The Devil Rays are providing all of the excitement during this trade deadline. I say that with utmost sarcasm.

Trade One: Yahoo! Sports reports via AP writer Chris Duncan that the Rays traded Ty Wigginton to the Astros for reliever Dan Wheeler. I think the Astros lose greatly on this trade. They messed with Wheeler’s mind after putting him in the closer role when Brad Lidge was removed as the stopper. Wheeler is an excellent reliever…but he’s not suited to be a closer. Maybe he’ll turn into an Al Reyes type with the Rays having no postseason expectations…ever. The Astros normally expect to compete for the Wild Card. It just didn’t happen this year.

Trade Two: Another Yahoo! Sports report says that the Rays traded Jorge Cantu, minor league outfielder Shaun Cumberland and cash to the Reds for two minor league pitchers: Brian Shackelford and Calvin Medlock.

The Rays are really trying to fix their bullpen and getting rid of players like Cantu is the way to do it. I think Cantu’s best year is behind him, which was his only decent year. He played out of his shoetops in 2005 when he hit 28 HRs and 117 RBI’s.

I think the Rays could have gotten more for Wigginton if they had waited. But Wheeler is a nice bounty.

This trade deadline is really lame. If all I can find worthy of writing about is Shea Hillenbrand signing with the Padres AAA affiliate then it’s the worst trading deadline ever. I’m still waiting for that blockbuster trade.

The Padres are accumulating guys with potential and that’s a good thing. Milton Bradley has worked out nicely for them thus far.

The deadline is so lame right now, I went to some malls expecting to report on something big when I got back…much to my disappointment.

According to ESPN.com the San Diego Padres traded for Scott Hairston of the Arizona Diamondbacks. In the deal, San Diego will send minor league pitcher Leo Rosales. Hairston is really an odd man out in Arizona this year, but he has a lot of potential. The only thing is that he hasn’t caught any breaks since coming to the Majors in 2004.

To view Hairson’s Yahoo! Sports stats, click here.

UPDATE: With Chase Utley out, the Phillies traded for Tadahito Iguchi from the Chicago White Sox. The story is available via press release on MLB.com In the deal, the Phillies send minor league RHP Michael Dubee. This is really a minor move but no real activity so here you go

Chase Utley is out for a month. Maybe this will put the Phillies in the market for a stop-gap second baseman…or they could call someone up. According to the Phillies depth chart, their bench players Greg Dobbs and Abraham Nunez are suited to all the other infield positions…not second base.

Utley was hit by Nationals pitcher John Lannan who was making his debut. He eventually got ejected after plunking Ryan Howard as well. What a way to start your career.

The Cleveland Indians traded for Kenny Lofton today. Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com has the story. The Indians send catcher Max Ramirez to Texas. Ramirez was involved in the Atlanta trade last year when the Braves traded for then Indians closer, Bob Wickman.

Could you classify this as a 3-team deal. Not really but it works out like that with about a year in-between:

Atlanta gets Bob Wickman

Cleveland gets Kenny Lofton

Texas gets Max  Ramirez.

You could also look at it from the perspective of Cleveland trading Wickman for Lofton. Fantasy players take note; this move may affect Lofton’s stolen bases as he may no longer be the lead-off man and his overall role will change.

Looks like the Atlanta Braves are really pining for Mark Teixeira. Since Ryan Klesko and Andres Galarraga left the Braves, first base has been a bit of a black eye on the Braves offensive. Adam LaRoche did well last year, but many think he can’t duplicate that performance again.

Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Braves have offered Jarrod Saltalamacchia and minor leaguers Matt Harrison and Elvis Andrus. That’s a lot to give up for a guy who might prove to be little more than a rental. In the same breath, is Salty a can’t miss prospect? The last time I heard that title given out was for Miguel Cabrera and that was from Peter Gammons, a semi-god of baseball chatter. So what should the Rangers do?

Has anyone topped the Braves offer? We don’t know. The last time the Braves made a 3-for-1 trade, they came out on top. They sent Juan Cruz, Charles Thomas and former prospect Dan Meyer for Tim Hudson.

Jim Molony of MLB.com has a list of last year’s trades up. It’s a thorough list of the good and just plain bad moves that were made last year.

I think the most significant trade was the Carlos Lee trade. What will be the most significant this year?

The trade deadline is one of the most exciting times in all of sports, particularly baseball. Players don’t move in other sports as they do in baseball. Sure in basketball you have real blockbuster deals in the offseason, but in baseball, you get tons of trades to talk about: good and bad. You’ll be at the bar with your buddies; a bit inebriated and that is the time you choose to share your wealth of baseball knowledge and trades that were done. You’ll most likely start off with, “Remember that time when (insert player name here) got traded to (insert team here). Man that trade blew chunks.” Or something along those lines. Well here’s some more potential bar conversation:

• The Yankees are calling around and asking if anyone wants Johnny Damon off their hands. Shouldn’t it work the other way around? Aren’t teams supposed to ask you for your players? The Yankees have exposed their hand on Damon and now no team is going to bite unless the Yanks absorb a heckuva lot of Damon’s salary. Dan Graziano of the New Jersey Star-Ledger says that the Yankees called a few teams including the Braves, since Andruw Jones is most likely leaving after the season is over. The Braves like Damon, “but not at that price”. With Damon’s noodle arm, I think he’ll be better off in left field, with Francoeur in center and maybe Harris in right if the Braves keep Willy.

• The Nationals are close to signing Dmitri Young to a contract extension. Bill Ladson of MLB.com has the story. It looks as though the Nationals think highly of Belliard and Young. They could be right…or wrong.

• George King of the New York Post says that the Tigers are trying to bring Kyle Farnsworth back. I saw somewhere that Atlanta had interest in Farnsworth as well, but I doubted that since John Schuerholz tends to hold a grudge against players who disrespect the franchise, namely Kenny Lofton and Kyle Farnsworth. I posted a few weeks back it’s unlikely that the Braves would trade for him simply because he left for the Yankees and said that the Yankees were better off.

• Nick Cafardo and Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe say that the Red Sox are interested in Ty Wigginton. The Devil Rays slugger is a cheaper alternative for cash-strapped clubs or teams not wanting to give up loads of prospects that would disrupt their plans. They also said that the Sox are interested in Mark Teixeira, but the Rangers want a lot of prospects. That’s where the Braves come in. The biggest rumor right now is the Braves interest in Teixeira and possibly Eric Gagne. If that happens, they could probably move Wickman, let Gagne leave via free agency and get the draft picks. If Andruw Jones leaves, they’ll also get draft picks, plus have Teixeira for a year and a half and draft picks for him in 2009.

I am tired. I love the trade deadline

ESPN has the story on the first real trade to kick-start the non-waiver trade deadline. The Padres send Linebrink for three minor league pitchers: Will Inman and left-handers Steve Garrison and Joe Thatcher. Apparently southpaws aren’t as valuable as they once were.

I think the Padres robbed the Brewers in this move, but Linebrink is a free agent this year so the Brewers are probably in it for the draft picks and his veteran approach as he comes from a consistently winning team. This is new territory for most of the Brewers.

One must note that Linebrink is on the decline. His K’s are down. Milwaukee get a setup man to go with Derrick Turnbow.

Congrats to the Padres and the Brewers on completing the first significant trade as we approach the trade deadline

It’s a sad period for baseball and it reminds us of how quickly things can go wrong. Former player and coach for the Tulsa Drillers-Mike Coolbaugh- was struck on the head by a foul ball. He died later on Sunday. He became a coach only earlier this month because his children wanted to see him on a baseball field. During his playing days, one of his sons hadn’t been born yet and another was about a year old.

Yahoo! Sports covers this tragedy in-depth. Baseball needs to re-evaluate safety for those involved in the game but not actually playing. Would it be so ridiculous for coaches to at least wear helmets? Arnie Stapleton, AP Sports writer has a story about player and coach safety and this is also at Yahoo! Sports

Last, but not least Tim Kurkjian interviews the Dodgers 1B coach and carries us into the coaches’ world, albeit briefly.

My condolences go out to Mike Coolbaugh’s family. May he rest in peace.