After months of baseball, the crucial day is almost here. Only one more day until July 31, 2007, the trade deadline for major league baseball teams.

Tomorrow, the life of a major league baseball player could change dramatically. Players could move across the country, cross the boundary between the National League and American League, and maybe even change positions.

They could move from a team that is a contender for the World Series to a team that is barely in the running for the wild card. Or, they could become the players that vault their new teams into first place and eventually lead them to a championship.

One move could make all of this happen for a major leaguer, but that move could also drastically affect players in the minor leagues. They are the ones who are tossed around during this time, traded among other minor league affiliates as bonding chips while the major league teams vie for the hottest hitter or the pitcher with the most strikeouts.

During last Wednesday night's doubleheader, the Pittsburgh Pirates general manager, Dave Littlefield, was in Medlar Field at Lubrano Park to scout out his new single-A team, the State College Spikes. This was his first time visiting the team this year, so he was not only here to see the team but also the ballpark.

"I wanted to stop by and get a chance to see the Spikes," Littlefield said. "We love the tie to the area, the affiliation to the college and we are very, very pleased. They've done a great job building this place and we hope to put some good teams out here for the fans."

Putting a good team on the field has been difficult for the major league Pirates. After being swept by cross-state rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies, the trading of player could happen in the near future.

While he didn't say anything about them, trade deals had to have been on Littlefield's mind while he watched the Spikes split the doubleheader with the Aberdeen Doubledays.

"The reality of it is, professionally speaking, most of it stays between the GMs," Littlefield said.
"A lot of the things that people come up with seem to make sense or sound interesting but
most of it is just speculation."

Since the Spikes are a single-A short season team, the players aren't likely to move up to the Pirates any time soon. Those who are high prospects, however, could be used as bargaining chips as the deadline comes to a close.

The team was obviously aware that Littlefield was there on Wednesday night. After having a pretty strong first game against the IronBirds, it was not as clean in the second game, making three errors, going into extra innings and losing a game it could have won.

After the game, the Pirates GM stayed for a while. He visited and chatted with a few players as well as the State College coaching staff.

"He came in here for a little bit and just wanted to have a chance to see the facility," Spikes manager Turner Ward said. "This is getting close to the trade deadline for those guys, and it was an opportunity for him to come out and see some of our new talent."

Littlefield, who has been the general manager of the Pirates since 2001, spoke a little bit about the Spikes, saying he saw promise on the field but that it was still too early to tell. One person in particular, a first-round draft pick named Daniel Moskos, was discussed because of his high profile. Spikes fans might get to see him by the end of the season but that is still up in the air.

"Right now, he is in Bradenton," he said "He spent quite a bit of time negotiating so there was a bit of downtime there. He is working his way back on a throwing program. Like any first-year player, you are going to be cautious about innings but it's a possibility."

Ward was unsure how many actual Spikes players Littlefield spoke to, but he definitely did not speak to outfielder Marcus Davis.

"I didn't get to see him," Davis said. "I would've really liked to meet him because I want to try to meet as many people as I can."

Davis, who as of late has been holding a consistent spot in the lineup, is a strong player for the Spikes. In the last five games, he's averaging .300, with one homerun and two RBIs. This season, he leads the team in OPS, averaging .982 and is also tied for the team lead in stolen bases with nine.

With less than 48 hours left until the deadline, the possibility of a trade is always looming. Since the Pirates are not a playoff contender, they might decide not to make a move this year and keep developing talent in the farm systems.

Littlefield, however, is keeping his options open and his cell phone on at all times.

"Its very busy with a lot of phone calls leading up to it, in terms of trade talks between teams," Littlefield said. "There is a lot of discussion in the front office with the other front office staff. It is very, very busy and we just want to always keep that cell phone available."