No one knows for sure how serious the Rangers were about moving Alfonso Soriano, but two sources with knowledge of the talks insist the Marlins made a strong push for him the weekend before the deadline. According to one source, the Marlins "were a contender" and the deal "definitely could have happened," but only if they had been able to spin off pitcher Sidney Ponson in a three-way deal with the Orioles. The Marlins and Orioles would have eaten the bulk of Ponson's $10 million salary next season, but Baltimore owner Peter Angelos quashed the plan. The problem? The Orioles weren't willing to accept A.J. Burnett and Mike Lowell in a deal unless they could get Burnett signed long-term and dump Ponson at the same time. Soriano, making $7.5 million this year and looking at an arbitration-fed raise into the $11 million range this winter, would have played left for the Marlins. Under one version discussed, they would have put second baseman Luis Castillo and a couple of prospects into the deal and gone with prospective free agent Damion Easley as the starter at second for the final two months.