Nolasco rumors picking up steam  —  ATLANTA — Everything is lined up for Ricky Nolasco to start for the Marlins against the Braves at Turner Field on Wednesday night.  —  Still, those plans could easily change.  —  The Marlins have been actively shopping Nolasco, and a deal could possibly get done prior to first pitch.

Texas Rangers sign Manny Ramirez to minor league contract  —  How desperate are the Texas Rangers to add some hitting?  —  Apparently desperate enough to visit Mannywood.  —  The club on Wednesday agreed to a deal with 41-year-old Manny Ramirez on a minor league deal.

Trading season has begun — notes from around MLB; Will Ike Davis return to NY Mets today?  ; Reds Homer Bailey matures  —  The first big move of MLB's trade season came Tuesday, and it impacted the Yankees.  Baltimore, whose monstrous lineup is not adequately supported by its thin rotation …

Sox skid ends, but trade talk won't  —  Gillaspie, Dunn homers back Danks in 5-2 win over Orioles; Rios, Peavy among those who could draw interest  —  White Sox pitcher John Danks talks about getting the win against the Orioles on Tuesday.  —  Alex Rios said he was referring to a song Monday …

Astros set Minors debut for No. 1 Draft pick Appel  —  HOUSTON — In a quick turn of events, inquiring minds will not have to wait long to see No. 1 overall Draft pick Mark Appel pitch at the professional level.  —  Appel, who agreed to a contract with Houston two weeks ago, will make his first pro start Friday with Class-A Tri-City.

Dodgers Designate Carlos Marmol For Assignment  —  11:54am: Gammons tweets that Marmol has already been placed on outright waivers.  Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweets that the outright move is procedural.  Marmol has agreed to go to the minor leagues and try to work out his struggles there.

Numbers Show That MLB Interleague Play Isn't As Popular As We Were Led to Believe  —  It has been one of the key moments in Bud Selig's tenure, created barstool debates throughout the country, and until this year, hasn't had enough information to say definitively how popular it really is.

Brewers open bank to sign international prospects  —  WASHINGTON — The Brewers set a franchise record for a Latin American signing bonus twice over on Tuesday, agreeing to terms with 16-year-old Dominicans Franly Mallen and Nicolas Pierre to contracts worth $800,000 apiece as baseball's international signing period began.

Minor Leaguer Hits Walk-Off Single, His Team Loses Game  —  The Lansing Lugnuts, the Blue Jays Single-A affiliate, managed to lose a baseball game in the worst possible way when they took on the Great Lakes Loons on Monday night.  —  Skip ahead to the 1:17-mark of the video above …

Hot Prospect Video  —  Oscar Taveras  —  As perhaps the game's top hitting prospect, Cardinals outfielder Oscar Taveras has become a household name to baseball fans, and not only in St. Louis.  When the 21-year-old Taveras ranked no. 2 on Baseball Prospectus' recently released mid-season …

Angels' Josh Hamilton appears to be chewing tobacco again  —  Outfielder who has struggled with addiction quit the habit last July, leading to withdrawal symptoms.  —  Josh Hamilton finished a workout with the team's strength and conditioning coach Tuesday afternoon, went into the Angels' dugout …