Update: (9:27pm CDT) The deal is official according to both Scott Boeck of USA Today and Jon Paul Morosi of Fox Sports.

Bengie Molina will head to the Rangers for Chris Ray and a player to be named later.

The Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants are apparently close to a deal that would send catcher Bengie Molina to the Rangers.

When potential players for Charlie Manuel's National League club get thrown out into conversation, you will hear the typical Phillies' candidates, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Shane Victorino, Jayson Werth and Roy Halladay.

But, one name should be mentioned in the conversation this year and it should be that of Jamie Moyer.

In a year where the Phillies have been mired in a slump, are dealing with injuries and are not hitting well, it is the perfect opportunity for the 47-year old to make his second All-Star Game appearance (he made one with the Mariners in 2003).

Are you hurting in the run category? Here are some reasonably available players that can help you out.

Tomorrow, we turn our calendars to July. The start of the seventh Gregorian month isn't the precise midway point of the MLB season, but it's a symbolic transition, one that causes fans to say, "Wow, only three months left!"

Even if it's not precisely the halfway point, it's still a great time to start thinking about individual awards. Last week, Bleacher Report's Featured Columnists kicked off the celebration with Cy Young voting for both the AL and the NL.

And so, this week, we put on a mock MVP vote.

Inter-league play is over. Once again, the AL dominated (134-118), which they have done for six out of the last seven years. As regards the contenders, some notes first, especially in light of the uneven level of difficulty in the inter-league schedule:

• BOSTON: Probably had the best result for a team with a difficult schedule (five of their six series were against teams over .500)

• CHICAGO WHITE SOX: Made the best (big time) of a weak inter-league schedule (five of the their six series were against teams under .500)

(New York, NY) -- In a new book on the world of Wall Street corruption, author Randall Lane manages to shed some light on the long time speculations of one of Philadelphia former darlings, Lenny Dykstra.

Dyrstra, a member for the 1993 NL Champion Phillies, became a wall street and market speculation guru after his playing days and has been involved in current controversy over money he was given to influence his stock tips.

*Please note this article was written before Matt Kemp was inserted into the Dodgers’ lineup last night. However, the only reason Kemp was inserted into the lineup was because Manny Ramirez had an injury, so the basis of my article hasn’t changed.

Benching a star player one game I can understand. Two games I could still somewhat comprehend. But three games? That seems a little extreme to me.

Originally posted at 

The Yankees closed out the Interleague slate with their best victory of the year, mounting a dramatic four-run comeback in the ninth against the Dodgers on Sunday, before winning the game on MVP candidate Robinson Cano's two-run homer in the 10th.

New York took two out of three from Los Angeles to finish 11-7 versus the National League. The first-place Bombers (47-28) now welcome in the last-place Mariners (31-44) for a three-game set this week at Yankee Stadium.

Simply call it perfect timing.

It's only fitting that MLB's first Puerto Rican-born manager stood in Hiram Bithorn Stadium for baseball's return to the island.

Edwin Rodriguez's story, though uncertain with the mystery surrounding who will be the Florida Marlins' permanent manager, is a good one. 

He lives five minutes from the stadium.

More than 150 people greeted him at the airport and began chanting his name when the Marlins arrived.