According to MLB.com, the Rangers are still interested in acquiring Red Sox first baseman Mike Lowell. Texas has been searching for a right-handed bat, with Lowell and Jeff Francoeur both reportedly emerging as possible targets for the American League West leaders.

According to multiple major league sources, the Padres never contacted the Red Sox to discuss the availability of outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury. In fact, according to one of those sources, no team contacted the Sox about Ellsbury, nor would the Sox have considered a deal for the 26-year-old barring what was characterized as a massive return.

Ellsbury, after playing three rehab games in the Gulf Coast League this week, played in his first rehab contest with Triple-A Pawtucket on Saturday. He went 2-for-4 with a pair of singles while playing center field. Ellsbury has played in just nine games this year, but is nearing a return to the Red Sox in his recovery from the broken ribs endured earlier this year.

“I can’t give you an exact timetable [for his return],” said GM Theo Epstein. “We want to make sure he’s ready to hit. Last time he came back, I think it took him a little while to get going with the bat and get his timing down. As much as we need him back here, we don’t want to rush him back here before he’s ready to hit. We’re going to be aggressive with it, day to day depending on how he feels and how ready he looks to come up and compete.”

WEEI’s Alex Speier has reported that a source familiar with the situation said that there was no deal between the Red Sox and Mets involving relief pitcher Ramon Ramirez. Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com had reported (via Twitter) that the two teams were still talking with minutes to go before the deadline, but the source said that the two sides had not matched up. The Mets were (and presumably are) interested in Ramirez, and the two sides had discussed a swap of the Sox reliever for Rod Barajas before the catcher went on the disabled list. The two sides also discussed Ramirez for a prospect, but could not match up.

MLB insider Brent Gambill has posted on his Twitter feed that the Red Sox might be talking to the Braves about shipping out Jacoby Ellsbury. Ellsbury has missed all but nine games this season after fracturing several ribs in a collision with third baseman Adrian Beltre back in April. He is scheduled to play for Triple-A Pawtucket on Saturday night in the next phase of his rehab assignment.

According to MLB.com, the Yankees officially finalized their deal with first baseman Lance Berkman Saturday afternoon. In exchange for the services of the five-time All-Star, the Astros receive minor league pitcher Mark Melancon, infielder Jimmy Paredes and cash. The deal was in place as of Friday, but it had to wait until Saturday because of Berkman’s 10- and 5- rights as a longtime veteran of the Astros. The new Yankee DH is batting .245 with 13 home runs and 49 RBI.

According to a major league source, the Red Sox have expressed a willingness to move some of the relievers on their current major league roster. The team has made Ramon Ramirez available to other clubs. While Boston was believed to be seeking a major league return as of Friday, the club appears willing to move the right-hander for a prospect at this juncture.

Ramirez is 0-3 with a 4.46 ERA this year, though he has a 2.86 ERA since June 5, a period during which opponents are hitting .216 with a .622 OPS against him. He has struck out 17 and walked seven in 22 innings during the run.

With both Michael Bowden and Felix Doubront expected to be called up from Triple-A Pawtucket in the near future, the Sox will need to clear spots in the bullpen for both pitchers. That, in turn, might explain why the Sox are making some of their own relievers available at a time when they are in the market for relief upgrades.

According to a tweet from ESPN Boston’s Gordon Edes, are also trying to move Manny Delcarmen, Hideki Okajima and Jeremy Hermida.

According to a tweet from Sports Illustrated’s Jon Heyman, the Giants and the Blue Jays are in serious discussion over starting pitching. Heyman has reported that the Giants are interested in either Jason Frasor or Scott Downs, whose name has come up several times in the Red Sox deadline plans.

FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal countered with a tweet of his own just seven minutes later, saying that the Giants don’t have interest in Frasor and that the sides can’t agree on Downs.

Downs is having his best year since 2008 with a 2.34 ERA and a 1.016 WHIP, despite a 4-5 record. Frasor has fallen off the horse a bit as he’s sporting a 4.62 ERA and a 1.590 WHIP after having a career year in 2009 (2.50 ERA, 1.023 WHIP).

The July 31 deadline for non-waiver trades is less than three hours away. Yet Red Sox manager Terry Francona suggested that he has “no idea” whether his club will do anything before it passes at 4 p.m.

“I just don’t know,” Francona said. “If you asked [Sox GM Theo Epstein] right now, I don’t know if he knows.”

One area that the Sox are unquestionably exploring is the market for bullpen help. Yet the Sox have been deterred by what they’ve seen as an excessive cost of doing business.

The team makes no secret of the fact that it has endured a significant bullpen struggle this year. The bullpen ERA stands at a pitiable 4.43 mark, and the options aside from Daniel Bard and Jonathan Papelbon have been suboptimal for the Sox.

Yet the team is also leery of spending heavily to acquire relief help. Relievers are volatile, going from All-Star performances to virtual irrelevance, a fact that is evident even by looking at the Sox’ own bullpen corps.

“[Hideki Okajima] is a good example. He’s a guy that’s made the All-Star team. He’s run thorugh some tough times,” said Francona. “When you’re acquiring bullpen help, there’s certainly some amount of a crapshoot with it. That’s what I’m sure Theo and those guys are discussing right now, and it’s very difficult decisions. You’re probably going to overpay for a reliever, and that is very difficult.”

For more from Francona on the Sox’ decision to seek internal solutions (such as moving Felix Doubront to the bullpen), click here.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported via Twitter that the Rays expressed interest in acquiring Manny Ramirez from the Dodgers, while the White Sox also inquired about the slugger’s availability, according to FoxSports.com. In both cases, however, the Dodgers required to much in return for Ramirez, who is still owed $7 million this season. Jon Heyman of SI.com Tweeted that Ramirez would be amenable to joining the White Sox if a deal was struck. Ken Rosenthal Tweets the White Sox may make one last run at Ramirez.

According to multiple major league sources, the Red Sox will shift starter Felix Doubront to the bullpen in hopes of bolstering their struggling relief corps. Earlier in July, the team had anticipated that the left-hander would remain stretched out in the Pawtucket starting rotation since he represents valuable depth for the major league starting staff. However, with the team’s ongoing bullpen struggles, the Sox have committed to shifting him to relief for the remainder of the year, a process that will begin immediately. According to the sources, Doubront’s shift to relief will occur regardless of whether the Sox make any moves to acquire bullpen help.

Doubront is 8-3 with a 2.88 ERA in the minors this year, and 1-2 with a 4.11 ERA in three big league starts. The 22-year-old has never made a relief appearance as a professional. In the majors, Doubront held lefties to a .158 average with a .396 OPS in 21 plate appearances. With the Sox lacking an effective lefty in the bullpen right now (given the struggles of Hideki Okajima), his potential to contribute as a reliever became increasingly appealing to the Sox, particularly given the available options on the trade market.

That said, the Sox still view the left-hander as a starter over the long term. They simply are trying to create options for the duration of a season in which the Sox bullpen features a 4.43 ERA, has allowed the most homers in the AL (43) while permitting the second most blown saves (14).