The Pittsburgh Pirates have made yet another move, trading star shortstop Jack Wilson and pitcher Ian Snell to the Seattle Mariners. In return, the Pirates are getting shortstop Ronny Cedeno, minor league catcher and former number one draft pick Jeff Clement and right-handed pitchers Nathan Adcock, Brett Lorin and Aaron Pribanic. The Pirates have been trying to rebuild their farm system after a disappointing first half of the season and have made multiple trades already this season to address that issue.

The four prospects going to the Pittsburgh farm system join eight other prospects already acquired this season. The Pirates also received outfielder Lastings Milledge and pitcher Joel Hanrahan from the Washington Nationals this season. The Pirates came into the 2009 season with hopes of a .500 or better season for the first time since the 1992 season when they won the National League Pennant. Those hopes were erased as management started trading players to build for the future. Outfielder Nate McLouth was traded to the Atlanta Braves, infielder Adam LaRoche was traded to the Boston Red Sox and outfielder Nyjer Morgan was sent to the Washington Nationals. Also, minor league pitcher Romulo Sanchez and outfielder Eric Hinske, brought in this year to help lead a young team, were traded to the Yankees.

Jack Wilson, the latest to get traded from the Pirates this season, was an All-Star and a Silver Slugger in 2004. He is hitting .267 with 4 home runs and 31 RBI’s this season. Ian Snell joins Wilson in this latest trade. Snell has been effective in AAA after a disappointing start to the season. Snell is 2-2 with a .96 ERA and 47 strikeouts in six starts with AAA.

Seattle is parting with shortstop Ronny Cedeno, who has struggled this season. He is hitting .167 with 5 home runs and 17 RBI’s in 59 games. Perhaps a change of scenery will help the struggling shortstop produce. The Mariners are also parting with four prospects; the biggest name being catcher Jeff Clement. Clement has not lived up to the hype since being drafted third overall in 2005. This season, he is hitting .288 with 7 home runs at the AAA level.

These moves come with just two days left until the non-waiver trade deadline. Only time will tell if more moves are forthcoming for either of these two teams.

Conversations between Toronto and Philadelphia, said to be the front runner for acquiring Halladay, are in a stalemate because the Phillies will not part with top pitching prospect Kyle Drabek. The Blue Jays have repeatedly asked for Drabek along with J.A. Happ and Dominic Brown. The Phillies countered with a package that would include one or more of the following players; Michael Taylor, Carlos Carrasco, Jason Donald and Lou Marson.

Toronto balked at the counter offer from the Phillies and sources claim that both teams are still in negotiations regarding Halladay but that talks turned nasty at one point over the weekend. The second team said to be in the running for Halladay are the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim but Toronto is said to be asking for three players on the Angels’ 25-man roster in return for Halladay.

Halladay, wherever he lands, will make a major impact on his new team if he is traded at all. Toronto GM J.P. Ricciardi claims he really doesn’t think that Halladay will be traded by the time the 4pm Friday deadline arrives because he doesn’t believe that any team will want to part with the prospects they are asking for in return. If Halladay does change teams he will likely end up with the Phillies, Dodgers, or Angels. These three teams seem to be the ones that have the talent it will take to pry the Cy Young Award winner from the only team he has ever played for.

So what happens to the rest of the league if Halladay does not get traded or if the Blue Jays decide to hold onto him even if there is time left prior to the deadline? Many teams could turn to the Cleveland Indians and the Seattle Mariners. The Indians haven’t decided yet if they are willing to trade former Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee or hold onto him. The Mariners also aren’t sure if they are ready to part with Jarrod Washburn prior to the deadline. If teams are looking for a plan B then they could possibly turn their attention towards Lee and/or Washburn.

Other pitching options for teams looking for relievers include Baltimore’s George Sherrill, possibly the Reds’ Arthur Rhodes, the Diamondbacks’ Chad Qualls, the Nationals’ Joe Beimel and the Pirates’ John Grabow and Matt Capps. It is still difficult to determine whether or not there will be a flurry of minor trades by week’s end or if the Holliday to St. Louis trade will be the only blockbuster deal of the 2009 regular season.

The St. Louis Cardinals and the Oakland Athletics have made the first blockbuster trade of the 2009 season. The Cardinals received three-time All-Star outfielder Matt Holliday from the Athletics for three minor league prospects. In addition to Matt Holliday, the Cardinals also received $1.5 million. This appears to be a win-win situation, as both clubs look to make the best of this trade. The Cardinals are getting a deal that is going to help them now, whereas the Athletics are getting a deal that will set them up for the future.

St. Louis is getting a star outfielder. Matt Holliday is more than just a three time All-Star. He is a three time Silver Slugger and a runner up to the 2007 National League MVP award. Before joining the Cardinals, Holliday was a career .315 hitter, with two 30+ home run seasons. Holliday is a much better player than his numbers show with the Athletics this season. In his first series with the Cardinals, Matt went 7 for 11 with 3 RBI’s against the defending World Champion Philadelphia Phillies. Matt opted against driving from New York, where the Athletics were set to open a series against the Yankees, to Philadelphia and instead, he took a train with his wife. Matt arrived early enough that Cardinals manager Tony La Russa was able to pencil him in the starting lineup. That would prove to be helpful as Matt went 4 for 5 with a double, a stolen base and one RBI in the Cardinal’s win. Matt proved that he wanted to play for his new team by arriving at the field early instead of showing up late and only being available as a pinch hitter.

Another thing that Holliday brings is post season experience. He knows how to play when it counts. He went on a tear in September 2007, leading the Colorado Rockies to their first postseason appearance and earned himself the National League Player of the Month award. He continued his hot streak in the postseason, belting 5 home runs and 10 RBI’s, and earned the National League Championship Series MVP award. Now, he is on a team with a stronger lineup and better management that is set to make playoff runs for many seasons to come.

That stronger lineup includes a dangerous outfield trio in Holliday, Ryan Ludwick and Rick Ankiel. Ludwick is batting .275 this year with 17 home runs and 63 RBI’s. Last year, Ludwick slugged 37 home runs and 113 RBI’s. Ankiel, one of Major League Baseball’s great stories, hit .264 last year with 25 home runs and 71 RBI’s. His numbers are down this year, however, as he spent most of May on the disabled list after a nasty collision against the outfield wall in a game against the Philadelphia Phillies. If you add up all three players stats from 2008, you have 87 home runs and 272 RBI’s. Add those numbers to a lineup that also showcases the dangerous Albert Pujols, and you have a team that is going to be very strong and competitive going into a pennant race come September.

As for the Athletics, they are preparing for the future. Some people will argue that prospects do not help a team right now. While that is true, they will help in the future. This season is all but lost for the Athletics, who are 17 games out of first place and are looking to finish the season in last place. Knowing that the chances of overtaking the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, or wherever they are from this season, or the Texas Rangers is a long shot, Oakland management decided to plan for the future.

That future will now include outfielder Shane Peterson, who was batting .295 with 7 home runs and 46 RBI’s between A and AA ball in the Cardinal’s minor league system. Also included is right-handed pitcher Clayton Petersen, who was 7-6 with 82 strikeouts and a 4.37 ERA in 17 games in AAA. He made one appearance with the Cardinals this year, giving up 6 runs, 2 of which were earned and recording 2 strikeouts in a three inning relief appearance. The third, and possibly biggest, part of the A’s future is third baseman Brett Wallace. Once thought to be an untouchable prospect, the Cardinals proved that no player is untouchable when the right offer comes around. Between AA and AAA, Wallace hit .288 with 11 home runs and 35 RBI’s. He is the 42^nd ranked prospect in the Major Leagues this season. Brett has a strong left-handed bat and likes to hit in the heart of the lineup.

Three prospects that will be Major League ready soon, and at a reasonable price, are a great addition to a team in a rebuilding stage. Picking up a star outfielder that plays well down the stretch in a lineup poised to make the playoffs isn’t bad either. Both teams addressed their needs well in this trade. The Cardinals needed a good bat to protect Albert Pujols, and a great bat is what they got. The Athletics needed to save some salary and build for the future after a poor first half of the season. Trading Holliday for three prospects was the best move the Athletics could make.

The bar is now set for the next few days of trading. The Cardinals proved that no one is untouchable when the right offer comes around by trading one of their “untouchable” prospects. The Athletics proved that some teams need to cut ties with their stars and plan for the future. Will the Philadelphia Phillies give up their farm system for Roy Halladay? Will the Cleveland Indians trade Cliff Lee to a contender? Will any other blockbuster deals go down before the trade deadline on July 31^st? One thing is definite; this is an exciting time of the season, especially if your team is involved with the trade talks. Only time will tell who the winners and losers are this year. So far, we have two good winners and I’m sure more are soon to follow.