Putting the "Dead" in Deadline

There was a time when the MLB trade deadline was my favorite part of the season.

Not that long ago, it wasn't unusual to see the likes of Randy Johnson and Mark McGwire change uniforms mid-July. Now, we're forced to settle for deals like Kenny Lofton to the Indians and Tadahito Iguchi to the Phillies.

Am I supposed to get excited about that?

Don't get me wrong, I think both of those were good deals for the contending teams, but it's not as if we're about to witness a huge shift in the balance of power. Paul Konerko, Roy Oswalt, Mark Texiera, and Troy Glaus are all rumored to be on the move, but I think rumors are all we'll get.

There are a lot of factors involved in deals that do and don't go down, and I don't claim to be an expert on the subject. But two possible explanations come to mind.

First, player contracts have taken on an extraordinary level of complexity in recent years. At one time, you agreed to play for a certain team for X number of dollars for X number of years, and that was that. These days, though, agents wheel and deal and get things like no-trade clauses, limited no-trade clauses, player options, and the like.

The power of the player, the incredibly high dollar amounts involved, and luxury tax issues combine to make settling on a deal more difficult than ever.

Secondly, the implementation of the Wild Card makes more teams believe that they can contend for a playoff spot, and beyond that, a World Series. As recently as a couple of weeks ago, Giants general manager Brian Sabean hinted that his team could still be looking to improve come the July 31 deadline. And San Francisco was entrenched in the cellar at that point!

When 24 out of the 30 teams in baseball consider themselves buyers, you have a limited supply of talent available. The teams that are sellers know this and often raise the price tag to match the perceived demand. Then, most of the 24 buyers walk away in disgust.

If you're a fan of a contending team (and I mean a real contending team, not those seven or eight pretenders that round out the 24 buyers), good for you. Enjoy the pennant race. But for the rest of us, the next week won't be much better than the rest.

If it's trading action and new blood you're looking for, you'll probably have to wait until November.