MLB Trade Deadline: 8 Stars Who Absolutely Won't Be Traded Before July 31

The one thing every baseball fan in the world wants to know right now is which players are going to be traded ahead of MLB's July 31 trade deadline.

Fret not, baseball fans. There will be trades. And you, in turn, will have plenty to talk about. Nobody is going to be cheated.

But don't get too worked up. The rumor mill has mentioned a lot of big-name players this year. More than usual, it seems. This is all well and good, but don't go thinking that every star player who gets mentioned as a possible trade candidate is going to be on the move in the near future.

Things aren't going to get that wild in the next two weeks.

So to help you avoid getting your hopes too high, here's a rundown of players who aren't going anywhere anytime soon. The rumor mill has suggested that they might be, but common sense and other worldly forces tell us that they're going to stay put.

Note: All stats come from Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

Carl Crawford, LF, Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox finally got to see Carl Crawford return to their lineup on Monday, and thus far he has six hits in 14 at-bats, to go along with three stolen bases.

In a strange turn of events, it took no time at all for Crawford's name to start popping up in trade rumors.

It started with a Wednesday report from Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com that the Red Sox were calling around in an attempt to gauge what kind of interest there is in Crawford out on the trade market. Then came a report from Bob Nightengale of USA Today that the Red Sox discussed a mega-deal with the Miami Marlins that would have brought Hanley Ramirez and Heath Bell to Boston.

All of this caused a minor uproar on Twitter and elsewhere on the internet, but there doesn't appear to be anything imminent. 

And for good reason. While it makes sense that the Red Sox would call around to get a feel for what kind of market there is for Crawford's talents at the moment, trading him right now makes little sense.

Due to his poor season in 2011 and his recent health woes, Crawford's trade value is as low as it can possibly be. At this point, the only way the Red Sox are trading Crawford is if they do a swap of bad contracts with another team, a la the proposed Marlins trade.

The timing isn't right for a trade like that. That's the kind of trade that's better suited for the offseason. Doing a deal like that now while the club is finally getting its act together out on the field would only complicate things.

The Red Sox indeed could trade Crawford this offseason. But for the time being, their best option is to keep penciling him into left field and hope that his wounded elbow stays intact.

Felix Hernandez, SP, Seattle Mariners

King Felix has been on fire over his last seven starts, posting a 1.36 ERA over 53 innings with a grand total of 59 strikeouts.

There aren't any actual rumors suggesting that the Mariners are ready to part ways with their ace. In fact, Ken Rosenthal has reported that Hernandez is on the Mariners' list of untouchable players. 

It has, however, been argued that trading King Felix is in the Mariners' best interests. Rosenthal stated his case in late June, and David Schoenfield of ESPN.com stated his own case earlier this week.

To be fair, the two of them made good points. The Mariners could trade Hernandez for some much-needed offense; they can afford to part with him because of the young arms they have down on the farm, and so on.

But it's not going to happen. Not a chance.

Hernandez is under contract for two more years after this season, and he told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com recently that he would love to stay in Seattle. For the Mariners, the feeling is undoubtedly mutual.

And is it that crazy to think that the Mariners will be ready to contend in 2014, or maybe as soon as 2013?

Not as crazy as you probably think. The Mariners are a talented young team, and they have more young talent on the way.

As for those offensive woes, it's worth noting that the Mariners lead all of baseball in runs scored on the road. If the team decides to move in the fences at Safeco Field, it stands to reason that they'll save some of that offense for the home crowd.

Just sayin'.

Jon Lester, SP, Boston Red Sox

Jon Lester is smack in the middle of the toughest season of his career. He's only won five games all year, and his ERA has ballooned to 4.80.

There's a train of thought out there that Lester would benefit from a change of scenery. MLB Network's Peter Gammons has suggested as much, according to CBS Boston. So has ESPN's Buster Olney.

However, Olney was quick to note that there's "no indication" that the Red Sox are actually willing to trade Lester at any point in the near future.

Because that would be a bad idea, you see.

Lester is part of the reason Boston's starting pitching has been such an adventure this season, but it's not like they can afford to jettison him even despite his struggles. The Red Sox should be trying to bring starting pitching in, not sending it out.

Besides, Lester hasn't been as bad as his ERA suggests. According to FanGraphs, his FIP is 3.67. That's a sign that he has been bitten by bad luck this season.

His .331 BABIP suggests the same. Lester's BABIP was under .290 in each of the past two seasons.

Instead of trading Lester, the Red Sox are better off being patient. They know that Lester has been better than his numbers suggest. All he needs is a little more good luck.

Though, actually putting hitters away when he gets two strikes wouldn't hurt his cause.

Hanley Ramirez, 3B, Miami Marlins

When Bob Nightengale reported the proposed Ramirez and Bell for Crawford swap, he noted that it was the Marlins who said they'd be interested in doing a deal like that.

In other words, the Red Sox didn't tell the Marlins they wanted Ramirez and Bell for Crawford. The Marlins were the ones who came up with the idea.

This has a lot to do with how Ramirez is perceived within the organization. Rosenthal noted in his report that some Marlins officials are "frustrated" with Ramirez, who is hitting just .246/.322/.430 this season. They were hoping for a bounce-back season from Ramirez after a drama-filled 2011 season, but they haven't gotten one.

I for one could see Ramirez being moved someday in the future. He was on thin ice with the club last season, and things haven't gotten any better despite some positive vibes earlier in the season. A trade would be the best thing for both Ramirez and the Marlins.

But good luck trading him now. There aren't many teams out there that can afford to take on what's left of Ramirez's contract (he's making $15 million this season), and the Marlins aren't going to get anything of value for Ramirez because of how badly he's struggled over the last two seasons.

Much like the Crawford situation, the Marlins are probably only going to be able to trade Ramirez in a swap of bad contracts. Deals like those are hard to pull off in the middle of the season.

We could see a team roll the dice on a trade for Ramirez this offseason, but not now.

James Shields, SP, Tampa Bay Rays

James Shields put together a very impressive season in 2011, going 16-12 with a 2.82 ERA. He pitched 11 complete games, including four shutouts.

Shields hasn't been nearly as dominant this season. He's struggling to the tune of an 8-6 record and a 4.44 ERA. His WHIP is just a shade under 1.50.

Danny Knobler advised everyone to keep an eye on the Rays leading up to the trade deadline, and he indicated that Shields is one of many players they're willing to part with:

"

Rays are a fascinating team to watch. Could trade starters (anyone but Price, Moore), relievers, Upton. Looking for young catcher, pitchers

— DKnobler (@DKnobler) July 18, 2012"

On Friday, however, Knobler came back out with this report:

"

Shields makes sense for Tigers, but while many rival teams think he can be had, Rays apparently telling teams,"Not yet"

— DKnobler (@DKnobler) July 20, 2012"

It sounds like the Rays aren't quite ready to start selling yet.

Which makes sense. The AL East appears to be a lost cause, but they're only a game out in the AL wild-card race. If they can stay afloat until Evan Longoria returns, they'll be ready to make a strong push in the final few weeks of the season.

For that, they're going to need Shields. He'll have to pitch better, but he's not unlike Lester in that he's been bitten by bad luck this season. Per FanGraphs, Shields' BABIP is .344, nearly 100 points higher than it was in 2011.

Even if the Rays do fall out of the race, teams won't be able to pry Shields from their grasp by offering them peanuts. Shields is a quality pitcher, and his contact has club options for 2013 and 2014 at reasonable prices.

The Rays aren't going to get an impressive package of prospects for Shields at this point, so they should hold on to him.

Alfonso Soriano, LF, Chicago Cubs

Alfonso Soriano got off to a very slow start this season, hitting .250 with no home runs and a .590 OPS in his first 30 games.

Ever since, Soriano has hit .289 with 18 home runs and a .962 OPS in 55 games. He's quietly emerged as one of the most productive outfielders in baseball.

Despite this, there's very little interest in Soriano out on the trade market. Jon Heyman noticed that in late June, and he tweeted on Friday that he just doesn't get it:

"

cant understand why market isnt better for alfonso soriano, who hit 18th hr yest (all 18 since may 15). the man can hit.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) July 20, 2012"

The obvious hang-up is that Soriano is making $18 million this season and $18 million each of the next two seasons. That's a lot of money to take on, and no teams out there are willing to take it on to get an aging player like Soriano.

The strange part is that it's been reported by Nightengale that the Cubs are more than willing to pick up some of the cash left on Soriano's contract. Short of eating the entire thing, they'll basically do whatever it takes to jettison Soriano's contact.

Yet there's no interest in Soriano. 

This tells me that clubs just aren't convinced that Soriano can keep the production coming the rest of this season and beyond. Until further notice, it looks like he shall remain the Cubs' albatross.

Justin Upton, RF, Arizona Diamondbacks

There's not a team in baseball that wouldn't love to have Justin Upton patrolling right field, and the Diamondbacks have made it clear that they're willing to listen to offers for Upton.

In a report published earlier this week, Bob Nightengale wrote that Upton will be traded at some point.

Not "could." Will. Huge difference.

It just may not be at any point in the next two weeks. In fact, Buster Olney wrote this week that it's likely that Upton won't be moved until this offseason.

I'd say it's a lock.

There's no question about how talented he is, but this isn't a good time for the Diamondbacks to trade Upton. A year after finishing fourth in the NL MVP voting, Upton is struggling to the tune of a .273/.353/.397 line. 

This is an excuse for clubs to low-ball the Diamondbacks in talks for Upton. Since Upton is under contract through the 2015 season, the D-Backs have absolutely no reason whatsoever to settle.

They'll be able to get a better deal for Upton during the offseason, when it will be harder for interested parties to try to downplay Upton's value.

Even then, Upton may not be traded. It's just hard to see the Diamondbacks giving up on Upton so soon. He's already accomplished a lot, and he's not even 25 years old yet.

Josh Willingham, LF, Minnesota Twins

The Twins' signing of Josh Willingham this past offseason didn't generate much buzz. They signed him for $21 million over three years, and baseball fans basically responded with a collective shrug.

The question now is whether there's a bigger bargain in baseball than Willingham.

Willingham has already collected 23 home runs and 67 RBI while hitting .276/.392/.571. His .963 OPS ranks sixth in the American League.

The Twins could make a killing by trading Willingham, as teams realize now that he's a well above-average hitter with a steal of a contract.

According to Jon Heyman, there's at least one team interested in dealing for Willingham. That would be the Los Angeles Dodgers, who would very much like to find a left field upgrade.

The word from 1500ESPN.com is that the Twins haven't made Willingham "off-limits," but that they aren't actively shopping him either.

It sounds like teams are going to have to come to them and blow them away with an offer for Willingham.

It could happen...but it won't. The trade market is pretty rich with outfielders this season, and most of them would come at a much cheaper price (prospects-wise) than Willingham. 

It would be one thing if Willingham was playing on a one-year deal, but that's not the case. The Twins are in no hurry to give him up seeing as how they stand to get two more seasons of good production.

Maybe next season.

If you want to talk baseball, hit me up on Twitter.