The Rangers are looking for a righty hitter to balance out their lefty-heavy lineup, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes. Switch-hitter Lance Berkman and righty Jeff Baker are both on the disabled list, and it's unclear what might happen with righty Nelson Cruz, who has been connected to the Biogenesis scandal. Here are more notes from around the American League.
- The Red Sox appear likely to be active on the trade market, with relief help a top concern, says Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The Red Sox's bullpen is in a tough spot with the loss of Andrew Miller to injury. He names the White Sox's Matt Thornton or the Marlins' Steve Cishek as potential trade acquisitions.
- Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik doubts he will be an "aggressor" on the market, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports. "I'm not going to go out there and start shopping our players. I don't think that's the right thing to do," Zduriencik says. "We have three weeks before the trading deadline. Our goal is to put a healthy club on the field." Zduriencik says he will be open-minded when other teams call. The Mariners have shown small signs of progress recently, winning six of their last nine, although they're 13 1/2 games out of first place and are just 16-19 even since the beginning of June.
