Miguel Tejada

We all know July 31 and the days leading up to that day change the season for some teams. There were some serious trades including a trade involving a Cy Young winner and a couple of ex-first overall draft picks. This slideshow shows the top nine pickups and the worst trade deadline pickups. The slideshow only shows teams in second or third place who brought in players who have played well since joining their new team.

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A few weeks ago, Jon Paul Morosi of Fox Sports wrote an article that had a lot of the San Diego Padre fans up in arms. The day that article was released, I had one San Diego media member tell me, "I'd be upset if I actually knew who he was." Ouch.

The Orioles completed a trade, sending Miguel Tejada out West once again.

In case you don't remember, this is the second time the O's have traded the third-baseman. The first time came in December 2007.

The team shipped Tejada to Houston for a whole host of players, including Luke Scott, Mike Costanzo, Troy Patton, Matt Albers, and Dennis Sarfate. Costanzo is the only player who is no longer in the Orioles system.

According to MLB.com (click here for the article), the Padres have acquired Miguel Tejada and cash from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for minor league pitcher Wynn Pelzer.

With the deadline quickly approaching, fans are wondering just what their team is going to do. That is, if they haven't made a move already.

There have been two big moves thus far and both have come in the American League's Western Division. The Rangers acquired left-hander Cliff Lee from Seattle and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim acquired Dan Haren from Arizona late Sunday night.

Kansas City Royals outfielder David DeJesus was one of the hottest names on the rumor sheets over the last several weeks.

There were at least five teams that were in the chase to land him, but according to several beat writers, the Royals were asking far too much for teams to give up.

Well, it seems like the Royals are regretting that now as DeJesus will land on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained thumb, which will keep him out past the non-waiver trade deadline next Saturday.

Not to say that a waiver wire deal can't be completed once he's healthy and ready to return to the team, but h

April baseball rarely provides a clear window into the state of the game by October.

Teams that struggle to find their way early on suddenly become high-powered contenders late in the season, and those who lead their respective divisions in the first month rarely sustain that dominance into the sixth.

However, while 20 or so games may not be enough time to accurately predict a team's path through the season, it is plenty of time to notice trends.

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are trending poorly.

With all of the movement in the AL West—big trades, free agent signings, and the los

Three games does not a baseball season make.

Yet, there comes a moment where honesty must overtake optimism, and the honest fact that this will be a very long season for the Astros must be accepted.

A listless three-game sweep at the hands of the visiting San Francisco Giants—lowlighted by Wednesday's 10-4 loss—provided at least five notable signs that indicate the 2010 Astros may be headed toward the franchise's worst season in 20 years.

As the team takes Thursday off in preparation for a weekend series against the two-time defending National League champion Philadelphia Philli

With his days as shortstop behind him, Miguel Tejada is set to begin this season as the Orioles primary third baseman: