MLB Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz on Texas Rangers and Top Deadline Buyers

We are just hours away from the 4:00 p.m. EDT Major League Baseball trade deadline for teams to make deals without having to go through the waiver process, and things are starting to pick up. 

There have already been a few notable moves over the past few weeks and early on Tuesday, yet the closer we get to zero hour, the more news and rumors get thrown out there. 

As a way to keep track of some of the big moves that some of the top buyers are looking at, here is the latest buzz surrounding three teams who could be major players on July 31. 

Texas Rangers

Everyone knows the Rangers are desperate for starting pitching right now, especially in light of Roy Oswalt's implosion last night against the Angels. 

David Kaplan of Comcast Sportsnet Chicago reports that the Rangers have entered the Ryan Dempster sweepstakes. 

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With Roy Oswalt having another poor performance on Monday evening, the Rangers have decided to upgrade their rotation and are looking at all available options including Dempster and Matt Garza. 

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Kaplan also says that Dempster would be willing to approve a deal to Texas, Los Angeles or New York. 

It is more obvious now than ever before that the Rangers need something to stabilize their rotation. Oswalt is a mess. Colby Lewis is done for the year. Derek Holland had the dreaded "fatigued shoulder" and has not been right all year. 

The Rangers are still one of the best teams in the American League, but the gap has closed in a hurry. 

San Francisco Giants

After seeing their rivals in Los Angeles make a deal for Shane Victorino (per Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports), the Giants may or may not be countering with a move of their own. 

According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, Hunter Pence will go from Philadelphia to San Francisco. 

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#SFGiants agree to acquire hunter pence

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"— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) July 31, 2012"

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However, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reported that the Giants are still window shopping. 

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Am told there's no deal right now for Giants and Pence. Giants still considering options.

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"— John Shea (@JohnSheaHey) July 31, 2012"

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It is no secret that the Giants have to upgrade their offense. That has been their Achilles heel for years, and there's no immediate help available in the system. Pence does come with some value, as he won't become a free agent until after next season, but he will also make a lot of money through arbitration. 

Again, this all depends on the two sides making the deal official. 

Detroit Tigers

Though they have already made one big deal this deadline season, the Detroit Tigers may not be done. 

According to Danny Knobler of CBS Sports, Victor Martinez's prognosis has shifted the Tigers' focus towards a hitter. 

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Faced with discouraging news on Victor Martinez's rehabilitation from knee surgery, the Tigers are trying to acquire another middle-of-the-order right-handed hitter.

At one point, the Tigers had said that Martinez could come back as soon as late August. Now, sources say, it's only a 50-50 shot that he returns at all this year.

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Knobler lists Chicago's Alfonso Soriano and New York's Scott Hairston as names of interest to the Tigers, though he says they did not like what the Mets were asking for Hairston and Soriano "seems unlikely."

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