The Texas Rangers have traded for catcher Bengie Molina from the Giants, according to multiple news media outlets. MLB Network reported Wednesday night that the Molina deal is for pitcher Chris Ray and a player to be named laster. FoxSports.com, citing a major league source, also reported the deal and that Ray is part of it.

Dan Haren is interested in returning to the Cardinals. ?I?ve always said I?d like to play here again,? said Haren, who was here in parts of 2003 and 2004, compiling a 6-10 record. ?The fans are so good. Even being six years removed now, they still treat me with the utmost respect. Walking around the city today, a few people stopped me. In some cities, they?ll stop you and want your autograph to take a picture. Here, they say, ?Hi,? and they shake your hand. ?That?s why it?s different.?

Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter threw a normal bullpen session Wednesday morning and expects to make his next scheduled start on Saturday against the Brewers. He said he still feels some discomfort in his right arm after being hit by a line drive in the first inning of his start Monday. "It's a bruise," Carpenter said. "You get hit with a baseball, it's a bruise, you're going to feel it. But everything felt fine."

The Rays designated Hank Blalock for assignment after Tuesday's loss to the Red Sox. The move was made to make room for Gabe Kapler, who will return from the disabled list on Wednesday night. Blalock batted .254 in 63 at-bats with a homer and seven RBIs. "The at-bats were not going to be there," manager Joe Maddon said. "The opportunity was not going to be there."

Aroldis Chapman has progressed nicely from a starting pitcher to a reliever for Triple-A Louisville. His improvement is already impressing the Reds. "[He's been] excellent," Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said. "His last time out, he pitched one inning and faced two left-handed hitters and struck them out. He got the right-hander out. In that one performance, he was dominating." He had a setback on Tuesday night, allowing four runs and get charged with a blown save.

The Cardinals could seek pitching help, but they will wait to determine the status of Brad Penny and Kyle Lohse. Other areas of the team could use upgrading, like their middle infield, but the team has time to evaluate their needs. "We've got two starters missing," manager Tony La Russa said. "So even if we've got a guarantee that Penny's coming back in top form, you're still going to be looking for help. You don't know what Lohse is going to be." A source said Tuesday that the Cardinals are hesitant to take on a player with a contract longer than one year.

Roger Clemens is expected to pitch against his son, Koby, on Wednesday night in the Home Run Derby before the Texas League All-Star Game. The elder Clemens will actually be trying to serve up meatballs to his son in order to increase his home run potential. Koby will be among eight batters taking part in the competition.

The Braves will host Major League Baseball's Civil Rights Games in 2011-12, team president John Schuerholz announced Wednesday. No dates or opponents have been set for the games, which will be played during the next two regular seasons.

The Braves want to upgrade their offense and have looked at Washington's Josh Willingham, Milwaukee's Corey Hart and Toronto's Jose Bautista, according to a source. No deal is imminent. All three players will be free agents after the 2010 season.

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen doesn't think the team needs help, but general manager Kenny Williams continues to pursue options. The Chicago Sun-Times has reported that Chicago and Washington have engaged in trade talks centering around slugger Adam Dunn. "I hate talking about it every day because it's nothing that I can control," Dunn told Washington-area reporters. "I hate talking about it. That was one of the reasons why I wanted to get [a contract extension] done -- to avoid this. "That's a problem when you sign two-year deals and stuff like that. This is the stuff I've been trying to avoid. I hate it. It seems like every single year I have to talk about it. There's nothing I can do about it. Why talk about it?"