not going to happen, according to a major league source with direct knowledge of those talks.

“You’re chasing a ghost,’’ the source said when asked how deep the Sox were in on Werth, the 31-year-old All-Star outfielder who is eligible for free agency after the season.

Werth is putting up some good numbers, including a league-leading 32 doubles and 13 home runs to go along with a .286 batting average, but has confounded the Phillies with his failure to hit with runners in scoring position -- .165 (14 for 85) with RISP, just .106 (5 for 47) with RISP and two outs.

Still, with the Phillies just 3 1/2 games out of the wild card, they may not move Werth at all, especially if they are unable to close a deal for Astros pitcher Roy Oswalt, who prefers to pitch in St. Louis (which wants him) or Atlanta and has no-trade contract protection.

ANAHEIM -- With just five days left before the trading deadline, the Red Sox's need for help in the bullpen, both in execution and evidently elocution, looks more urgent than ever after back-to-back, late-inning losses in Seattle and another game in which they blew a five-run ninth-inning lead to the Mariners and were forced to win in extra innings.

Hideki Okajima, who played such a vital role in the team’s success when he arrived in 2007 as the “other” Japanese pitcher, has become the weak link in the pen. His performance has raised questions whether the expiration date on his shelf life as a dependable lefty already has passed, and making it highly uncertain that the Sox can remain in the race in the AL East without another left-hander.

While Okajima was blowing the 2-1 lead Daniel Bard had handed to him in the eighth inning, Toronto left-hander Scott Downs, perhaps the most desirable left-handed reliever on the market, struck out two Tigers with the bases loaded in a tie game, and ultimately received credit for the win.

Downs is clearly on Boston’s radar, but the Sox have company, including the Yankees. He is the best of a very shallow pool of lefties that could be available, a list that includes Will Ohman of the Orioles, Craig Breslow of the Athletics, Javier Lopez of the Pirates, and Bruce Chen of the Royals. Breslow, Lopez and Chen have all been this way before. The list of right-handers that potentially could be moved includes Kevin Gregg and Jason Frasor of the Jays, Matt Capps of the Nationals and Kyle Farnsworth of the Royals.

Okajima’s season reached its nadir Sunday, when he gave up five straight singles, including two bunts he personally botched, and then irked members of the media, homegrown and Japanese alike, by refusing to accede to requests that he answer for himself. Okajima from the time he got to Boston, has said he preferred to remain in the “shadows” and has never seemed comfortable with the postgame interview format, one which is not the norm in Japan. These days, he is seldom sought out by English-speaking reporters, who have come to expect little or no cooperation, but given his central role in Sunday’s loss, his vanishing act touched a long-exposed nerve.

There were reports that teammates also were not pleased by his silence, though it is altogether probable that they wouldn’t care if Okajima granted a single interview if he could improve on these numbers: a 5.81 ERA that is third worst among AL lefty relievers with at least 20 innings, an .OPS by opposing batters of .947 that is second worst in the league, and an opponents’ slugging percentage of .537, built on 5 home runs and 14 extra-base hits, that is the highest in the AL.

In his last nine appearances in little over a month (since June 22), Okajima has a 10.57 ERA, allowing 9 earned runs in just 7 2/3 innings. Opponents are batting a staggering .500 (21 for 42) against him in that span. Okajima was shut down for a short period during that time with back stiffness, and perhaps there is a physical issue the club is keeping under wraps, but he has become a problem rather than part of the solution, increasing the pressure on GM Theo Epstein to make a deal.

We’ll keep you updated on trade developments here as we learn of them. The Sox interest in Royals outfielder David DeJesus proved fruitless when DeJesus tore ligaments in his thumb that will sideline him the rest of the season. They continue to be in on some level for Jayson Werth, and could still be looking for catching help, though Victor Martinez’s expected return Monday night eases that need.

Mike Lowell, who is rehabbing with Pawtucket, will be watching the trading deadline with interest, though his chances of landing in Texas appear dimmer amid reports that the Rangers are deep into talks for Jorge Cantu of the Marlins and also are looking at Derrek Lee of the Cubs. The Tigers have also been mentioned as a possible landing place for Lowell, who followed a four-hit performance Saturday by going 0 for 5 Sunday, but with Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Guillen both placed on the DL, the Tigers are expected to aim higher.