ESPN

ESPN.com's Jim Bowden looks at some early trade targets for teams and notes that Justin Morneau could be a possibility for several teams, including Texas.

Part of Bowden's thoughts:

It was confirmed Tuesday that Morneau has no structural damage in his surgically repaired wrist, so Morneau will be of interest to several teams, including the Rangers, Dodgers and Marlins. He fits best with the Rangers, as their current left-handed hitting first baseman Mitch Moreland has looked terrible. And assuming he is completely healthy, Morneau could act as considerable insurance in case Josh Hamilton chooses to leave as a free agent after this season.

My take:

Certainly first base is a spot where the Rangers could look to upgrade. But they don't have to do anything because they can rotate Mike Napoli and Michael Young at that spot with Mitch Moreland. Morneau has some value, but he's also making $14 million this year and next year. That's a pretty hefty financial commitment. A healthy Morneau could give some team a nice punch down the stretch, if he can start to hit more like he did a few years ago.

Bowden has some other thoughts, but you'll have to read those here (insider).

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The Texas Rangers traded outfielder Kyle Hudson to Tampa Bay on Saturday for future considerations.

Hudson was in camp with the club, but with Leonys Martin starting at Triple-A Round Rock and the possibility of Julio Borbon starting in the minors as well, there didn't appear to be room for him.

Hudson, 25, hit .296 with 41 stolen bases and 23 RBIs in 119 games with the Baltimore Orioles' High-A, Double-A and Triple-A squads in 2011. He was promoted to the big leagues when rosters expanded in September and was 4-for-28 with two RBIs and two stolen bases in 14 games (started seven in right and one in center).

Texas Rangers reliever Koji Uehara refused a trade to the Toronto Blue Jays, according to a source. Uehara has a limited no-trade clause that includes six teams and Toronto is one of those.

Reports in Japan earlier Tuesday first noted Uehara had refused a trade to the Blue Jays. The Rangers continue to talk to other teams about Uehara, who is slated to make $4 million this season.

A report in Japan said Uehara didn't want to move his family from Baltimore to Toronto.

Uehara struggled with the Rangers after the club obtained him at the trade deadline last year. He was 1-2 with a 4.00 ERA in 18 innings (22 games) and then wasn’t able to get it done in the playoffs. After allowing five earned runs in 1 1/3 postseason innings in the ALDS and ALCS, Uehara was left off the World Series roster.

The Rangers made a trade on Thursday, acquiring right-handed pitcher Greg Reynolds for infielder Chad Tracy. Reynolds was assigned to Triple-A Round Rock. Tracy is the son of current Rockies manager Jim Tracy.

The 26-year-old was taken second overall by the Rockies in the 2006 draft and had five separate stints in the majors last season. He was 3-0 with a 6.19 ERA (22 earned runs in 32 innings) in 13 games (three starts) for the Rockies. He spent the majority of the season with Triple-A Colorado Springs and was 6-7 with a 6.81 ERA in 19 games (all starts). He was outrighted off Colorado's 40-man roster on Oct. 5.

Tracy, also 26, spent all of 2011 in Triple-A Round Rock. He hit .259 with 26 homers and 109 RBIs and his RBI total was a new single-season record for Round Rock. He was a third-round selection in 2006 and a non-roster invitee to spring training the last two seasons.

The Rangers on Wednesday acquired catcher Luis Martinez from the Padres for right-hander Ryan Kelly.

Martinez, who was added to the Rangers' 40-man roster, appeared in 22 games for San Diego last season, batting .203 with 10 RBIs. His only home run was also his first hit in the majors, coming on July 27 against Arizona. The 26-year-old started 16 games and did not commit an error in 129 chances behind the plate.

The Padres' 2007 12th-round pick spent the majority of 2011 in Triple-A Tucson, hitting .323 with a homer and 28 RBIs in 58 games.

Kelly was 3-6 with a 3.95 ERA and nine saves in 40 appearances for Class-A Myrtle Beach last season. He was acquired from Oakland for right-hander Guillermo Moscoso last January.

BOSTON -- Mike Gonzalez was glad just to get on the mound and make an appearance on Friday in front of his new teammates.

"I've been traded before and it usually takes more time to adjust than it has here," Gonzalez said. "This is a great group of guys. They welcomed me in right away."

Gonzalez is here because the Rangers wanted a left-handed specialist in the back end of the bullpen. Gonzalez is holding lefties to a .209 average. And though he came in during a Rangers' blowout win on Friday, he got a look at one of those lefties he could face in a critical, in-game situation in the playoffs. Gonzalez got Jacoby Ellsbury to ground out to Ian Kinsler to end the game.

"I'm just going to keep doing what I've been doing against lefties," Gonzalez said.

That is throwing his slider and fastball (rarely his curve or change) and sticking with his funky delivery. Gonzalez works on the third base side of the rubber and falls off sharply to third base after throwing his pitches.

"It's quirky, but it works for him," Washington said.

Gonzalez could prove to be a criticial August addition in those tight situations down the stretch and in the postseason.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Rangers weren’t looking to add just any left-handed reliever when they traded for Baltimore‘s Mike Gonzalez, Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said.

“We were looking for a guy that could get lefties and righties,’’ Daniels said. “He’s locked in right now.

"When he's on, he's very good.''

Daniels made the Gonzalez trade for a player to be named later on a busy Wednesday afternoon, the last day to acquire players eligible for post-season.

Rangers manager Ron Washington welcomes another left-handed reliever.

“I remember him more from when he was closing for Atlanta,’’ Washington said. “I didn’t see that much of him with Baltimore. I thought he had good stuff.

“Hopefully, he can get lefties out.’’

The Rangers in a cash deal also reacquired catcher Matt Treanor, who played an important role in Texas’ push to the American League title last season.

“I’m happy to have Matt back,’’ Washington said. “He brings experience and he brings energy. He does a great job.’’

Washington said he would wait to determine what role Treanor would play.

Daniels said the team planned on adding a third catcher in September.

“He knows a lot of our guys on the pitching staff and he’s familiar with the American League,’’ the GM said. “He’s such a good fit for us.’’

Rangers outfielder David Murphy said being around Treanor makes the game more fun.

“We’ve got two great catchers and I don’t know how much Matt will play, but on the bench he’s always talking. He’s got all these sayings in the dugout that keep everybody loose.''

“Just the fact that he has post-season experience is big,’’ Murphy said.

Treanor isn't expected to arrive until Thursday. Gonzalez is catching a late flight today but isn't expected to arrive in time for tonight's game against Tampa Bay.

Daniels said in a mid-afternoon press conference he didn't expect any more moves, but wasn't ruling anything out.

Let's look ahead to possible October matchups for the Rangers. LHP Mike Gonzalez gives them a situational lefty that can come in and face the top left-handed hitters for the Yankees, Red Sox and Tigers. And all three teams have some good hitters that manager Ron Washington might want to utilize Gonzalez against.

Here are Gonzalez's numbers against some of those lefties in his career:

Curtis Granderson, NYY: 0-for-1
Robinson Cano, NYY: 3-for-6, 2 RBIs
Jacoby Ellsbury, Bos: 0-for-4, 1 BB, 2 Ks
David Ortiz, Bos: 1-for-6, 1 BB, 3 Ks
Adrian Gonzalez, Bos: 1-for-5, 2 Ks
Alex Avila, Det: 1-for-3, 1 RBI

He's never faced Brennan Boesch of Detroit.

One more scouting report on him:

He's got a sharp slider that is tough on lefties and his delivery is deceptive. It doesn't hurt that he's got some power.

Last year, the Rangers made a key deal just before the Aug. 31 deadline, obtaining Jeff Francoeur from the New York Mets. Francoeur hit well down the stretch and provided a nice clubhouse boost, too. He was a right-handed hitting outfielder brought in to face lefties.

This year, Rangers GM Jon Daniels and his staff have added two players at the Aug. 31 deadline, both designed to help the club down the stretch and possibly into the postseason. Matt Treanor gives the club a third catcher and an insurance piece should something happen to Yorvit Torrealba or Mike Napoli down the stretch. He also allows manager Ron Washington the peace of mind of playing Torrealba or Napoli at DH while the other is catching and not worry about losing the DH spot during a game. And don't count out Treanor's importance in the clubhouse. He fit in very well there last year and won't have any issues doing so again now.

Treanor also was basically C.J. Wilson's personal catcher in 2010 and it won't take him long to get up to speed on the club's current rotation, a key with so little time left in the season.

LHP Mike Gonzalez could be big for this bullpen. Darren Oliver was the club's only lefty in the pen, limiting Washington's situational lefty options. Yes, Mike Adams and Koji Uehara have held lefties down this season -- they are batting .189 against Adams and just .125 against Uehara. But both of those recent acquisitions are right-handed pitchers designed to go one inning each. Oliver is actually faring better against righties than lefties.

Gonzalez, a 33-year-old born in Corpus Christi who lives in Robstown, Texas, is holding lefties to .211 average this season with two homers and five RBIs. Lefties have 19 hits in 90 at-bats off Gonzalez, who has struck them out 26 times. In August, Gonzalez hasn't allowed a run in 10 1/3 innings with three hits, no walks and 15 strikeouts. So the Rangers are getting a guy that's really pitching well right now.

He's a true situational lefty as righties are batting .300 off him. One scout said Gonzalez's angle and velocity make him so tough against lefties. He throws in the low 90s and he has good movement.

That gives Washington more options late in games. And with teams such as Boston (Adrian Gonzalez, David Ortiz, Jacoby Ellsbury), New York (Robinson Cano, Curtis Granderson, Brett Gardner) and Detroit (Brennan Boesch, Alex Avila) primed for the playoffs with some tough left-handed hitters, that's an important addition.

The Rangers have made two trades prior to tonight's 11 p.m. CT trade deadline, acquiring Matt Treanor from Kansas City for a player to be named later or cash (the Royals took cash) and LHP Mike Gonzalez from Baltimore for a player to be named later.

The club designated RHP Tim Wood for assingment and moved Wilmer Font to the 60-day disabled list to make room for the acquisitions on the 40-man roster. Both players would be eligible for postseason play.

Gonzalez gives the Rangers a left-handed arm to join Darren Oliver in the bullpen. Oliver was the only left-hander out there after Arthur Rhodes' departure. He is 2-2 with a 4.27 ERA (46 1/3 innings) in 49 relief appearances. The key stat: He has held left-handed batters to a .211 average this season. Gonzalez has held lefties to a .212 average in his career. The 33-year-old has thrown 12 1/3 scoreless innings in his last 13 outings starting July 22, with opponents hitting just .122 off him in that span. He has allowed one run in his last 19 appearances.

Treanor returns to Texas after being dealt near the end of spring training to Kansas City. The Rangers wanted to carry an extra reliever, leaving Treanor the odd-man out. It was always believed that there was a good chance he would return to Texas.

Treanor, 35, was hitting .226 with three homers, six doubles and 21 RBIs in 65 games. He led the Royals with 62 starts behind the plate and has caught 11 of 51 (21.6 percent) attempted base stealers. He suffered a concussion on July 31 and hasn't played in the big leagues in August. He has played seven games for Double-A Northwest Arkansas on a rehab assignment and was 1-for-3 in his last game on Sunday.

He gives the club an experienced third catcher and important insurance down the stretch.

More to come later.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Cardinals outfielder Lance Berkman told St. Louis reporters today that he wants to return to the Cardinals in 2012 and that he does not want to be a rental player. Part of the story by Joe Strauss in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

Informed over the weekend of the Rangers' interest, Berkman said he made clear his preference is to return to the Cardinals in 2012, but a trade would cause him to re-evaluate the position.

"I don't want to be traded. I don't think they want to trade me," Berkman said. "Obviously, 'Mo' has an obligation as the general manager to listen. But I think myself and the Cardinals are on the same page."

Of the possibility that he could be dealt before Thursday, Berkman said, "I think that ship has sailed."

The Rangers find their lead in the AL West complicated by outfielder Nelson Cruz' recent hamstring injury. The Rangers are entering a daunting portion of their schedule against the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox with the Los Angeles Angels making inroads on their lead. Rangers president Nolan Ryan recently acknowledged interest in Berkman. Mozeliak could not be reached this afternoon for comment on the team's position.

Berkman has discussed the possibility of a trade with his wife, Cara. The reaction was less than positive. "I think just the prospect of another change is pretty unappealing," he said.

The Rangers have until Wednesday at 11 p.m. Dallas time to make a trade for the player obtained to be eligible for the postseason roster. They could use a right-handed bat, but it's unclear if the right deal is out there. GM Jon Daniels has said the past few days that it's likely the club will stick with internal options.

Again, the complete story is here.

Baseball Tonight discusses the deadline trades that have made the greatest impact, including the Rangers' acquisition of Koji Uehara and Mike Adams.

ARLINGTON, Texas – Rangers CEO and president Nolan Ryan wasn’t ready to proclaim his club’s bullpen as the best in baseball, though he said his club is “probably in the running”. But there’s no doubt he feels a the bullpen and, consequently the club overall, is greatly improved with the trades for setup men Mike Adams and Koji Uehara.

“I was very pleased with what we accomplished in that I felt like we strengthened our ballclub as much as we possibly could in an area I felt like we needed to address,” Ryan said prior to today's Rangers Hall of Fame luncheon. “We had trouble earlier in the year holding onto leads, had trouble early in the year keeping us in a position to regain the lead, so by acquiring those two guys we’ve addressed those issues.”

Ryan said the club put a value on having both players in the bullpen in 2012, so they weren’t simply trading prospects for possible two- or three-month rentals. And he’s pleased to give manager Ron Washington more tools to work with late in games down the stretch in what is shaping up as a tight AL West-race with the Angels.

“I think when you look at the last 60 days of the season and the fact that we’ve had a lot of starters pitch late in the game, it’s important to give Ron options,” Ryan said. “If he doesn’t want to keep somebody out there another inning or two, he has people in the bullpen now he can go to that he’s confident can throw strikes and show hitters different looks.”

DETROIT -- Koji Uehara made a nice first impression Sunday in Toronto. Sure, the Rangers were behind 7-2 late, but the 36-year-old (pronounced EW-eh-hara) came in to face Rajai Davis (known Rangers killer), Colby Rasmus and the always dangerous Jose Bautista.

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Uehara needed eight pitches to retire the side in order. That included a nice strikeout of Bautista will all fastballs, getting two foul balls and then inducing Bautista to chase one high and outside.

"Since we were behind 7-2, I was trying to sort of enjoy the moment and thinking about just going with the fastball," Uehara said.

He said he was pleased overall with the outing.

"It went well and they graded me well," Uehara said through a translator. "I'm excited about what's to come. I just want to try to contribute. That's all I'm thinking."

Uehara said he's relying on Yoshinori Tateyama to help show him around and get him comfortable with his new team. Uehara said he doesn't know much about the Dallas area.

"I haven't been there yet, not since I joined the Rangers I haven't been to Arlington or Texas yet," Uehara said. "But it's hot. That's what I have so far. And there are cowboys."

Asked if he meant the football team, Uehara said he meant the hats and boots and fashion (he laughed as he said it).

Uehara said he doesn't throw a two-seam fastball, only a four-seamer and utilizes the splitter to hit both sides of the plate. Eric Nadel, the voice of the Rangers, asked him he can move the splitter to make it look like a slider even though it's not actually a slider. Uehara's response: "Good question." In other words: He's going to keep that to himself. He later said the splitter is more like a sinker.

DETROIT -- When Rangers general manager Jon Daniels reached RHP Mike Adams to welcome him to the team on Sunday, Daniels said there was one negative.

"He told me he liked everything about me except for one thing: that I was a Cowboys fan," Adams said. "He's a Giants fan. I'm sure that will make for some wagering during the season and good ribbing."

Adams owns a ranch house and a few acres in Corpus Christi, Texas, and grew up a Texas sports fan in general. Daniels is from New York. Adams said he hopes the Cowboys can win bets for him so he can make Daniels wear some Cowboys merchandise around the offices in Arlington.

Adams showed up in the San Diego clubhouse over the weekend with a Miles Austin jersey. He said he doesn't know Austin, but is a fan and wanted to show his Cowboys jersey off at his locker.

"It's football season and I'm ready to go," Adams said.

Adams was happy to see the Dallas Mavericks beat the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals too.

"Dallas sports is trying to pick up pretty good," Adams said. "Now if we can get back to the World Series here and get a title and have the Cowboys backing up after that, we'd be in good shape."