This article has been submitted by Stu Wilkinson.
It’s time. The Major League Baseball All-Star Game is over, which means it’s time to get down to business for the teams that consider themselves contenders for a berth in the World Series. As we saw last year with the Colorado Rockies, the goal for teams not named the Boston Red Sox should be making the playoffs. Once you’re playing in October, anything can happen. Of course, absolutely nothing will happen if your team ends up playing the Red Sox. That’s just a juggernaut.
To increase their chances of getting into the playoffs some teams will make big trades on or around the July 31st trading deadline. We’ve already seen Milwaukee deal prospects for C.C. Sabathia and the Cubs do the same for Rich Harden. More swaps involving prospects and established players will be made as the summer wears on. Why on Earth, however, would a baseball bigwig pull the trigger on giving up some blue chip prospects for a rental player when the greatest player of all time is available as a free agent and willing to play for the league minimum? Ladies and gentlemen, you have forgotten Barry Bonds!
