DEADLINE DEALIN'

By Charles Curtis

July 31st is one of those dates permanently embedded in the brains of baseball fans. If your team pulls the trigger, you know the psychology in the front office and clubhouse. Either they're packing it in or they're digging the trenches for the long battle in August and September. While there wasn't a huge barrage of small trades this year, there were a bunch of multi-team blockbusters that kept the playoff picture just as hazy as it was before the deadline. Here is an analysis of the teams that came out wheeling and dealing in the past few days:

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Boston Red Sox: Ever since A-RodGate last summer, "Nomahhh" has been extremely unhappy. By shipping him out, they rid themselves of a relationship that turned sour and acquired Orlando Cabrera, an above-average hitting shortstop (he ranked fifth among all shortstops last year with an .807 OPS and hit a dinger in his first at-bat against the Twins) and a former Gold Glover who needed a change of scenery after a dismal year in Montreal. They also acquired Doug Mientkiewicz, another Gold Glove winner who has never been much of a hitter, but he'll shore up their infield defense at first base. Their acquisition of Dave Roberts may not shake up the team from day to day, especially since he'll be relegated to the bench and doesn't get on base very much (with his .340 OBP), but when he does, he is still dangerous on the basepaths (33 steals in 34 attempts). VERDICT: Winners.

New York Yankees: They were supposed to be the big winners at this year's deadline, as they were all but guaranteed to acquire Randy Johnson. But the Big Unit Sweepstakes came to a close early in the afternoon as Arizona GM Joe Garagiola Jr. announced that Johnson wouldn't be going anywhere. So what does The Boss do? Most likely, he told Brian Cashman to work his usual magic and shore up the Bombers' only weakness: Cashman sent away Jose Contreras, the Cuban phenom who might benefit from some time out of the New York tabloid spotlight. What Cashman got in exchange wasn't exactly anything close to a Big Unit. But Esteban Loaiza is an improvement over Contreras or Brad Halsey. Last year, he came out of nowhere to win 21 games with an impressive 2.90 ERA. This year, he's fallen back to earth with a 4.86 ERA and has allowed 156 hits in 140.2 innings. As far as the Yankees are concerned, he'll pitch six or seven innings and get a lot of run support. VERDICT: As much as I hate to admit it, the Yanks did something more positive than negative. Winners.

Minnesota Twins/Chicago White Sox/Oakland A's/Texas Rangers: These teams all get grouped together because they didn't make huge moves. The Twins got a pitching prospect for Mientkiewicz, but that will allow them to put Justin Morneau in the lineup every day. The ChiSox got Jose Contreras, which you might think is a big move, but they already made their bigger deals in acquiring Freddy Garcia and Carl Everett. The A's and Rangers are fighting a bloody AL West battle, but the only move either can claim is Texas' acquisition of Scott Erickson from the Mets, which probably won't make a difference in September. It appears that all four GMs believe their teams can make the playoffs. If the season ended today, three of them would. VERDICT: Everyone except for the White Sox is a winner. Sometimes you don't mess with success. In the case of Chicago, they're in trouble, mired in a seven-game losing streak and sitting behind a surprisingly strong Twins team.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Chicago Cubs: Dah Nomar. Doesn't have the same ring it did in Boston, but fans in Chicago should be dancing in the streets after acquiring a shortstop with a lot of heart and leadership. He's certainly hit lately (.321 average in 38 games) but hasn't looked happy since he returned from a long stint on the DL. However, he'll have a renewed sense of excitement in Chicago, a city with the same sense of tradition and suffering as Boston. They sent Alex Gonzalez and his gross .263 OBP packing. In exchange, they get one of the Big Four shortstops who still has plenty of pop and excitement left in his bat. VERDICT: One move can go a very long way both on the field and off. Big winners.

Los Angeles Dodgers: Geez. GM Paul DePodesta followed in the footsteps of his old boss, Billy Beane, and pulled off all kinds of deadline deals. Here's the problem: the players DePodesta got may add up on paper, but the former MIT grad may have messed up a winning combination in the clubhouse. By acquiring Brad Penny and Hee Seop Choi, they picked up a solid starter and a true first baseman. But look at what the Dodgers gave up: Guillermo Mota, one of the best and most consistent relievers in the past two years. He's got a 2.14 ERA and has struck out 52 batters in 63 innings of work. They sent away Paul Lo Duca, who is by no means the best catcher in the majors, but he's a scrappy hitter who puts the ball in play (only 27 Ks this year) and a guy who was turning into a clubhouse leader. Jayson Stark quoted an NL executive who said, " I believe Lo Duca is... the kind of player [whose energy] a team feeds off of." DePodesta may believe that baseball is a numbers game, but he may have disturbed the chemistry of a clubhouse that has gelled in the last few months. In another deal, they acquired Steve Finley, who might make up for the loss of Lo Duca with some added power, but DePodesta might have to deal with another huge problem in Milton Bradley. This is the same center fielder who forced his way out of Cleveland with his atrocious behavior. This is the same guy who recently said he wants to stay in center field. This might be the same player who will pout the rest of the season if Finley, a better fielder, uproots him from there. That's a headache you don't want, especially when a team has the potential to win in a weak division. Oh, and DePodesta traded Tom Martin, a decent lefty, to the Braves. But he's still a lefty who can make a difference in the last two months of the season (which is why the Atlanta Braves went out and got him for nothing). The list goes on and on: DePodesta also made a massive mistake when he thought he had acquired Charles Johnson to replace Lo Duca and instead found out that Johnson had invoked his no-trade clause. Oops. And didn't we hear that Randy Johnson was willing to go to the City of Angels early on Saturday? VERDICT: In this case, you don't mess with success. Losers.

Florida Marlins: Reverse everything you just read about the Dodgers. In this deal, the Fish pick up Mota, Lo Duca (who just went yard last night in his first at-bat), and a right fielder who helped win a World Series in Juan Encarnacion. Though they replace Brad Penny and his 3.15 ERA with a serviceable fifth starter in Ismael Valdes, they still have Josh Beckett (hopefully) coming back from injury and Carl Pavano pitching the lights out. They also picked up Rudy Seanez (3.91 ERA, 21 Ks in 23 IP) to shore up their frightening bullpen. They're only five and a half games out of first and now have an improved lineup and a nice set of late-inning arms. VERDICT: Watch them slowly catch up to the Braves. Big winners.

New York Mets: They got two of the better starting pitchers on the market in Kris Benson and Victor Zambrano, solidifying an already impressive rotation. This kind of news would have made me jump out of my seat... if the Mets were in contention. When they made these deals, they were seven games out of first place, fading fast in what has become the Atlanta Braves division again. They had to give up two of their best pitching prospects (Matt Peterson and Scott Kazmir) and send a fan favorite, the feisty and tough Ty Wigginton, packing. If they don't sign Benson to an extension after this year, fans will wonder if Jim Duquette went crazy. The positive side of this deal is the Mets' front office has acknowledged that the way to win at Shea Stadium is with arms, not huge bats. These deals will only pay off next year if they keep the team intact and try to outpitch a division full of big bats. VERDICT: Wash. These moves were shockers for this season, but Duquette may see beyond this year and believe he can win in the NL East.

Philadelphia Phillies: They didn't trade Kevin Millwood or Placido Polanco, nor did they tinker with a dangerous lineup. What they did do is improve their bullpen with Todd Jones (3.79 ERA) and Felix Rodriguez (3.43). All they had to give up was Ricky Ledee, a good left-handed hitter off the bench. If Philly wanted to stay in the NL East race, they needed to make these two moves. VERDICT: Winners.

Atlanta Braves: They're the hottest team in baseball and knocking division rivals out of the way left and right. As I mentioned before, Tom Martin is the kind of bullpen arm that can only help. VERDICT: Winner.

Arizona Diamondbacks: They join the Mets as the only teams on this list who aren't contenders. But Garagiola Jr. made the biggest headlines in this year's deadline, so he deserves a mention. He didn't trade the Big Unit, which appears to be more of a PR move (the first Diamondback in the Hall?) and did send Finley packing. But he won't have a terrible team next year if Brandon Webb can find his touch again and the front office can find a closer. When Richie Sexson comes back, this is a team that is automatically a contender in baseball's weakest division. If Johnson can keep it up, they'll be right in the mix. VERDICT: Losers. But wait 'til next year...