What I Heard And Saw At The Ballgame Last Night-Trade Rumors And Inept Play

• By: Bernie Pleskoff
• On: 7/10/2009 10:13:00 AM

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Scouts I spoke with at the Diamondbacks game last night were not very optimistic about the amount of trade action we'll see at the end of this month.  Finances and teams still being in contention are major factors for potentially minor activity at the trade deadline.

But such prognostications have been wrong in the past.  Trades can materialize quickly if all the financial pieces fall in place.  Contracts are scrutinized, medical records are evaluated and future projections are completed before the deal gets done.

The two teams I heard that were most interested in Roy Halladay were the Angels and the Brewers.

They both make sense.  Both team owners are driven to win.

What names did I hear discussed?  Howie Kendrick, Peter Bourjos,Chris Pettit, Brandon Wood and virtually every prospect in the Angels system.  Same with Milwaukee.  Prospects head the wish list.  Names like Jeremy Jeffress, Lorenzo Cain, Angel Salome, Jonathan Lucroy and more may all be being discussed.  But talk doesn't get the deal done.  What is important is that the Halladay talk is real.  The Angels and the Brewers both make sense.  That's why I listened.

Doug Davis to Milwaukee might be dead because of what the DBacks feel Davis can command.

What I saw on the field with my own eyes defies description.  The Diamondbacks were ahead 5-0 when a tiring Yusmeiro Petit gave up two very big flies and looked spent.  A.J. Hinch went to his bullpen.  Kiss the lead goodbye.  The bullpen gave up 12 runs.  I saw something I had never seen before; three pinch hitters each batted twice in the same inning.

Why do I write this?  Because we are learning again and again that bullpens are crucial to victories.  Ask any General Manager what the toughest piece of his roster is to put together and he will likely say the bullpen.

It sounds so simple-build a good bullpen and you'll win.  That's why teams are scouring through every known resource to shore up their pens.  The names mentioned above in talks for Halladay are all good players.  But throw some bullpen guys in the mix and things could happen.