Yesterday at 3 pm CT marked the end of the trade deadline. I am satisfied that the Rangers decided to stand pat. There were several proposals made from teams but not anything that Daniels would pull the trigger on. Texas was not in a position where they had to sell, and the demand for catching could increase this off season. There was however a prank pulled on Eddie Guardado when the Rangers tricked him into thinking he had been traded to the Nationals. Guardado, who had been in a steam room following a workout, was so angry he didn’t bother changing from his T-shirt, shorts, and shower shoes before meeting with Rangers management. After getting Guardado worked up a bit more, Daniel’s finally broke the news that he was still a Ranger.

Several moves were made that helped a few contenders fill needs. The Angels acquired Mark Teixeira from the Braves for Casey Kotchman and a minor league reliever. Already playoff bound, the big bat in the middle of the lineup was all the Angels were missing. Kotchman will be an above average defender and hitter at 1st for the Braves. To put it in perspective, over the past year, the Braves gave up most of the top prospects in their farm system and only have Kotchman to show for it. Tex did his part, but the Braves failed to make the playoffs. Kudos to John Daniels.

The Yankees acquired Pudge Rodriguez to replace the injured Jorge Posada. Every year the Yankees find a way to position themselves for a playoff spot. Catcher was the glaring hole for this team, but now the Yankees are strong at every position. The move also makes Yogi Berra the second best catcher ever to play in the Bronx.

In an attempt to get a middle order bat, the Reds send Ken Griffey Jr. to the White Sox for pitcher Nick Massett and pitcher Danny Richar. Griffey, who debuted in 1989, has never been to the World Series but will get another shot this year. It is uncertain where he will play because of a crowded outfield of Swisher, Dye, Anderson, and with Thome at DH. Nick Massett was the player the Rangers sent to the White Sox with John Danks for Brandon McCarthy in 2006.

The biggest headline yesterday was Boston trading Manny Ramirez to the Dodgers in a three team deal that sent Andy LaRoche and Bryan Morris to the Pirates and Jason Bay to the Red Sox. Outfielder Brandon Moss and pitcher Craig Hansen will leave the Red Sox to join Pittsburgh. Each year Boston has had its issues with Manny, once even putting him on waivers and no one claiming him. This relationship became too strained and the Red Sox were intent on dealing him no matter what the cost. The Dodgers, who always struggle for offense, desperately need Manny’s bat. All-Star outfielder Jason Bay will not quite replace Manny’s bat but should provide enough production for Boston to reach the playoffs.

This was an active deadline with some big names changing teams, three of them being future Hall of Famers and two of them had been with their current team almost ten years. Most of these players dealt were stars of the 90’s. The receiving teams will look to their experience to get to the World Series.