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.

Rockies could be looking to acquire a starting pitcher  —  The only thing louder than Yasiel Puig's line drive off the right-field scoreboard Tuesday were screams for the Rockies to acquire a starting pitcher.  —  Following back-to-back unimpressive outings by Drew Pomeranz and Roy Oswalt …

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.

The takeover: Jay-Z jabs at Boras on album  —  Jay-Z took one client from Scott Boras.  Now he's taking it to Boras in song.  —  The veteran Brooklyn rapper, who recently began work as a sports agent with his Roc Nation Sports, took a shot at Boras in a song off his upcoming new album.

Lohse, Brewers Quiet Nationals Bats Again, Win 4-1  —  WASHINGTON — Kyle Lohse tossed eight sharp innings on short rest and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Washington Nationals 4-1 on Wednesday, shutting down Bryce Harper and Co. for the second night in a row.

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

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.

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.