The Alex Rodriguez trade talks reached a "sensitive" stage while a possible deal to send Omar Vizquel back to Seattle hit a major snag Tuesday on a yet another busy day of baseball maneuvering.

A day after the winter meetings wrapped up, it was hard to tell the session ever ended. Mark Redman, Reggie Sanders, Jose Guillen and Michael Barrett were on the move and New York made plans to introduce Gary Sheffield at Yankee Stadium.

But the biggest deal of all remained the potential blockbuster between Texas and Boston — Rodriguez for Manny Ramirez. With so much money involved, all sides are getting involved.

Rodriguez, the AL MVP, and Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein got together with Gene Orza, the No. 2 official at the players' union.

"I did meet with A-Rod and Theo today," Orza said. "But I'm not going to discuss the substance of the discussions."

Texas Rangers owner Tom Hicks is trying to work out the trade directly with Red Sox owner John Henry.

Earlier in the day, Cleveland and Seattle agreed on deal that would send Vizquel to the Mariners for Carlos Guillen in a swap of shortstops, a baseball source told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

But for the trade to become final, Vizquel had to pass a physical. And after going through tests Tuesday at Safeco Field, he was told he'd failed. He had two surgeries on his right knee last season.

"They called me about an hour ago, and told me that I didn't pass the test on my knee," Vizquel, 36, told MLB.com. "It was kind of a shock. I was really looking forward to coming back and playing for the Mariners."

CUBS-A'S TRADE: The Oakland Athletics traded catcher Michael Barrett to the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday, a day after acquiring him from Montreal. The A's will receive a player to be named from Chicago.

In addition, Oakland agreed to a $3.65 million, two-year contract with reliever Ricardo Rincon. The 33-year-old left-hander was 8-4 with a 3.25 ERA in 64 relief appearances last season. Barrett was acquired from the Expos on Monday for a player to be named. He hit .208 with 10 home runs and 30 RBIs in 70 games with Montreal last year.

YANKEES-EXPO TRADE: The New York Yankees completed their Dec. 4 trade with Montreal for pitcher Javier Vazquez when first baseman Nick Johnson passed his physical for the Expos on Tuesday. New York sent Johnson, outfielder Juan Rivera and left-hander Randy Choate to Montreal for Vazquez, a 27-year-old right-hander. Johnson's physical was delayed because he was in Europe on vacation.

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New York's projected starting rotation now includes Mike Mussina, Kevin Brown, Vazquez and Jose Contreras. David Wells, who is close to agreement on a minor league contract, and Jon Lieber, recovering from elbow surgery, are expected to compete for the fifth spot.

BOSOX GET BELLHORN: The Red Sox acquired infielder Mark Bellhorn from the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday for a player to be named. Bellhorn, 29, is a career .230 hitter with 36 homers and 106 RBIs in 371 games with Oakland, the Chicago Cubs and Colorado. He hit a career-best 27 homers with 56 RBIs in 146 games with the Cubs in 2002. Bellhorn became the first switch-hitter in National League history to homer from both sides of the plate in the same inning, accomplishing the feat for the Cubs at Milwaukee on Aug. 29.

SANDERS MOVES AGAIN: Reggie Sanders joined his seventh team in seven seasons, agreeing Tuesday to a $6 million, two-year contract with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Sanders, 36, fills a void in the outfield created by last weekend's trade that sent J.D. Drew and Eli Marrero to Atlanta. He hit .285 last season for the Pirates with a team-leading 31 homers and 87 RBIs. He's also played with the Giants, Diamondbacks, Braves and Padres after spending the first eight seasons of his career with the Reds.

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