Extra Innings: Deadline Dozen

As of Saturday, with 10 shopping days left before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline -- it's at 4 p.m., so no midnight drama -- 19 of the 30 teams either owned the division/wild-card lead or were within five games of a playoff spot.

That's a bunch. And with so many clubs still alive, sorting out the buyers and sellers isn't easy, even for GMs, who remain on the fence wondering what to do.

"Right now, it's a pretty limited number of teams that are really talking," said a front-office executive from a club still in contention. "I guess I take that to mean there's not a lot of teams that are willing to sell. There are only a couple of clear-cut sellers. But that can change pretty quickly as we get closer to the deadline."

It usually does. Complicating matters this year, however, is the additional wild card, which can affect deadline activity on a few fronts. By making the division title more critical than it's ever been since the playoffs expanded in 1995, the top teams may go to greater lengths to separate themselves and avoid that one-game, do-or-die playoff.

Also, with so many clubs in the running, that means less talent will be available on the market, which could drive the asking price up as well. And don't forget this new CBA nugget -- no compensatory picks for the team that trades for a player in-season and then loses him to free agency this winter. That should make some GMs think twice about two-month rental options.

Now that you know the ground rules, let's take a look at what we'll call this year's Deadline Dozen, the most talked about trade chips -- but not necessarily ones that will be playing somewhere else come August. (odds are to be traded by July 31 deadline).