It's almost trade deadline time for Major League Baseball, and former Florida right-hander Dane Dunning is one of the first dominoes to fall.
The Texas Rangers traded Dunning to the Atlanta Braves on Thursday night in exchange for right-handed reliever José Ruiz. Dunning has spent most of his major league career with Texas, but the Rangers waived him at the end of spring training, hoping a team would eat his $2.66 million salary.
Nothing happened, so Dunning returned and has spent most of the year in Triple-A. Texas repeated the process after an April call-up, and he's been back with the major league club since last month.