MLB Trade Scenarios: 5 Big-Name Trade Targets Who Won't Live Up to the Hype

As we inch closer and closer to the trade deadline, more and more teams are coming to a decision on whether they'll be buyers and sellers. As these decisions are made, more names pop up in trade rumors as being potentially available to contenders via trade.

We aren't talking about average players either—some big names have been bandied about, players who, on paper at least, appear to be game-changers when it comes to a team's playoff aspirations.

But as we've seen all too often, just because something looks good on paper doesn't necessarily mean that it's going to work out well in reality.

Let's take a look at five players with big names and tons of talent who, if they are moved at the deadline, will fail to deliver on the hype that surrounds their arrival.

Carl Crawford, LF, Boston Red Sox

Mentioned by USA Today's Bob Nightengale as the key piece that would have gone to Miami in the quickly discussed Hanley Ramirez trade, Carl Crawford should come with a label that says "buyer beware."

It's not that Crawford is a bad player or a bad guy—but he's clearly a shell of the player who was a perennial All-Star in Tampa Bay from 2002 through 2010.

Owed more than $100 million through the 2017 season, Crawford has battled inconsistency and injury since signing with Boston prior to the 2011 season. His entire game is built on his world-class speed, speed that is certain to be one of the first attributes to fade as Crawford continues to add age, wear and tear to his body—specifically his legs.

It's understandable why a team would want to take a chance on Crawford—perhaps he's just not built for a major market like Boston.

But what you see is what you get with Crawford, and what you see is a battered, broken player who is eons away from reclaiming his place amongst the most exciting players in the game.

Ryan Dempster, RHP, Chicago Cubs

Ryan Dempster is having a phenomenal season for the Cubs, but can he actually keep it up under pressure if he finds himself traded to a team in the thick of the playoff hunt?

Over the course of his career, the 35-year-old has made 309 starts, going 109-103. But his win-loss record isn't important.

His 4.33 ERA and 1.43 WHIP, however, tell us that what Dempster has been able to do thus far in 2012 is far from his norm, and the possibility remains that he can—and likely will—come back down to earth at some point.

So while Dempster is sure to be viewed as a key addition for a contender down the stretch, there are fewer guarantees that he'll be able to maintain his performance level over the next three months than there are with virtually any other player who could find themselves dealt as the deadline nears.

Matt Garza, RHP, Chicago Cubs

We've been following the Matt Garza saga for nearly two weeks, and not much has changed.

Signed through the 2013 season, he remains one of the most sought-after pitchers on the trade market, though Chicago's asking price is sure to be high.

Regardless of what the cost is, someone will eventually belly up to the bar and bring Garza back into a playoff race.

Now I preface what I'm about to say with this—teams could do much worse than adding Matt Garza to a starting rotation as they make a push for the playoffs.

But Matt Garza isn't going to put a team over the top.

Garza is a solid starting pitcher who can eat innings and keep a team in games—but he's not going to dominate opposing lineups.

Expectations need to be tempered wherever Garza winds up, otherwise the team and its fans are setting themselves up to be disappointed.

Cole Hamels, LHP, Philadelphia Phillies

How can I say that Cole Hamels won't live up to the hype if he's dealt out of Philadelphia?

Simple—the hype surrounding Hamels is akin to the hype that surrounded Felipe Lopez when he signed with St. John's University to play basketball in the 1990s.

Lopez was thrust on the cover of Sports Illustrated, and there was talk of multiple national championships returning to Jamaica, Queens—all before Lopez even stepped foot on campus as a matriculated student.

Cole Hamels is one of the best pitchers in baseball—of that there is little doubt.

But it's expected that if Hamels is traded, he'll come in and be a lock to replicate CC Sabathia's numbers after he was traded from the Indians to the Brewers in 2008—and that's simply not fair.

In 17 starts with the Brewers, Sabathia went 7-3 with a 1.65 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 128 strikeouts in 130 innings and seven complete games—three of which were shutouts.

Any team that adds Hamels at the deadline will have improved its rotation—but painting Hamels as the savior isn't fair to Hamels or the fans that will applaud his arrival.

Hanley Ramirez, 3B/SS, Miami Marlins

We took a look at the talk surrounding Hanley Ramirez yesterday (and will continue to do so as the deadline nears), and while the idea of moving him back to Boston seems to be on the back burner, that doesn't mean that Ramirez isn't going to wind up there—or somewhere else.

It's important to note, however, that this isn't Hanley Ramirez from 2010 for whom teams are trading.

Two years ago, Ramirez was finishing up a five-year run where an average season for him included a batting line of .313/.385/.521 with 25 home runs, 78 RBI and 39 stolen bases. He was emerging as a perennial MVP candidate and one of the best players in the game.

Since then, it's as if a completely different player has been occupying Hanley's jersey.

Over the past season-and-a-half, Ramirez has posted a .245/.328/.405 batting line with 24 home runs, 92 RBI and 34 stolen bases.

Whether it's a matter of attitude, desire, work ethic or a combination of everything, any team that trades for Ramirez may want to temper expectations when doing so—expecting the perennial MVP candidate to immediately emerge from wherever he's been hiding and lead a team to the promised land is simply unrealistic.