2011 MLB Trade Deadline

The 2011 MLB season is barely a week old and trade rumors, needs and possibilities are already swirling around many teams. One thing is certain though, only eight of the league's 30 teams will make the playoffs, leaving plenty of sellers in the market.

Anyone who knows baseball will tell you that starting pitchers start games, batters put teams in position to win games but the bullpen finishes games and makes wins possible.

July 31 is the MLB trade deadline. This is the special time of year when teams put the "for sale: inquire within" sign on the outside of the stadium. Teams from across the country look to shed salary, unload unhappy stars, or add that special piece, that the front office believes will propel the team to a championship level.

This hurts.

Born and raised in Madison, WI, I've been a Milwaukee Brewers fan my entire life. I remember my dad taking me to games at old County Stadium to see Robin Yount and Paul Molitor play, and it was so easy and "available" to stand outside after the game to fetch autographs from your favorite players or even to just see the team.

This is an insane column, folks. Why would the Seattle Mariners trade Felix Hernandez before the trade deadline? Why would they trade him ever?

To butcher a line from my good friend (never met the man) Allen Iverson, “Felix? We talkin’ ‘bout King Felix?”

I went to Arizona last year for spring training with a friend who was “in” with the Seattle brass. We were hooked up with game tickets, as well as being able to meet and mingle with the players, etc.

A player that appeared on the brink of superstardom, Matt Kemp had a very disappointing 2010 season and now finds himself in the midst of trade rumors.  

Back in early February, Texas Rangers third baseman Michael Young officially asked to be traded.

However, the Rangers have yet to be involved with any serious offers.

Part of the reason is that Young is set to make $48 million over the next three seasons. Also, Texas is asking for grade-A talent, which could only make matters more difficult.

Padres All Star closer Heath Bell is the latest Padre to step to the edge of the contract precipice, looking down at the Padres future meager wage offerings and hearing the call of the Yankees or the Red Sox and their monetary sirens song.

This is what is wrong with the sport and in some waysm all sports in the 21st century. There is no longer any semblance of a level playing field when it comes to the buying and selling of players.

After a disappointing 2010 campaign, the Los Angeles Dodgers signed first-baseman James Loney only to a one-year deal.

With a decrease in home-runs and batting average each of the last four seasons, anything more than a one-year deal may have been questioned.

So, the question remains; Should the Dodgers give him one more year to get back on track, or put him on the trade block?

Well, here are some potential candidates if L.A. chooses the latter. 

The trading deadline can make or break a team. The right trade can lift your team to a pennant. A bad move can wreck your franchise for years to come.

Last season, we saw just how dramatic an effect a trade can have. The Cliff Lee-to-Texas trade propelled the Rangers to the World Series.

This year, as is the case every year, there will be players available on July 31, and there will be teams looking for that one missing piece which will land them a spot in the postseason. Here is a list of some of those who could find themselves in trade talks come the deadline.

Last season, it was Adrian Gonzalez and Cliff Lee.  This year, trade deadline talks will most likely center around the biggest hitter in the game, Prince Fielder.

We all know that being talked about at the deadline is not a guarantee that you will be shipped out; just look at Adrian Gonzalez.