ESPN.com gives you the skinny on the big trades, including our special rating system (four balls = high impact, one ball = low impact).

THE TRADE

THE SKINNY

To Mets: John Thomson Mark Little To Colorado: Jay Payton Mark Corey Robert Stratton

July 31: After missing most of the past two years with shoulder problems, Thomson has outpitched his higher-paid teammates, Mike Hampton and Denny Neagle, in 2002. However, after a strong May (3.10), he has won just one of his past 10 starts. Thomson will replace Jeff D'Amico, who has pitched more than five innings just once in his last six starts, in the rotation. Payton has played better this year than last (751 OPS vs. 669), but he's really a fourth outfielder. His numbers, of course, will go up in Colorado, but Thomson's should go down in New York. Timo Perez now becomes the regular center fielder for the Mets. The right-handed hitting Little could play some against lefties. Pennant impact: ; if the Mets get lucky

THE TRADE	THE SKINNY
To Boston: Bob Howry To White Sox: Franklin Francisco Byeong An	July 31: With Rich Garces (7.59 ERA) being a complete disappointment this season pitching in middle relief for the Red Sox, Howry takes over his spot as a right-handed set-up man. Howry has been effective of late as he hasn't allowed a run in each of his last four outings, totaling 6 1/3 innings pitched. Howry is also a workhorse as he has appeared in 47 games and has a 3.91 ERA. Pennant impact:

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To Mets: Steve Reed Jason Middlebrook To San Diego: Bobby M. Jones Josh Reynolds Jay Bay

July 31: While Reed has been effective this season (he has a 1.98 ERA while also holding hitters to a .228 batting average against), remember he is only a middle reliever so he won't have a major impact on the Mets' drive for the NL wild card. This deal does add depth to the Mets' bullpen and they were able to make it without giving back much in return as Jones has a bloated 5.75 career ERA in parts of five major-league seasons. Reynolds is considered to be a good prospect though as he has compiled a 11-5 record with a 3.13 ERA in 24 starts in Class A this year. Pennant impact:

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To Anaheim: Alex Ochoa Sal Fasano To Milwaukee: Jorge Fabregas Two players to be named

July 31: The Angels were looking for middle-relief help, but added a nice bench player in Ochoa, a good defensive outfielder who can spell Tim Salmon in right (allowing Salmon to DH some), or even play some center field with Darin Erstad playing some first base. Interestingly, Ochoa actually has a higher OPS than Erstad (749 to 719), although don't expect him to replace Erstad in the lineup. Ochoa hits right-handed, but the Angels really needed a lefty bat, since they are hitting .304/.360/.448 vs. left-handed pitchers, but just .266/.326/.410 vs. right-handed pitchers. Pennant impact:

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To Texas: Todd Hollandsworth Dennys Reyes To Colorado: Gabe Kapler Jason Romano

July 31: Let's count the outfielders for the Rockies now: Larry Walker, Juan Pierre, Gabe Kapler, Jay Payton, Benny Agbayani and Jack Cust, if he ever gets called up from Triple-A ... that's six if you lost count. With Walker assured of an everyday spot in right field that means the other five will battle for playing time in center and left field. The Rangers made this deal to rid themselves of Kapler's contract (he's signed through next season, where he will make $3.25 million). Hollandsworth will be a free agent at the end of the year. Pennant impact: None

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To Cubs: Chad Hermansen To Pittsburgh: Darren Lewis

July 31: The Pirates officially gave up on waiting for the former highly-touted Hermansen to develop. Hermansen, who the Pirates drafted in the first round in 1995, had a career .199 batting average (and .257 on-base percentage) in parts of four seasons with Pittsburgh. Lewis is a light-hitting (.250 career batting average), 34-year-old reserve outfielder who is now joining his eighth big-league team. Pennant impact: None

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To Boston: Cliff Floyd To Montreal: Sun-Woo Kim Seung Song Player to be named

July 30: The Red Sox are grinning from ear to ear after this one. They get a player who immediately leads the team in homers (21) and don't give up anyone on their major league roster to do it. Floyd's a great fit in Boston. He'll give Manny Ramirez needed protection in the lineup, and will likely rotate with Ramirez between the outfield and designated hitter spots. Floyd may even see some time at first base, a position the Red Sox have gotten little production from this season. Pennant impact:

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To Oakland: Ricardo Rincon To Cleveland: Marshall McDougall

July 30: Rincon is certainly a welcome addition for the A's as a left-handed middle reliever in that he essentially replaces Mike Magnante (5.97 ERA). But in all honesty Rincon is just that, a middle reliever. Rarely, if ever, does a middle guy have a major impact on a team and don't expect Rincon to be any different. McDougall, a Florida State alum, is considered a decent middle-infield prospect and currently is at Double-A. Pennant impact:

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To St. Louis: Scott Rolen Doug Nickle $$$$ To Philadelphia: Placido Polanco Bud Smith Mike Timlin

July 29: The Cardinals add an important piece to what is looking more and more like a division-winning team. Rolen is a big upgrade over Placido Polanco, who is a nice utility guy, but not someone you want playing on a regular basis. The Phillies were desperate to get a third sacker in return, but Polanco is a stretch as a starter. Meanwhile, Rolen, who has hit very well in July (.301, 6 HR) allows Albert Pujols to move full time to left field, where he has hit much better this year (.308 compared to .239 when playing third). Bud Smith, last year's no-hit rookie, has been awful this year (6.94 ERA), and will have to prove himself again. Pennant impact:

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To San Francisco: Kenny Lofton To White Sox: Felix Diaz Ryan Meaux

July 28: Lofton is a welcome addition to the Giants' outfield, which has been decimated by injuries of late. However, after a great April (.343, 13 SB), Lofton has just two steals the past two months. Defensively, he's also a step down from Tsuyoshi Shinjo. He has hit well in July (.280, 5 HR) and provides speed and some on-base ability in the leadoff spot. Both Diaz (3-5 with a 2.70 ERA in Double-A Shreveport) and Meaux (16 saves with a 2.68 ERA in Class A Hagerstown) are promising pitching prospects, but Lofton is well worth the risk, considering the state of San Fran's outfield. Pennant impact:

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To Los Angeles: Paul Shuey To Cleveland: Ricardo Rodriguez Francisco Cruceta Terry Mulholland

July 28: Considering the impact any one middle reliever can make on a pennant race is minimal, it's surprising the Dodgers would trade their top prospect in Rodriguez for Shuey. The 24-year-old Rodriguez had a 1.99 ERA in 11 starts in Double-A. Cruceta, 21, is also a decent prospect, ranking 10th in ERA and 6th in K's in the South Atlantic League. While Shuey is having a solid year (and only one trip to the DL so far!) and will replace Guillermo Mota and Paul Quantrill as L.A.'s top setup guy, the Dodgers' main problem since the All-Star break has been on offense (two runs or less in nine of 16 games). Pennant impact:

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To Oakland: Ray Durham To White Sox: Jon Adkins

July 25: In 96 games with the White Sox, Durham had 20 stolen bases and a .390 on-base percentage, both stats the A's could sorely use at the top of their batting order. Durham is expected to take over the leadoff spot as well as play both second base and center field. The A's are high on Mark Ellis, who has been the club's primary leadoff hitter and regular second baseman since being recalled from Triple-A Sacramento in early June. Ellis has a .337 OBP in 44 games. Center fielder Terrence Long (.251 BA, .314 OBP) has been a big disappointent this season. Adkins, a right-handed pitcher, was 7-6 with a 6.03 ERA in 20 starts at Triple-A. It looks like Billy Beane has done it again. Pennant impact:

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To Cincinnati: Brian Moehler Matt Boone $$$$ To Detroit: David Espinosa Two players to be named

July 23: When Kenny Rogers invoked his no-trade clause to the Reds, Cincinnati found the ultimate scrap-heap starter in Moehler, who had made only three starts for Detroit this year -- and actually pitched well (2.29 ERA). But he's not that good and is unlikely to make any major impact on the Reds' pennant hopes. Espinosa is a young infielder who the Reds signed to a major-league contract out of high school and thus has to stick in the bigs by 2004. He has power potential, but is still in Class A. Pennant impact:

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To Los Angeles: Tyler Houston Player to be named To Milwaukee: Ben Diggins Shane Nance

July 23: Houston was hitting .302 with seven homers and 33 RBI in a mostly regular role as the Brewers' third baseman this season. Dodgers manager Jim Tracy will have to decide whether to keep the disappointing Adrian Beltre (.238 BA) as his regular third baseman or employ a platoon of the right-handed hitting Beltre and the lefty-swinging Houston. Either way, the acquisition of Houston adds depth to a weak-hitting Dodgers lineup. Diggins, a right-handed pitcher, was the Dodgers' first-round pick in the 2000 draft. He was 6-10 with a 3.63 ERA for Class A Vero Beach this year. Pennant impact:

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To St. Louis: Chuck Finley To Cleveland: Luis Garcia Player to be named

July 19: Finley was 4-11 with a 4.44 ERA at trade time; while the ERA isn't spectacular, it's a big improvement over the likes of Bud Smith (1-5, 6.94) and others the Cardinals were trying in the rotation. Finley paid immediate dividends with a win his first start, allowing four runs in six innings. Cleveland, looking to dump the remainder of Finley's $5 million salary, picked up Garcia, a 23-year-old outfielder hitting .266 with 13 home runs in Double-A. He's a former pitcher who came over from Boston in the Dustin Hermanson deal. For St. Louis, the key isn't getting a great pitcher, because Finley isn't; it's getting a bad pitcher out of the lineup. Pennant impact:

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To Montreal: Cliff Floyd Wilton Guerrero Claudio Vargas $$$$ To Florida: Carl Pavano Graeme Lloyd Mike Mordecai Justin Wayne Player to be named

July 11: The Expos continue to trade away every last prospect for a desperate run at the wild card (they're 5½ out at trade time). Floyd is one of the top bats in the league, providing power, average and on-base ability. With a gaping hole at first base, don't be surprised if Floyd ends up playing a lot there. For Florida, the three major leaguers were basically acquired to balance payroll; Pavano is essentially junk after years of arm problems. Wayne was Montreal's first-round pick in 2000, out of Stanford. The right-hander has a 2.37 ERA at Double-A (bolstered by 14 unearned runs), but he's fanned only 47 hitters in 98.2 innings, which does not make him a top-flight prospect. Owner Jeffrey Loria, who paid Wayne's signing bonus ($2.95 million) when he owned the Expos, reportedly was interested in recouping his investment. Pennant impact:

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To Cincinnati: Ryan Dempster To Florida: Juan Encarnacion Wilton Guerrero Ryan Snare

July 11: Reds GM Jim Bowden finally got the starting pitcher he needed to bolster his rotation, which is being held together by tape (Elmer Dessens, 2.91 ERA) and glue (Chris Reitsma, 3.45 ERA), and features the likes of Joey Hamilton (5.21) and no fifth starter of quality. But will Dempster make it any better? He certainly has a better arm than any of those guys, but his ERA is 4.79 this year and was 4.94 last year -- in a pitcher's park. He's better than Hamilton or the fifth guys, but his value is marginal right now. Encarnacion got attention for a hot April (810 OPS), but actually hit slightly better in June (.857). He's never played this well before, and if he returns to his Detroit ways, the Marlins are on their way to becoming the worst team in baseball again. Pennant impact:

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To Yankees: Jeff Weaver To Oakland: Ted Lilly Jason Arnold John-Ford Griffin To Detroit: Carlos Pena Franklyn German Player to be named

July 5: Who needs six starting pitchers -- six good ones? The Yankees, apparently. They add Weaver, who was 6-8 with Detroit but with a 3.18 ERA, to their rotation, meaning someone goes to the pen or on the trade block (Orlando Hernandez?). Weaver is also signed through 2005 at a reasonable rate. It may seem strange for the A's partake in a deal that makes the Yankees stronger, but they get a good pitcher in Lilly, who replaces the struggling Cory Lidle in the rotation, and two excellent prospects. The Tigers get a nice hitting prospect in Pena and a potential closer. Pennant impact:

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To Yankees: Raul Mondesi To Toronto: Scott Wiggins

July 1: This was one was all about the money, with the Blue Jays dumping Mondesi's contract, which pays him $5.5 over the rest of 2002 and $13 million in 2003. In order to do that, however, the Jays will pay the Yankees $6 million of Mondesi's 2003 salary. On the field, Mondesi has long been overrated (he's never driven in 100 runs) and may not deliver much more production than the Yankees were getting from John Vander Wal and Shane Spencer. Pennant impact:

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To Montreal: Bartolo Colon Tim Drew $$$$ To Cleveland: Lee Stevens Brandon Phillips Cliff Lee Grady Sizemore

June 27: If you're not going to exist in a year, minor leaguers don't do you much good. The MLB-owned Expos picked up an ace in Colon, who had a 2.55 ERA at the time of the deal, to make a desperate run at the wild card or NL East title (Montreal was 41-36 at trade time). The Indians, in a freefall after an 11-1, traded Colon even though he's signed through 2003. They pick up Phillips, regarded as perhaps the best shortstop prospect in baseball, and Lee, who was leading the Eastern League in strikeouts. Pennant impact:

THE TRADE	THE SKINNY
To Boston: Alan Embree Andy Shibilo To San Diego Brad Baker Dan Giese	June 23: Trying to bolster their middle relief, the Red Sox picked up one of the hottest relievers around in Embree, who had a 0.94 in 28.2 innings with the Padres. Embree has been particularly tough against left-handers this year. However, it came at the cost of an excellent pitching prospect in Baker, who was 7-1 with a 2.79 ERA at Class A Sarasota. Pennant impact: