The Minnesota Twins have claimed second baseman Alfonso Soriano off waivers, a move that could either lead to a trade or him staying with the Rangers for the rest of the season. Sources said the Twins claimed Soriano mainly to block a trade to another contending team and a deal between the Rangers and Minnesota is not expected. But there have been discussions between the two teams about working out a deal. The Rangers and the Twins had serious trade talks before the July 31 deadline, but Minnesota would not part with highly regarded pitcher Francisco Liriano, who is 7-1 with a 1.75 ERA in 11 games at Triple A. The Twins have shown a willingness to trade either right-hander Kyle Lohse (8-11, 4.17) or Joe Mays (6-8, 5.00), as well as reliever J.C. Romero, but the Rangers have been insistent to this point about getting Liriano. To be traded after July 31, a player must clear waivers. If a player is claimed, the two teams have 48 hours to work out a deal. If not, the team that put the player on waivers, in this case the Rangers, could either pull him back or let him go to the team that claimed him. Once pulled back, a player cannot be traded. The Rangers and Twins have until Monday.