MLB Rumor Mill: Who's Going Where?

With the deal that sent C.C. Sabathia to Milwaukee becoming official today, the MLB's trade season is officially underway.

Now teams that had their eyes on the big lefty will go to their plan B and much can happen until the official deadline, July 31st.

Here are some of the more prominent rumors flying out there.

Rich Harden in the Cubs' sights.

Having lost on the Sabathia sweepstakes to a division rival will make Cubs GM Jim Hendry work much harder to try and improve his pitching rotation in anticipation of a late season dogfight against the Cardinals and Brewers.

The biggest name thrown out there is Rich Harden. The hard throwing Canadian has had a great year (when he can stay away from the DL) and would be a great fit for the Cubs as a number two starter.

But, knowing Billy Beane, he will do everything possible to get exactly what he wants from the Cubs, so don't be surprised if a deal for Harden takes up to July 31st to be completed.

Brian Fuentes is a hot name out there.

Current Rockies' closer Brian Fuentes is being coveted by many teams, most notably, the Red Sox, Cardinals, Cubs, A's, and Yankees. But the team that is making the stronger push to land the 32-year-old reliever is the best team in baseball, the Rays.

The Rays wonder if Troy Percival, who has done a great job during the first half, will hold up through the stretch run. If he can't, then the Rays don't want to be stuck with a closer-by-committee situation, so expect them to push hard to land Fuentes.

The Red Sox are at a crossroads.

The Red Sox want to catch the Rays this year, but at the same time know that this is a young Rays team, and the Sox are no fountain of youth.

With David Ortiz's injury apparently more serious than expected, the Sox are keeping a close eye on Mark Teixeira, who is rumored to be available in the market.

Also, with the bullpen being wildly inconsistent (translation: not good), the Red Sox have their eyes on possible trades with the Pittsburgh Pirates for Damaso Marte and for the aforementioned Brian Fuentes.

The Phils are desperate.

The Philadelphia Phillies wanted Sabathia really bad. Now that he is headed to Milwaukee, the Phillies are putting plan B into action: Eric Bedard.

With the Phillies as the favorites to win the NL East, they know that they need more starting pitching to go along with their great bullpen. Combine that with the fact that the Mariners are headed for a fire sale, Bedard could very likely be headed back east to help the Phils' playoff push.

Rockies are shopping around.

Word is that the Rockies are looking to trade a few players, most notably Yorvit Torrealba, Scott Podsednik, and Willy Taveras.

Florida is interested in all of these players, and since the Rockies have a young catcher emerging (Chris Iannetta) and a surplus of center fielders, expect some of these player to be dealt away.

The Cardinals have also kept the Rockies' phones busy, inquiring about right-hander Matt Herges, a player that would provide veteran leadership in the Cards' bullpen. 

For now, these are all rumors, but don't be surprised if this trade season is a busy one.