Rangers may take Teixeira trade to wire  —  Chipper finds potential in having 'formidable' lineup  —  Phoenix — Chipper Jones learned long ago not to get too excited about trade rumors, but he couldn't help himself Friday as he envisioned Atlanta's lineup should the Braves finalize …

Phillies acquire Iguchi  —  Second baseman Tadahito Iguchi was acquired by the Phillies from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for minor league righthander Michael Dubee, Senior Vice President & General Manager Pat Gillick announced today.  —  Iguchi, 32, was hitting .251 with 17 doubles …

Unit out for season, intends to return  —  PHOENIX (AP) — Randy Johnson will have season-ending back surgery and intends to be back for the Arizona Diamondbacks at spring training next year.  —  "I have no intention at this time of retiring," he said at a news conference Friday.

Brewers acquire McClung from Rays  —  Right-handed reliver will report to Triple-A Nashville  —  ST. LOUIS — A few hours after they designated him for assignment, the Brewers traded right-handed reliever Grant Balfour to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Friday for Seth McClung …

Shea Hillenbrand signs minor league contract with Padres, will report to Triple-A Portland  —  SAN DIEGO (AP) -The Padres signed two-time All-Star Shea Hillenbrand to a minor league contract on Friday, and he will report to Triple-A Portland.  —  The right-handed hitting Hillenbrand …

Royals outfielder shoots TV reporter in face with pellet during locker room interview  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Royals outfielder Emil Brown hit a television reporter near the eye with a pellet from a small plastic gun in the Kansas City clubhouse Friday afternoon.

Pirates Trade Rumors  —  Time for a Pirates roundup.  They deserve some love here at MLBTradeRumors.  — Dejan Kovacevic reports that Salomon Torres's grievance against the Pirates may prevent the team from trading him.  On the off chance he wins the grievance, he would become a free agent and the acquiring team would be screwed.

Notes: Time to start Pedro countdown  —  The Mets were glowing Friday after reports filtered back to New York about the four-inning, 65-pitch simulated game thrown by rehabbing righthander Pedro Martinez in Port St. Lucie, Fla.  —  Chances are good that Martinez will be coming soon to a ballpark near you …

Notes: Byrd hopes to earn his wings  —  With Lofton gone, Marlon gets his shot to play in center field  —  KANSAS CITY — Nelson Cruz re-joined the Rangers on Friday and was given a night off.  He'll be in the lineup on Saturday and just about every day after that as the Rangers right fielder.

D-backs deal Hairston to Padres  —  Club recalls Carlos Quentin from Tucson  —  PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks have traded outfielder Scott Hairston to the San Diego Padres in exchange for righthanded pitcher Leo Rosales, as announced by Diamondbacks' Senior Vice President and General Manager Josh Byrnes.

From slappies to sluggers  —  Ripken was 'tipping point' in evolution of shortstops  —  The abundance of good-hitting shortstops is one of the most compelling storylines in baseball, but it's not exactly new.  —  The trend began in earnest a decade ago with Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Nomar Garciaparra and Edgar Renteria.

Notes: Saarloos sent to Louisville  —  Reliever outrighted to Triple-A club, Santos called up  —  CINCINNATI — Kirk Saarloos accomplished something hard to do by baseball standards on Thursday afternoon at Great American Ball Park.  He allowed his 10th consecutive batter — spread over his past three games — to reach base safely.