Roy Halladay's reported invocation of his no-trade clause killed a potential trade to the Texas Rangers on the eve of the trade deadline.

5:00 p.m. CST: While the Rangers and Blue Jays were reportedly not close to a Roy Halladay deal late Thursday evening, the two teams were still entrenched in trade discussions until Halladay himself informed both parties that he would not waive his no-trade clause to come to Texas (T.R. Sullivan, MLB.com)

[Halladay-related trade conjecture: According to KTCK 1310 AM The Ticket, the Rangers rejected a final offer that would have sent only two players -- Derek Holland and Justin Smoak -- to Toronto for Halladay. Please note that this has not been corroborated by a reputable third-party source as of yet (e.g. FOXSports.com, SI.com and/or ESPN.com), so like most radio reports, take it with a grain of salt.

Now, as for Halladay's rejection of the Rangers ... well, didn't we know all along that this was a distinct possibility? His invocation of the no-trade clause indicates to me that the probability of the Rangers and Blue Jays revisiting a Halladay deal during the December winter meetings, much less striking an agreement, is not strong, for if he's not amenable to joining a presently competitive Rangers team, what's it going to take for him to change his mind in the next four months? In the end, every single obstacle proved indomitable -- the financials, the talent and the no-trade clause. For all intents and purposes, we can finally give the Halladay-to-Texas thing a proper burial.]

3:35 p.m. CST: The Angels and Blue Jays came "very close" to completing a deal that would have sent Roy Halladay to Anaheim in exchange for Angels left-hander Joe Saunders and three additional players, but time evidently ran out and no agreement could be hammered out before the 3:00 p.m. CST deadline (Jayson Stark, ESPN.com)

[Depends on what the Angels would have included beyond Saunders (who isn't very good), but this had the potential to be ruinous for the Rangers' post-season chances both this season and next season. Bullet dodged?]

3:30 p.m. CST: The Padres and White Sox have agreed upon a deal sending ace right-hander Jake Peavy to Chicago for a package of minor leaguers; the deal is contingent upon Peavy waiving his no-trade clause (Jon Heyman, SI.com)

[The reported package: White Sox left-handers Aaron Poreda and Clayton Richard and right-handers Dexter Carter and Adam Russell. Peavy is due no less than $52 million over the next three seasons, an enormous sum even for a pitcher of his pedigree.]

3:15 p.m. CST: Official confirmation from the Rangers: "All clear. No trades." (Evan Grant, D Magazine)

[... and exhale.]

3:05 p.m. CST: There is still no word from Rangers personnel as to whether they have refrained from completing a deal or are waiting for trade approval from the commissioner's office (Evan Grant, D Magazine)

[Hold your breath ...]

3:00 p.m. CST: Despite earlier reports stating that the Marlins were out of the bidding for Nationals first baseman Nick Johnson, it now appears that Florida has snagged Johnson in exchange for Double-A left-hander Aaron Thompson; the Nationals will eat the remaining $1.8 million on Johnson's salary (Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi, FOXSports.com)

[A questionable .248/.376/.318 stretch at the plate dating back to June 7th -- spanning a grand total of 189 plate appearances -- undoubtedly took a major bite out of his trade value, forcing acting Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo to abandon his previously lofty trade demands and settle for ... well, a fallen first-rounder from years past.

Not to be confused with the Rangers' Aaron Thompson (an 18-year-old Australian right-hander currently pitching for the rookie-league Arizona Rangers, the Nationals' Aaron Thompson was a transitory player of interest to the Rangers during last December's winter meetings, but does not boast a terribly enthralling scouting profile and could, as suggested by Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus, develop into a LOOGY (left-handed one-out guy) before all is said and done. Texas could have bested that pretty easily, but one wonders whether Johnson's prolonged slump was ultimately the greatest source of concern, and whether that prevented a more impassioned pursuit in the end.]

2:45 p.m. CST: The Blue Jays and Reds have agreed in principle on a deal sending Toronto third baseman Scott Rolen to Cincinnati; Rolen must waive his no-trade clause for the deal to become official (Jon Heyman, SI.com)

2:40 p.m. CST: The Marlins have terminated their pursuits of Nationals first baseman Nick Johnson and Padres closer Heath Bell, with one major league source declaring both trade angles "dead and over" (Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi, FOXSports.com)

2:25 p.m. CST: The Yankees have acquired Jerry Hairston Jr. from the Reds; the Rockies have acquired Joe Beimel from the Nationals (Joel Sherman, New York Post; Chico Harlan, Washington Post)

[Where art thou, Phil Nevin? Beimel rejected the Rangers' offer of a minor league deal in mid-January and has been quietly effective in a seventh-and-eighth-inning role, limiting left-handed hitters to a .233/.288/.417 clip during his 39.2-inning run with the Nationals in 2009.]

2:00 p.m. CST: The prospective Victor Martinez-to-Boston deal would send right-hander Justin Masterson and left-hander Nick Hagadone to the Indians (Peter Gammons, ESPN.com)

[There has been some speculation that Boston and Cleveland could involve a third prospect-slinging team in the Martinez deal, but that doesn't appear to be a viable option right now. Matching Masterson and Hagadone in the Rangers system would probably a quick flip through the system rolodex to the names "Hunter, Tommy" and "Font, Wilmer," although the late inclusion of interesting 22-year-old right-hander Bryan Price renders the Red Sox' package more appealing.]

1:35 p.m. CST: Texas and Toronto came "very close" on Thursday to sealing a deal that would have shipped ace right-hander Roy Halladay to the Rangers, but trade discussions between the two clubs now appear to be somewhere between "dead and on life support" (T.R. Sullivan, MLB.com)

[Beyond the eminent financial obstacles and the conflicting reports with respect to Halladay's inclination to green-light a deal to Texas, the Blue Jays' continued insistence upon Derek Holland's inclusion appears to have played a significant role in the deterioriation of negotiations. Now, this isn't to say that Blue Jays manager J.P. Ricciardi won't break as the minutes tick away and consent to a deal comprising Neftali Feliz and Justin Smoak as the frontliners, but the point is that it doesn't appear likely at this juncture. And that might be a good thing.]

1:30 p.m. CST: The Red Sox are on the verge of acquiring Indians catcher/first baseman Victor Martinez (Bob Nightengale, USA Today; Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi, FOXSports.com)