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 Houston: Pedro Astacio To Colorado: Scott Elarton Player to be named

July 31: With rookies Roy Oswalt and Tim Redding and second-year guy Wade Miller in the rotation, the Astros wanted a veteran presence and landed Astacio. He's just 6-13, 5.49, but that's a Coors Field ERA: on the road, his ERA is 4.26. Meanwhile, Elarton has been a big disappointment after winning 17 games last season. He has a 7.14 ERA, has allowed 26 homers in 109.2 innings and is currently on the DL. Pennant impact:

THE TRADE

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To Houston: Mike Williams To Pittsburgh: Tony McKnight

July 31: The Astros also add bullpen depth by getting Williams from the Pirates. While he's Pittsburgh's closer and has converted 22 of 24 save chances, Williams is hardly a dominating reliever, allowing 39 hits, 21 walks and six homers in 41.2 innings. All six of his homers have come vs. lefties, who have slugged .488 against him. McKnight is another of Houston's good pitching prospects, a notch below the Oswalt-Redding-Miller level. He's a 24-year-old righty who isn't overpowering but has a 3.91 ERA in nine career starts. He should step into Pittsburgh's rotation. Pennant impact:

THE TRADE

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To Boston: Ugueth Urbina To Montreal: Tomo Ohka Rich Rundles

July 31: Derek Lowe has been inconsistent all year and Rod Beck has struggled at times, so the Red Sox wanted to upgrade their pen. They get Urbina (4.24 ERA, 57 K's, 42 H, 46.2 IP), who has been throwing 95 mph even though he flunked the Yankees' physical, nullifying a trade in June. Ohka, meanwhile, has been getting hammered of late (0-3, 11.65 ERA in July), which expedited his departure from Boston. Urbina may close some games in Boston, but he hasn't been the dominating force he was before his injury last season. Pennant impact:

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To Atlanta: Rey Sanchez To Kansas City: Brad Voyles Alejandro Machado

July 31: With Rafael Furcal out for the year with a separated shoulder, the Braves were unwilling to ride Mark DeRosa at shortstop down the stretch, even though he's hitting .342 in 114 at-bats. They pick up the slick-fielding Sanchez, one of the majors' best defensive shortstops. He's hitting .300, but it's as an empty a .300 as you can get: no power and just 11 walks. The Royals pick up two marginal prospects in Voyles, a 24-year-old reliever who had a 1.11 ERA last year at Myrtle Beach and 1.08 (16.2 innings) at Double-A this year. Machado is a 19-year-old infielder. Pennant impact:

THE TRADE

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To Los Angeles: Mike Trombley Terry Mulholland To Baltimore: Chris Foster Geronimo Gil To Pittsburgh: Mike Fetters Adrian Burnside

July 31: The Dodgers bolster their bullpen by getting the two veteran relievers, both of whom are signed through 2002. Trombley is having an excellent season (3.46 ERA, .200 average against) and should become a primary setup man. Mulholland, who hasn't pitched since June 8, has held lefties to a .222 average in limited innings this year. For the Pirates, the deal simply is to get rid of Mulholland's 2002 salary. The Orioles get Gil, a 25-year-old catcher hitting .295 at Triple-A, and Foster, who has been closing at Triple-A with his 95-mph fastball. Pennant impact:

THE TRADE	THE SKINNY
To Cleveland: Milton Bradley To Montreal: Zach Day	July 31: Getting out of Montreal is probably the best thing that can happen to Bradley, who has failed to live up to his prospect hype and is hitting just .223 with one homer in 220 at-bats this year. However, he is just 23 years old. Day, also 23, is a right-hander who is 9-10 with a 3.01 ERA at Double-A (143 IP, 127 H, 47 BB, 97 K's). Pennant impact: none

THE TRADE	THE SKINNY
To San Francisco: Jason Christiansen To St. Louis: Kevin Joseph Other considerations	July 31: Ahh, a Tony LaRussa lefty: 30 games, 19.1 innings. Anyway, Christiansen is OK as far as one-out lefty spot relievers go: they are 6-for-29 but with seven walks off him this year. Joseph is a pitcher with an arm and a heartbeat, ranked by Baseball America as the Giants' 18th-best prospect at the start of the season. Pennant impact: none

THE TRADE

THE SKINNY

To Minnesota: Rick Reed To Mets: Matt Lawton

July 30: The Mets moved Reed to free themselves of salary and reshape the worst hitting outfield in baseball. Lawton (.293, 10 HR, 51 RBI, 19 SB) led Minnesota regulars with a .396 on-base percentage. Reed's experience and consistency will go a long way toward fortifying the big three in the Twins' rotation: Brad Radke, Eric Milton and Joe Mays. Twins' starters are 5-12 with a 5.42 ERA since the All-Star break (Radke 5.61, Milton 6.88, Adam Johnson 6.28, Kyle Lohse 8.14), but Reed gives the Twins a formidable four -- and a better 1-2-3-4 than the Indians' staff by far -- heading toward September. Don't be surprised if the Twins deal for Dmitri Young to fill what is now a gaping hole in right field. Pennant impact:

THE TRADE

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To San Francisco: Jason Schmidt John Vander Wal To Pittsburgh: Armando Rios Ryan Vogelsong

July 30: Schmidt was one of the hot commodities in the trade market, especially with a 2.83 ERA in July. But that followed a 6.67 ERA in June. He's eligible for free agency after the season. He'll step into the rotation in place of rookie Ryan Jensen. Vander Wal (834 OPS) and Rios (795 OPS) are pretty much the same player, except Rios makes $1.5 million less. The key for Pittsburgh is Vogelsong, a 24-year-old righty with excellent Triple-A numbers (2.79 ERA, 58 IP, 35 H, 18 BB, 53 SO). Pennant impact:

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To Yankees: Sterling Hitchcock To San Diego: Brett Jodie Darren Blakely

July 30: Hitchcock pitched well in his three starts with the Padres (2-1, 3.32 ERA, 15 SO in 22 IP), but his second start came on 15 days' rest and his third, on four days' rest, was not very good (5 IP, 8 H, 3 BB, 4 R). He still needs to show he's healthy enough to pitch every fifth day. If he is, he'll ben an improvement over Randy Keisler (6.22 ERA in 10 starts). It may also be a sign the Yankees don't expect Orlando Hernandez to return. Jodie is a 24-year-old righty who was 10-4, 2.87 in Triple-A. Blakely, 24, is a toolsy outfielder hitting .256 with 12 HRs at Class A Tampa. Pennant impact:

THE TRADE	THE SKINNY
To Cubs: David Weathers Roberto Miniel To Milwaukeee: Ruben Quevedo Peter Zoccolillo	July 30: A nice little pickup for the Cubs. Weathers is having a great year (2.03 ERA, .188 average against) and deepens the already solid Chicago bullpen. He's been especially tough on right-handed hitters (.177 average). On the other hand, Quevedo is a solid prospect (if not solid around the middle). The 245-pound right-hander is young (22) and has a 2.99 ERA at Triple-A Iowa. Pennant impact:

THE TRADE

THE SKINNY

To Minnesota: Todd Jones To Detroit: Mark Redman

July 28: Jones comes to the reeling Twins with the hope that he can bolster their bullpen. But Jones has done little of that this year for the Tigers as his ERA stands at a whopping 4.62. He lost his closer's job to Matt Anderson in early June and has been in a set-up role, the same role it's expected the Twins will use him in. Redman, who is currently on the disabled list with a strained triceps muscle, came into the season as one of the Twins' starters. He's appeared in only nine games due to the injury. He's projected to be back within 2-to-3 weeks. Pennant impact:

THE TRADE

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To Philadelphia: Turk Wendell Dennis Cook Felipe Crespo To New York Mets: Bruce Chen Adam Walker To San Francisco: Wayne Gomes

July 27: The Phillies bolstered their bullpen for the playoff run with the addition of relievers Wendell and Cook, who'll join closer Jose Mesa, Rick Bottalico and Rheal Cormier. The Phillies also improved their bench in trading for the switch-hitting Crespo. Gomes became expendable for the Phillies with Wendell and Cook coming over. As for the Mets, they get two younger pitchers in Chen (24) and Walker (25), both left-handers. Chen has had big-league success while Walker has posted impressive numbers at Double-A ( Pennant impact:

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To Chicago Cubs: Fred McGriff Cash To Tampa Bay: Manny Aybar Player to be named

July 27: Is there enough room in the Cubs' lineup for two Professional Hitters (tm)? Presumably, the Crime Dog replaces Matt Stairs at first base. McGriff has a 923 OPS (.387 OBP/.536 SLG) while Stairs is at 818 (.372 OBP/.446 SLG). The Cubs could play Stairs in left field, but that would weaken the defense. If Stairs is simply relegated to the bench, this trade isn't as big as Cubs fans may think. The hidden factor is McGriff may force pitchers to pitch a little more to Sammy Sosa, who leads the majors with 27 intentional walks. Triple-A shortstop Jason Smith, 24, is reportedly the player to be named. He's hitting .233 with 12 walks and 71 K's in 240 at-bats. Pennant impact:

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To Los Angeles: James Baldwin To Chicago White Sox: Onan Masaoka Gary Majewski Jeff Barry

July 26: Baldwin, who has been dogged by arm troubles over the last year, has been solid of late, allowing three or fewer runs in four of his last six starts before the trade. The Dodgers have remained in the race despite missing three starters -- Kevin Brown is currently on the disabled list while Andy Ashby and Darren Dreifort are out for the season. Baldwin, a free agent at the end of this season, broke down at the end of last year due to a sore right shoulder. The Dodgers must hope he holds up for the rest of this season. Masaoka is the only one of the three minor leaguers to have previously been on the Dodgers' big-league roster. Masaoka, a lefty, spent parts of the 1999 and 2000 seasons in the Dodgers' bullpen. Pennant impact:

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To Oakland: Jermaine Dye To Kansas City: Neifi Perez To Colorado: Jose Ortiz Mario Encarnacion Todd Belitz

July 25: You've gotta love A's GM Billy Beane. While there was talk the A's might unload players (Jason Giambi was mentioned) they instead decided to make a run at a playoff spot. Dye is having a subpar year (.272-13-47), but he should be an upgrade for the A's offense. As for the Royals, they now have two shortstops with Perez and Rey Sanchez (rumors are that he'll be traded, possibly to the Braves). While Perez is a fine shortstop -- he won his first Gold Glove last season -- one problem exists: away from Coors Field, he is hitting just .237 with no homers. Do the Royals even look at stuff like that? As for the Rockies, they get three prospects from the A's with Ortiz being the most notable. He began the year as Oakland's regular second baseman before getting hurt. Colorado can also now turn over their shortstop duties to 21-year-old stud prospect Juan Uribe. Pennant impact:

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To Arizona: Albie Lopez Mike DiFelice To Tampa Bay: Nick Bierbrodt Jason Conti

July 25: The Diamondbacks have the best 1-2 knockout punch in the National League in Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling -- but not much else after them. Adding Lopez (5-12, 5.33 ERA), despite his struggles on the worst team in the majors, gives Arizona's staff more depth, but he's not really much of an improvement over Robert Ellis (5.56 ERA). Lopez is expected to debut Saturday against the Giants in place of Bierbrodt, Arizona's first-ever draft pick, who had a 2.18 ERA in Triple-A. The D-Backs also give catcher Damian Miller some support with the addition of DiFelice (.208-2-9), a tough-as-nails defensive player. Pennant impact:

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To San Francisco: Andres Galarraga To Texas: Erasmo Ramirez Chris Magruder Todd Ozias

July 24: The 40-year-old Galarraga will be used as the right-handed bat in a platoon at first base with J.T. Snow. If he hits, expect to see Galarraga play even against right-handed pitching as Snow has struggled a great deal this year (.220 average). The Big Cat is a veteran of postseason play, most recently last year with the Braves. Magruder, an outfielder, will be sent to Triple-A while Ramirez and Ozias, both pitchers, will be sent to Double-A. Galarraga will be a free agent at season's end. Pennant impact:

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To Chicago Cubs: Michael Tucker To Cincinnati: Chris Booker Ben Shaffar

July 20: Tucker comes to the Cubs to be a left-handed bat off the bench. And while it's not a terrible acquisition, getting Tucker was something the Cubs didn't need to do. He's batting a woeful .083 in 36 at-bats against left-handed pitching so expect to see him only when righties are on the mound. He's also signed through 2003, though he can void the final two years of his contract, which is paying him $1.8 million this season, as is stated in the deal he signed if he happened to be traded during the season. Booker, who was pitching in relief at Double-A, and Shaffar, a starter in Class A, aren't considered top prospects. Pennant impact: None