One Week from the Trade Deadline

The big names are known - Hallday, Cliff Lee, and Victor Martinez - so I'll look at some of the smaller names being thrown around.

Scott Kazmir - It seems like the Rays have half given up on Kaz. Somewhere along the road, his injuries caught up with him and it's not looking like it's going to be easy to get back to those 2006 numbers. It's a shame, because he still has absolutely filthy stuff, but his velocity has slowly lowered and his control has gotten worse every year. Blame it on injuries, blame it on 4 different pitching coaches in his young career, blame it on whatever, Kaz may need just a change of scenery. The only problem is... he was offered a pretty substantial contract by TB last year. If the Rays trade him - and the Angels are checking him out as an option - it won't be for much except a contract dump. Don't expect a big return. It would merely be to free up space for another move.

Erik Bedard - Bedard is really, really good and really, really underrated. Seattle is begging for a shorstop to last them for a long time. I've seen it thrown around a ton, and still see it as the only perfect trade fit in the Majors this year: Reid Brignac + a B-level prospect for Bedard. The Rays are being killed by inconsistent starting pitching. If a Kazmir deal gets done, especially, Bedard would be even more of a perfect fit. Brignac hasn't done much at the Major League level but he has consistently torn up the minors and is still the top shortstop prospect in the Majors. He's young, cheap, and great defensively, and Seattle would love to have that position stabilized for the next 5+ years.

Nick Johnson - The only real name anyone's hearing attached to Johnson's name is Boston. Then again, they did just acquire LaRoche, so maybe this deal is dead in the water. On the other hand, LaRoche sucks, Lowell is not a great option right now and won't exactly improve as time goes on. Johnson happens to play the worst first base in the majors, but I think Boston won't mind the defensive hit when he's putting up a line of .302/.412/.417. That frees them up to move Youk to third, split Ortiz and Lowell at DH, sub in Lowell whenever Youk or Johnson needs an off day. Seems like a no brainer for Boston, especially for a team as desparate for offensive help as they are. Asking price may be a little steep though considering he's one of like 7 good players Washington owns.

Jarrod Washburn - The funny thing about Washburn is that he hasn't really improved at all so some team is going to get totally fleeced by Seattle and take a flyer on this guy. He's playing behind an amazing OF defense for the first time in his career. He's also 35, playing in his 12th season, and all of a sudden having a career year... strike anyone else as a little odd? He's getting extremely lucky this year and if someone wants to throw the bank at him and hope his luck continues, go for it. Seattle has made some terrible trades in the past few years but this one could go their way.

Marco Scutaro - Typical Billy Beane prospect. Finally given a chance to start and he's done nothing but show off a ridiculous OBP and pretty decent power numbers. The Blue Jays are obviously sellers and a team like Seattle or Boston could bite on this, although the Jays will be hesitant to trade in-division.