The 3 p.m. non-waiver trade deadline has passed without the Twins making a move. They opted to hold on to players they could have dealt. A Twins official has confirmed that they did not make a deal.

There were reports during the day that the Reds were interested in leadoff hitter Denard Span and that the Rangers were after reliever Jared Burton, but nothing came to fruition.

Both the Dodgers and Giants dealt for outfield help. The Twins decided to hold onto Josh Willingham,

The Dodgers were interested in Justin Morneau recently but only had him as a second-tier option. They proved that as they traded for Shane Victorino and Hanley Ramirez.

The Reds were among teams that were looking for a leadoff hitter. But Span remains a Twin

A Twins official said that there has been interest in Span, Burton, Morneau, Willingham and Glen Perkins in recent days/weeks, but the Twins were never presented a deal that got their attention. It was going to take a big offer for them to make a move.

In the Twins' eyes, they can keep these players as pieces for next season and look to trade them at next year's deadline if they need to.

The only move the Twins made this month was sending Francisco Liriano - tonight's starter - to the White Sox for two mid-level prospects. Indications last week were that they were trying to move Liriano but were only listening to teams about other deals. And that's how it played out.

Attention now turns to the Aug. 31 deadline when players who have cleared waivers can be traded. Righthanders Carl Pavano and Matt Capps should be healthy and pitching by then, and teams could make a move for one or both of them.