Trade Deadline Deals

Although APBA officially allows trades until August 31st, the MLB trade deadline has motivated a few teams to make some moves.

Texas, leading the west with a 68-44 record, has the strongest offense in the league but shaky pitching. They upgraded the rotation in a big (as in 6 foot 11) way by trading for Boston's Rufus Anderson. Boston receives minor league 1B/OF Chip Atkinson. Anderson, 34, has a 7-6 record and 3.85 ERA through 21 starts. He's a free agent after the season.

Phoenix, in second place and also battling for the wild card, adds Johnny DeMario to the rotation in exchange for minor league catcher John Gourdin and pitcher Steve Jacobson. In 21 starts for Cleveland, the 37 year old DeMario is 6-8 with a 3.94 ERA.

In the biggest deal of all, the LA Shockers finally get their man by trading for Baltimore's Kobe Jones. The Shockers have been trying to get Kobe for more than a decade now, going back to his days with the Florida Penguins. Kobe and OF Gabe Kotter are going to Los Angeles, with SS Oswipe Cabrera and OF Steve Freeman going to the Shockers. In the off-season Kobe resigned with Baltimore for 4 years and 72 million, but has found life without Joe Young and Gehrig Bear to be not so fun. Steve Freeman has 16 million left on his contract over the next 2 years, so the Shockers get some salary relief by moving him in the deal. Kobe is hitting .243 with 19 homers and 61 RBI through 109 games.

The New York Knights are rumored to be interested in a shortstop upgrade as well, with inquiries made on Portland's Luciano Cedeno and Toronto's Michael Garciajawa, but no deal has yet been made.