BJ Upton

The most common phrase in professional sports (also the most overused phrase) that players and coaches use to describe a recent transaction is "it's a business." As a student of business, I can confidently confirm this brilliant diagnosis.

As a business, the Tampa Bay Rays must first outline their goal for the 2011 season. A successful season would entail making the playoffs, most likely as the American League wild card, and compete in the postseason. Check that off.

Rewind to a year ago, and the Tampa Bay Rays were thinking Championship; fast forward to today, and just making the playoffs seems a bit far fetched.

The Rays are one of the best teams in baseball at developing young talent and getting as much as they can out of a small payroll. Having won two division titles in three years, including an AL pennant in 2008, the Rays will rely heavily on youth once again to make a run in the 2010-2011 season.

The Tampa Bay Rays took home their second AL East title in the last three years in 2010 by finishing with a 96-66 record. A quick exit in the Divisional Round at the hands of the Texas Rangers would soon follow.

When Carl Crawford signed an enormous contract with division rival Boston, the Tampa Bay Rays lost one of it's all-time greatest players. In it's short history, full of consistent losing and doubt (with shades of joy and little success), 'CC' was a nine year force, the Rays true all-star and, so it seemed, the franchise player. Crawford, in the end, will have spent a majority or large chunk of his career with Tampa when all is said and done.

The Tampa Bay Rays roster has been picked apart this offseason, with a lot of players being signed by their American League East rivals. The Rays tried to get back at the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees by signing a pair of their former players, Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon. These veterans will be welcomed into Tampa Bay to add experience and talent to a team who has the talent but not much experience.

MLB trade rumors are picking up steam as the annual Winter Meetings are set to begin next week.

While free agent signings will most likely take precedent after salary arbitration is complete, teams that missed out on the offseason action will surely look to make a splash in the trade market.

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Speed kills.

Ask the Yankees circa 2004 when a stolen base by Dave Roberts in the bottom of the ninth kept the Red Sox—down 3-0 in the American League Championship Series and 4-3 in Game 4—alive and propelled them forward to the greatest comeback in baseball history.

Or maybe you could just look at the 1982 World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Milwaukee Brewers.

Evan Longoria is no longer considered a rising star.

Many now consider Longoria to be a baseball superstar and the face of the Tampa Bay Rays. In just under three seasons as a Major League third baseman, Longoria has a career .282 avg. with 78 home runs and 282 RBI, not to mention a Gold Glove.

These are the five fastest players in Major League Baseball, based on Bill James' speed score, which takes into account four components: SB%, 3B%, frequency of SB attempts, and runs scored %. 

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With the All-Star Game just around the corner, the rumor mill has cooled down, at least for the time being, as we focus our attention to the Mid-Summer Classic.

Once the festivities are over, though, the wheeling and dealing will be in full swing, and with so many clear-cut buyers and sellers, you can expect a good number of deals.

While it is a foregone conclusion that Cliff Lee will be moved, many of the other top players on the trade block could very well see the deadline come and go without switching teams, for one reason or another.

Here are the 10 players that should be traded, but wi