MLB Trade News: 12 Reasons This Year Will Be One of the Busiest Deadlines Ever

As we approach the 2011 July trade deadline, speculation will continue to brew around the league, prompting an instantaneous explosion of deals when the first team pulls the trigger.

And rightfully so, the MLB is at an all-time high as far as coverage and expectations for each franchise.

The New York Yankees always do what it takes to be winners, the Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers have been big-time buyers over the past few seasons, and many MLB teams are certainly looking to unload their impending free agents.

Add that to the mix of contracts, close division races, and a ton of rumors, and you have yourself one of the busiest trade markets in recent memory.

With that said, here is why the next week in the 2011 baseball season are going to be some of the craziest, trade-enriched days in MLB history.

12. It Is What It Is

There's not much to say here, it is what it is.

No matter what season it is or the caliber of players available, MLB teams are going to make moves before the trade deadline.

It's only natural.

To think otherwise would be sort of a baseball Freudian slip.

I realize that isn't much of a reason why this year in particular is going to be any more busier than prior July deadlines, but let the chips fall will they may.

With an array of different talents, teams trying to make their mark in the playoffs over already distinguished postseason quests, and other clubs trying to unload big contracts, 2011 could go down as one of the most trade-entrenched years of all time.

11. Desmond Jennings

This picture explains it all.

Desmond Jennings is supposed to be a star.  At least that's what the Tampa Bay Rays are hoping for.

With all the hype and expectations that come with promoting and playing a young talent like Jennings, the ability to trade outfielder B.J. Upton is also made readily available.

Upton's trade value is seemingly through the roof.

He's a potential 30-40 regular season threat and has already shown in recent past that he's a top-notch option in the playoffs (2008: 7 HR, 16 RBI, and 6 SB in 66 AB).

Because of this, he's been speculated in many potential trades thus far into the season.

With a week left for teams to make moves and bolster their postseason rosters, Upton's availability and potential trade suitors are only going to increase.

10. Obtaining the Untouchable

Here is a current list of players who are supposedly untouchable, yet have still be surrounded by much trade speculation:

Ubaldo Jimenez, SP, Colorado Rockies

Hunter Pence, OF, Houston Astros

Colby Rasmus, OF, St. Louis Cardinals

Jose Reyes, SS, New York Mets

Mike Adams, RP, San Diego Padres

Wandy Rodriguez, SP, Houston Astros

James Shields, SP, Tampa Bay Rays

Regardless of what people may say, especially front office wheelers and dealers, any player has their price.

Half of the guys on this list are still under contract for next few seasons, with the main exception being Jose Reyes, so it's going to take a lot of effort by one team to construct a worthwhile package to offer their trade partner.

With that said, these top-notch players may spark a huge bidding war between some of the top teams around baseball, mainly the New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies and Texas Rangers.

9. Buster Posey

Ever since catcher Buster Posey went down with a season-ending ankle injury, the San Francisco Giants have been looking for either a suitable replacement behind the plate or a dynamic offensive threat to carry on the young sophomore's talent.

Whichever way the Giants try to spin it, they need and will continue to search for a prominent offensive figure to complement their championship pitching.

With some of the better prospects in MLB, San Francisco has a lot of different outs when it comes to offering teams worthwhile trade pieces.

Along with the team's ambition to climb their way back to another World Series, their search for elite players could spark an all-out brawl in the National League.

They've already been linked to Jose Reyes, Aramis Ramirez and Hunter Pence, so you can only imagine what would happen if they were dead set on acquiring one of these All-Stars.

8. Phil Hughes

Phil Hughes recently made his return to the New York Yankees and their sometimes suspect starting five.

But just as soon as he's taken the mound and seemingly re-found his velocity from 2010, it's been just as fast for Hughes to raise serious questions about his potential going forward.

The 25-year-old was supposed to cleanse the Yankees rotation of mid-season trade concerns for the next five years, but after his explosive start in the first half of last year, Hughes has looked like a No. 5 option at best.

Considering New York hates to lose in the playoffs and even more so because of pitching, you can bet they're in the market for a quick and experienced replacement.

Whether that's seriously taking a shot at Ubaldo Jimenez, the Yankees are going to be major players in the pitching department over the next week or so, and could prove to be one of those teams that run the price up on certain players to challenge fellow league rivals (like Boston, wink wink).

You can blame this on Phil Hughes.

7. Carlos Beltran

With Carlos Beltran's comeback, comes a Carlos Beltran bidding war.

Almost every team with playoff aspirations is looking at Beltran as a potential game changer come October.

The former perennial All-Star is having one of his best seasons ever, currently hitting .291 with 15 HR, 63 RBI, 57 BB, and 30 doubles in nearly 100 games.

Considering the New York Mets want to trade the elite outfielder and teams have already made it clear that Beltran is a top target, the 34-year-old could prove to be the shot that's heard around the MLB trade world.

Once he goes, all the dominoes should fall into place.

6. NL Central

This year's trade deadline is going to be extra interesting considering the involvement of the NL Central.

With a surprising contender in the Pittsburgh Pirates seemingly ready to make a move, the fact that the Milwaukee Brewers have one last season with Prince Fielder at first base, and the dire need of a starting pitcher in Cincinnati, you can bet your butt all these teams are building up for something big.

Add the fact that the St. Louis Cardinals are still trying to get over the loss of Adam Wainwright, and you have yourself a big reason why the next seven days are going to be one of the busiest weeks in deadline history.

I still can't believe the Pittsburgh Pirates are a relevant team this late into the season.

Congratulations, Clint Hurdle and company.

5. Impending Free Agents

If you haven't looked at the names that are bound for free agency heading into 2012, here's a quick and well-needed reminder.

Albert Pujols, 1B, St. Louis Cardinals

Prince Fielder, 1B, Milwaukee Brewers

Brandon Phillips, 2B, Cincinnati Reds (2012 Option)

Aramis Ramirez, 3B, Chicago Cubs

David Ortiz, DH, Boston Red Sox

Jose Reyes, SS, New York Mets

Carlos Beltran, OF, New York Mets

Michael Cuddyer, OF, Minnesota Twins

Nick Swisher, OF, New York Yankees (2012 Option)

Mark Buehrle, SP, Chicago White Sox

Rich Harden, SP, Oakland Athletics

Hiroki Kuroda, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers

C.C. Sabathia, SP, New York Yankees (2012 Option)

Heath Bell, RP, San Diego Padres

Jonathan Papelbon, RP, Boston Red Sox

The crazy thing, this is only a partial list of potential free agents after the 2011 season.

Besides Pujols, Sabathia, Ortiz and Fielder, who are all locks to stay with their teams for the rest of the season, there's a fairly reasonable chance that a lot of these elite options are going to end up somewhere new by the end of month.

Let the bidding begin.

4. Bullpen, Bullpen and More Bullpen

You can never have too much bullpen help in the playoffs.

Sure, a dynamic starting rotation like Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, and Cole Hamels could win you some games, but who's closing it out in the eighth and ninth innings?

That's where some of baseball's biggest relief options come into play.

There are so many playoff-bound teams that are in desperate need of a strong arm out of the bullpen, including the New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers, Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals, and Boston Red Sox, making it evident that the market for closers and setup pitchers has never been greater.

Heath Bell, Mike Adams, Matt Capps, Kerry Wood and Kyle Farnsworth lead the way, and it's only a matter of time before an array of MLB teams are featuring different looks to end close games.

3. Hitting Philly

The Philadelphia Phillies starting rotation is darn good.

Even without Roy Oswalt at the No. 4 spot, they still have the best playoff-ready rotation in the majors.

How can you get around Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, and then Cole Hamels?

Easy, get better and more productive hitting.

The need for consistent offensive producers has never been higher.  Injuries, season-long slumps, and aging players are just a few reasons why a lot of the league's top hitters are going to be on the move over the next few days.

The previously mentioned Carlos Beltran and Aramis Ramirez lead the way, but players like Josh Willingham, Ramon Hernandez and even Derek Lee could serve as potential game changers.

When you take into account that the Phillies and San Francisco Giants are two of the most productive NL teams around, most likely due to their elite pitching, other franchises like Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Arizona, and Atlanta are going to be looking for offensive upgrades.

With that said, along with the fact that this is currently the new age of pitching, this year's trade deadline is going to be one of the busiest seasons ever when you're talking about obtaining veteran hitters.

2. Chasing Boston

Similar to Philadelphia, the Boston Red Sox are the team to catch in the American League.

This time it's hitting, not pitching.

Other AL teams, including the Alex Rodriguez-less New York Yankees, are in desperate need of offensive help.

Maybe not much so when you're comparing them against National League teams, but when Boston could potentially be on your team's docket come playoff time, now is the perfect time to improve your offense.

The Red Sox have set the precedence for hitting, adding Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford before the start of the season.

While it seems very unlucky for fellow teams when October rolls around, it still serves as an immediate means to go out and acquire a big time bat.

Boston's 2011 reign in the AL could hinder on whether teams like the Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers or Cleveland Indians decide to shell out some prospects and obtain a veteran hitter.

Yet again, thank an AL East team for sparking a potential trade market bidding war.

1. Starting Pitching Rules

Despite what you may think, or even myself for that matter, playoff success has and, for the foreseeable future, will be based strictly around starting pitching.

Without it, the chances of winning a World Series title are slim to none.

Actually, it's none.

Look at the last five seasons.  San Francisco, Philadelphia, New York, Boston, and St. Louis were all champions, and all had significant pitching.

The losing teams, with the exception of Philadelphia in 2009, had little to no pitching and their reliance on consistent hitting proved deadly.

This is why the market in 2011, whether pitchers like Wandy Rodriguez and Ubaldo Jimenez are actually up for sale, is going to be the sole reason why so many teams are going to go to war over the next week.

When you take the top-heavy pitching teams out of the equation, which consists of Philadelphia, San Francisco, and maybe Boston, you're left with 11 or so playoff worthy teams that are bound to make considerable attempts at a starting pitcher.

The next seven days should be very exciting.  Pay close attention.