MLB.com's Joe Frisaro reports the Rangers are still talking with the Marlins about acquiring infielder Jorge Cantu prior to Saturday's nonwaiver trading deadline.

Florida is trying to get two young pitchers from Texas; Frisaro reports one of them is Evan Reed, who is pitching for Double-A Frisco.

Cantu would give Texas a right-handed hitting alternative to first baseman Chris Davis, who has hit poorly since being recalled from the minors. Cantu is batting .260 with 10 home runs and 54 RBIs.

Jets left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson earned his first Pro Bowl selection last season.

Tackles

Guards

Centers

Broncos' QB battle royal

Brady Quinn's wingmen Tim Tebow (15) and Brady Quinn (8) are developing.

Kyle Orton is the incumbent, but both Brady Quinn and Tim Tebow are hovering. Tebow remains unsigned and was not in camp Wednesday when rookies began working out. Once Tebow reports, how coach Josh McDaniels handles the development of Quinn and Tebow will be intriguing.

Big Ben's big void

Albert's angst in D.C.

The Ochocinco-T.O. Show

The Favre watch

Nationals right-hander Miguel Batista is doing damage control a day after his "Miss Iowa" quip.

Batista tells The Washington Post he sent flowers to the real Miss Iowa, Katherine Connors, as a mea culpa for a quote some -- including the Miss Iowa folks -- considered disrespectful.

First, the back story: Batista pitched five shutout innings Tuesday in an emergency spot start, after Stephen Strasburg was scratched with shoulder inflammation. Afterward, Batista talked about being booed by disappointed Nationals fans as he took the mound.

"Imagine if you go to see Miss Universe, then you end up having Miss Iowa, you might get those kind of boos," Batista said. "But it's OK. They have to understand that as an organization we have to make sure that the kid is fine. You don't want to expose him out there and screw up his future."

Batista tried to clarify today. "People started booing me, and they hadn't seen me throw a pitch yet," Batista tells the Post. "It's like you hear Miss Iowa, and you say, 'Iowa?' And then you see her up close and you say, 'Wow, she's gorgeous.' "

Connors -- or at least the Miss Iowa organizers -- got wind of the Batista quote and, in a statement, fired back.

"I know I can throw a pitch or two!" Connors was quoted as saying, per the Des Moines Register. "The question is, can Miguel Batista walk the runway in a swimsuit?"

Also, Craig Heitkamp, executive co-director of the Miss Iowa Pageant, invited Batista to be a judge at the state pageant Oct. 23-24 in Ames.

Houston television station KRIV reported early Thursday that the Astros have agreed to trade right-hander Roy Oswalt to the Philadelphia Phillies and have asked Oswalt to approve the deal.

KRIV sports director Mark Berman reported the club approached Oswalt about waiving his no-trade clause. Oswalt can veto any trade, but he has said he'd do it to play for a contender. The Phillies are on a seven-game winning streak and trail the Braves by 3 1/2 games in the NL East.

Berman's report does not include whom the Phillies would be giving up, though many media members have speculated left-hander J.A. Happ would be part of any Oswalt trade. Berman also didn't say whether other clubs are involved; there have been reports a third team was needed to help the Phillies fit Oswalt under their payroll.

Houston general manager Ed Wade declined to comment when contacted late Wednesday by MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. Oswalt could not be reached for comment, McTaggart reported.

Earlier Wednesday, Astros' owner Drayton McLane put the odds of an Oswalt trade at 60-40 in favor.

"I'd say it's about 60 percent that something could be done and 40 percent that Roy will be here next year," McLane told the Houston Chronicle's Zachary Levine.

Oswalt, who is scheduled to start Friday, said he wanted to have sufficient time to ponder waiving his no-trade rights.

"I'm hoping I'm not going to get it dropped on me an hour before (Saturday's 4 p.m. ET) deadline to give me a little bit of time to think about it, but I think it will work out," Oswalt told Levine.

General manager Ed Wade said he wouldn't rush a deal to accommodate Oswalt.

"We'll use all the time allotted to us," Wade told Levine. "If there's the right decision to be made sooner rather than later, we'll make it, otherwise, we'll use all the time available to try to make the right decisions."

The Chronicle reported the Cardinals, who were once considered the front-runners to land him, were now long shots. The Phillies have long been working to obtain Oswalt, but it was believed a deal may have hit a snag over money. Oswalt is guaranteed more than $25 million over the length of his contract, and he also has a $16 million option for 2012. There have been conflicting reports about whether Oswalt would insist on his new team picking up the option.

Peralta was in the lineup for Cleveland's game against the New York Yankees on Wednesday, but was pulled at about 6 p.m. He's batting .246 with seven homers and 43 RBIs in 91 games.

Peralta will likely fill-in for Brandon Inge, the Tigers' injured third baseman.

The 28-year-old Peralta is in the final season of a five-year, $13 million contract, which includes an $11 million option for 2001. He's making $4.6 million this season.

The 19-year-old Soto has spent the entire season at Class-A West Michigan. He is 6-6 with a 2.61 ERA in 16 starts.

Infielder Luis Valbuena has been called up from Triple-A Columbus to take Peralta's roster spot.

Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

After breaking down game film all summer, here is our scouts' rankings for the top junior and senior wide receivers entering the college season:

1. A.J. Green, 6-4/207, Georgia (junior)
Green exploded onto the national scene as a true freshman in 2008 when he became Matthew Stafford's go-to guy. He has excellent height and top-notch athleticism to go with very good hands and the speed to make big plays. He can get separation on deep routes and should continue to do that in the NFL. He has consistently shown the ability to adjust and make great catches on off-target passes. The only issue is Green's thin frame and whether he'll be durable in the NFL. Projection: First-round pick.

2. Julio Jones, 6-4/211, Alabama (junior)
Alabama's go-to receiver since he showed up on campus, Jones has the size, strength and athleticism to maintain a high level of production in the NFL. He has a thick body and catches passes in traffic without hesitation. He also consistently breaks tackles to gain extra yards. He has very good hands and the ability to pluck the ball away from his body with ease. The one concern is Jones' lack of rare explosiveness, which could prevent him from getting separation on deep routes in the NFL. Projection: First-round pick.

3. Jonathan Baldwin, 6-5/225, Pittsburgh (junior)
He has surprising athleticism, consistently displays the ability to win jump-ball battles and is fearless catching passes in traffic. With his size, strength and competitiveness, he can gain yards after contact. Few 6-5 receivers have his ability to consistently make big plays—both running after the catch and catching deep passes. After a relatively quiet freshman season, he had a huge sophomore year in which he averaged nearly 20 yards on 57 catches. Projection: First-round pick.

4. Ryan Broyles, 5-11/178, Oklahoma (junior)
Broyles is a super-quick, explosive receiver who has been a big-play star at Oklahoma despite being surrounded by many talented pass catchers. He easily gets separation from defenders, makes tacklers miss and makes big plays when he gets into space. He has very good hands and has displayed the ability to make tough catches. However, his thin frame raises concerns about his ability to be durable in the NFL. Broyles should make an immediate impact as a punt returner. Projection: Late first-round or early second-round pick.

5. Niles Paul, 6-1/215, Nebraska
Paul is a well-built receiver with the size and strength to make plays after the catch. He has no fear and will catch passes in traffic, takes hard hits after the catch and holds onto the ball consistently. He is quick and agile, which really shows up in his ability to make big plays as a return man. Niles is not as well-known as many other receivers because Nebraska doesn't have a high-powered passing attack. But NFL people have taken notice of his size, strength, athleticism and skill running with the ball. Projection: Second-round pick.

6. Dwayne Harris, 6-0/205, East Carolina
Harris is an explosive player who has made the bulk of his plays from the slot. He has the quickness, agility and burst to get off the ball and into his routes quickly and has the burst out of his cuts to separate from tight coverage. He has consistently shown the ability to get open and make clutch catches in key situations. He has the vision, instincts and running ability to make big plays in space, which shows up even more in his success as a return man. Projection: Second-round pick.

7. Michael Floyd, 6-3/220, Notre Dame (junior)
Floyd is a big, tall receiver whose draft stock could move up significantly depending on his play. When he has been healthy, he has shown the combination of athleticism, size, strength and hands to be a potential first-rounder. However, he has dealt with injuries during both his seasons at Notre Dame, and there are questions about his durability. Floyd has been productive when healthy, though he doesn't appear to have elite speed—much like former Irish wideout Golden Tate. Projection: Second-round pick.

8. Greg Little, 6-3/215, North Carolina
Little is one of the most interesting prospects because this will be only his second full season at receiver; he formerly was a tailback. He is a big, well-built player who looks more like a tight end than a receiver, but he has the athleticism to make plays outside. He is a sure-handed receiver who has shown the ability to make tough catches with a defender on his back and break tackles to gain yards. However, he is not a quick-twitch athlete, leading to questions about whether he can consistently get separation in the NFL. Projection: Second-round pick.

9. Jerrel Jernigan, 5-9/184, Troy
Though he clearly lacks ideal size, his rare quickness, explosiveness, athleticism and speed give him the ability to consistently make big plays. He has shown the hands to make tough catches, gets upfield in a flash after the catch and has the top-end speed to take plays the distance. He has the tools to get open easily against tight man coverage and consistently makes big plays in key situations. He also has the talent to be an impact returner. Projection: Third-round pick.

10. Stephen Burton, 6-4/220, West Texas A&M
This small-school receiver has the attention of scouts. He is a tall receiver who has the quickness and explosiveness to run away from defenders and make big plays. He is a very raw prospect who needs work on his fundamentals. But if he continues to improve as much as he did in 2009, he has a chance to move up draft boards because of his combination of size, athleticism, speed and open-field running ability. Projection: Third- or fourth-round pick.

Former NFL scout Russ Lande evaluates college players for Sporting News' Pro Football War Room and GM Jr. Scouting LLC.

New University of Southern California running backs coach Kennedy Pola joined Fox Sports Radio with Petros and Money to talk about leaving the Tennessee Titans after being hired only last February, and the subsequent lawsuit the Titans filed against USC.

To listen to the interview, go to Sports Radio Interviews. Responses have been edited for clarity and brevity.

Kennedy Pola said he had to make a tough decision to leave the Titans for USC.

Did Pola know that the Titans would sue Lane Kiffin and USC?

Pola: I think that is above me. I was just an assistant coach doing my thing. I just finished unpacking my last box, moving in... and it all happened Friday afternoon when I got the phone call. From there, I made the decision that was tough -- timing was poor -- but sometimes, you have to -- what do they say? -- crack some eggs to make an omelet.

How would he describe his conversation with Titans coach Jeff Fisher?

Pola: Obviously, he was excited for me about the opportunity to come back and help USC, because, you have got to remember, I am not going back to sweet things. We are on a penalty from the NCAA. As a former player and a USC grad, I want the opportunity to come back there and help build and keep this tradition of USC going, because I am very proud of my university. I am not going to run away from it. I am going to try to come back there and do the best that I can to go through this penalty phase. I believe, with the leadership of our new Athletic Director, Pat Haden, I think we will get the job done.

What is it like to be back at USC?

Pola: It is exciting... I will tell you what, [Jeff Fisher] is an outstanding leader of men. I really enjoyed working with him and for him. I learned a lot.

You said that I have "moved around", but some of those moves were unplanned, it just happened...

I believe in continuous improvement. I have been improving as a coach, as a person, and the opportunity to be an offensive coordinator in one of the premier colleges/universities in the country, and then having Pat Haden there as the leader of the university's athletic department, I couldn't pass that up.

What was Pola's relationship with Lane Kiffin like when they worked together as assistants at UCS, and did they ever think they would be in this position?

Pola: No. He went and took his chance. Lane was there as the tight ends coach and I was the special teams coach in our first year with Coach [Pete] Carroll and we were there through the building blocks of a .500 team in the Vegas Bowl, and then we had a nice run with Coach Carroll and Coach [Norm] Chow, with Coach Kiffin, and [Steve] Sarkisian, and Tim Davis. That was a good group, a very good group.

We all ended up somewhere along and moved on, but to have an opportunity to come back to USC and work for Lane, and then have Coach [Ed] Orgeron there, who was with us the first run, it is just special. It is a special place. USC is a special place and I am just blessed and humbled to get an opportunity to come back and help out.

What can people expect from the running backs group this season?

Pola: I want tough guys, mentally, physically. I want them to understand that it is tough having the burden of being a student-athlete at the University of Southern California. That burden, not just on the field, it is off the field, how they represent themselves, and how they represent this university.

There is nobody bigger than the university now, the University of Southern California. If you do the right things on and off the field it is going to benefit you... It is a special place, and to carry that torch is something that is not a burden -- it is a benefit that you can't even explain. You are going to get smart, you are going to have guys that are explosive, good on and off the field, and that is what I expect from them.

More from SRI
Denver Nuggets coach George Karl talks about possibly returning in October
Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Matt Garza talks about throwing a no-hitter

Sporting News Audio is a weekly series of conversations with Sporting News experts during the MLB season. In this installment, Ryan Fagan discusses the four players at the center of this year's trade season.

That's the working definition of this year's baseball season: the Year of the Pitcher. After all, there have been five no-hitters this season, including two perfect games. Remember, that's not including the should-have-been perfect game by Armando Galarraga. While that surely seems like a lot (more on that in a minute) the number of no-hitters to games played in 2010 is ridiculously low when compared to, say, the number of walk-off wins.

There have been 1,502 games this season in Major League Baseball heading into play on Wednesday. The five no-hitters account for .3 percent of those games, which means we've qualified this as the Year of the Pitcher based on less than half of one percent of all the games played this year. Meanwhile, there have been 136 walk-off wins so far, which means that more than nine percent of all games have been decided in the most dramatic fashion. That sure seems like a lot, doesn't it?

Have a few great pitching performances stolen "the year of" away from the walk-off? To figure that out, we're going to need a bit of perspective on these numbers.

It's obviously impossible to compare something as rare as a no-hitter (or perfect game) to something like a walk-off win. The fact is, once a player gets a hit in the game, there is no longer a chance for that event to occur (you can't un-ring a bell, or un-hit a game, as it were). Unlike the no-hitter, a typical baseball game could have up to 17 lead changes before getting to the ninth inning with the home team needing a rally to win. So, despite the minuscule number of no-hitters this season when compared to the total number of walk-off wins, or total number of games played, the no-hitters can really only be judged against their own historical context. Shall we.

There have been 268 no-hitters (not including shortened games) in history, dating back to 1875. Coming into the season there were just 14 no-hitters since 1999, making the five no-hitters this season stand out even more (note: for the purposes of this historical comparison, it's difficult to count Galarraga's perfect game that wasn't because we do not know how many games in the course of baseball's long history were also actual no-hitters that the umpire botched a call to ruin. Galarraga clearly threw a perfect game, but it's hard to use that in year-to-year comparisons).

There have been five or more no-hitters in a season eleven times in the history of the majors, including this season. We have seen more than six no-hitters in a season three times before this year, and while the first (eight) was way back in 1884, the other two came within this generation. There were seven no-hitters in 1990, including two on the same day when Dave Stewart and Fernando Valenzuela each tossed a no-no on June 29th. There was, however, no perfect game that season. The following season there were another seven no-hitters, including one that featured three pitchers and another that featured four pitchers. There was one perfect game (by Dennis Martinez) as well as Nolan Ryan's seventh and final no-hitter. 1991 makes a pretty good case for the Year of the Pitcher.

Still, of the 20 perfect games in history, two have come this season. And yes, you can add that Galarraga game back in now, making it a theoretical three of 21 perfect games in the same year. Maybe this really is the year of the pitcher.

Here are a few notes to add back that up: Josh Johnson, despite giving up three runs in his latest start, boasts an ERA that currently rivals the all-time greats. Johnson's 1.72 ERA would be the fourth-lowest since 1968. Having said that, the number did raise more than a tenth of a run last night and it was just a few weeks ago that Ubaldo Jimenez was boasting better numbers than Johnson, before he faltered a bit by giving up four or more runs in five of his last six starts.

Jimenez, for what it's worth, still boasts a 2.75 ERA and is one of 18 pitchers who currently have an ERA under 3.00. To add another bit of context to this year's numbers, Chris Carpenter led the NL with a 2.24 ERA last season and there are currently three players under that mark this year, including two on his own team.

As a league, the pitching has been better than in recent years. In fact, the overall ERA heading into games on Wednesday (4.15) is the lowest since 1992 (worth noting the overall ERA was below 4.00 in every year but one from 1980-1992 and not one time since) and the overall WHIP is the best since 1992 as well. Even if it's not the Year of the Pitcher when you look at the entire history of the game (I'd take 1968, with seven 20-game winners including Denny McLain's 31 wins and 49 pitchers with an ERA under 3.00 including 21 with a 2.50 or better) but 2010 has been, without much doubt, the Year of the Pitcher of the Last Two Decades or So.

So.can it be both the Year of the Pitcher and the Year of the Walk-off? Sure, it can. But based on the recent history, it's probably not. While nine-percent of all games seems like a really high number to be decided by the last swing of the bat (or, in some cases, the last ball, hit-batsman or balk) the ratio of games to games won in walk-off fashion is not significantly higher than any of the last five years.

According to baseball-reference.com, there were 211 walk-off wins in 2,430 games in 2009 (8.68 percent). In 2008, there were 228 walk-off wins in 2,428 games (9.39 percent), which is more than the current pace (9.05 percent) through the 1,502 games this season. The numbers in 2007 and 2006 were slightly lower than this year - 215 of 2,431 games (8.84 percent) in 2007 and 214 of 2,429 games (8.81 percent) in 2006 - though not so much that it would make this campaign stand out with "Year of" status. If anything, recent history would have given that moniker to the 2008 season.

Why, then, does it seem like there are so many walk-off wins this year? Perhaps it's the ridiculous nature of some, from grand slams where the batter thought it was an out to, as mentioned above, a walk-off balk to players getting hurt on their home-plate celebration to, recently, a pie-in-the-face celebration gone horribly wrong.

How about this for an answer to the "Year of" debate: it's the Year of Really Compelling Baseball. There have been great pitching performances and a ton of thrilling late-inning wins. Add in the fact that five of the six division races are within 3.5 games and this is shaping up to be one heckuva season.if you're looking for that kind of definition, of course.