The deal that was to send Lowell to the Rangers would have included cash and would have sent Max Ramirez to the Boston Red Sox. Now, both teams will have to look elsewhere. The Red Sox will search for a team that will accept Lowell’s contract along with cash, while the Rangers will look for a relatively cheap bat that can be used at DH.

Lowell has injured his right thumb a couple of times in the last few seasons but both he and the Red Sox were unaware that he needed surgery. In fact, he had two hits in the postseason while playing with the torn thumb ligament.

There’s a chance that the two teams could adjust the deal and still complete it at some point — but the more likely outcome is that they will go their separate ways.

Mike Lowell is back with the Red Sox -- for now (Image: Zuma Press)

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The Seattle Mariners will be the next team to deal with Bradley’s boorish behavior. In the swap the Mariners sent Carlos Silva and $9 million to get the deal done. Silva, who actually has a worse contract than Bradley, has been horrible since signing with the M’s prior to the 2008 season.

If the Mariners can keep Bradley from melting down, they would be getting a baseball player who can really help their cause. He’s a switch hitter who gets on base and can provide a bit of pop that is missing in the team’s lineup.

As for Silva, it’s difficult to say whether or not he even has a chance to bounce back. In 2008, his ERA was 6.46 and he had a record of 4-15. Last year, he was 1-3 with an ERA of 8.60.

Milton Bradley takes his anger to Seattle (Image: Zuma Press)

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Johnson came up through the Yankees system and played with the team through 2003. Although he’s not a very good defensive player and doesn’t have much power, he’s very good at getting on base. He had a .426 on-base percentage last season and a .402 on-base percentage for his career. Since leaving the Yankees, Johnson played for the Washington Nationals and the Florida Marlins.

Damon hit .282 last season to go along with 24 homers, 82 RBIs, 107 runs and 12 stolen bases. In the postseason, he hit .281with two homers, nine RBIs and ten runs. In the World Series, he had a classic play in which he stole two bases on one play — which ended up being a turning point for New York.

Not re-signing Damon isn’t a huge surprise. Even after winning the World Series, the Yankees wanted to get younger and more athletic. Since Damon is 36, the team is hesitant to pay him a premium salary.

Johnny Damon may have seen his last day in pinstripes (Image: Zuma Press)

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The Phillies will be receiving Roy Halladay and $6 million from the Blue Jays in addition to three minor leaguers (Juan Ramirez, Tyson Gillies and Phillippe Aumont) from the Mariners. The Mariners will be getting Cliff Lee from the Phillies.

The Blue Jays will get their hands on three highly regarded prospects — Kyle Drabek from the Phillies, Travis d’Arnaud from the Phillies and Brett Wallace from the A’s. The A’s will be getting minor leaguer Michael Taylor from the Blue Jays.

What is the logic behind this trade? The Phillies will be basically trading one great pitcher for another great pitcher. The reason they prefer Halladay is that they feel they can keep him around for a longer period of time. Lee, on the other hand, is likely to test free agent waters next offseason.

For the Blue Jays, they’ve been trying to rebuild by trading Halladay. The Mariners get a pitching stud to put at the top of their rotation next to Felix Hernandez, while the A’s get a minor league prospect that they have coveted.

Roy Halladay is about to be traded to the Phillies (Image: Zuma Press)

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The 31-year-old was 11-8 last season with the Angels. He finished with a 3.83 ERA and had 139 strikeouts in 176.1 innings. He has at least nine wins in each season of his career and has had a sub-4.00 ERA the last five seasons.

The money for Lackey opened when the Red Sox apparently gave up on signing free agent Jason Bay. Instead, they locked up a pitcher who has pitched very well against Boston in the playoffs recently.

Last offseason, the New York Yankees gave A.J. Burnett a deal worth $82.5 million over five seasons. Lackey wanted a similar deal and he was able to get just that in Boston.

With a strong starting rotation, the Red Sox will likely be right there with the Yankees at the top of the American League.

John Lackey signed with the Boston Red Sox (Image: Zuma Press)

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In his first three starts of 2009, Wang gave up 23 earned runs in six innings. He pitched better as the season went on but he still finished the year with scary bad numbers — a 9.64 ERA, a 2.02 WHIP and a record of 1-6 for the eventual World Series champions.

In 2006 and 2007, Wang won 19 games in each season. In 2006, he had an ERA of 3.63, while his 2007 ERA was 3.70. But after getting injured in interleague play in 2008, Wang has never been the same.

Even though he’s a free agent, there’s a chance that the Yankees will try to bring him back. If they do, it’s likely that New York will only offer a minor league contract. The more likely scenario is another team will try to buy low on a starting pitcher who was pretty good not that long ago.

Chien-Ming Wang is now a free agent (Image: Zuma Press)

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Last season, Diaz hit .313 with 13 homers, 58 RBIs and 56 runs. He also had 12 stolen bases and an on-base precentage of .390. Diaz was especially dominant against lefties — hitting .412 with an on-base percentage of .464.

Although he got off to a relatively slow start, Diaz dialed it up late in the campaign. After the All-Star break, he hit .321 with nine homers, 36 RBIs and 30 runs.

On Saturday, the Braves also let go of Kelly Johnson, who had spent much of the last three seasons as the team’s starting second baseman. But after losing his starting gig, the Braves decided to cut their ties with the 27-year-old former top prospect. Martin Prado, who beat out Johnson last year, will likely return as the starting second baseman in 2010.

Matt Diaz re-signed with the Braves (Image: Zuma Press)

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After signing Billy Wagner, the Atlanta Braves no longer needed Soriano at closer. The Rays jumped at the opportunity to trade for Soriano and gave the Braves Jesse Chavez. The Rays then signed Soriano to a deal worth $7.25 million over one season.

In 77 appearances, Soriano had an ERA of 2.97 and 27 saves in 31 opportunities. In 75.2 innings, he gave up 53 hits and struck out 102 batters. For five straight seasons, Soriano has had an ERA at 3.00 or lower.

Despite Soriano’s strong resume, this move comes with risks for the Rays. The native of the Dominican Republic has been somewhat injury prone and doesn’t have much experience as a closer outside of last season. However, if Soriano lives up to expectations and solidifies the Rays bullpen, this move could get Tampa Bay back to postseason baseball.

Rafael Soriano - Tampa Bay Rays (Image: Zuma Press)

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First Daniels traded Millwood to the Baltimore Orioles for Chris Ray. After saving money on that deal, the Rangers turned around and signed Rich Harden and traded for Mike Lowell of the Boston Red Sox.

The biggest name in that trio is Harden. He’s a starting pitcher with a high ceiling who has had trouble staying healthy. Ray is a reliever who struggled last year after recovering from surgery. Lowell is a veteran who could possibly fill in at third base, first base and DH.

The Rangers will miss Millwood but they were able to get younger and fill out their roster with three players who could blossom in the 2010 baseball season. Will this be enough for Texas to make the playoffs? Probably not but they have a better chance now than they did a few days ago.

Mike Lowell is running to the Texas Rangers (Image: Zuma Press)

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Wolf is coming off of a career year with the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 34 starts, he had an ERA of 3.23 and a record of 11-7. With the Brewers, he’ll give the team a top of the rotation starter who can also help some of the younger arms.

Spending last season with the Houston Astros, the 36-year-old Hawkins pitched very well. In 65 relief appearances, he had a record of 1-4 with 11 saves and an ERA of 2.13. The 6-foot-5 righty will give the Brewers depth in their bullpen.

According to reports, Wolf’s deal is worth around $30 million over three years. Hawkins reportedly signed a deal worth $7.5 million over two seasons.

Randy Wolf - Milwaukee Brewers (Image: Zuma Press)

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