Within 48 hours of the non-waiver deadline, the intensity went up a notch or seven Friday with the Phil Nevin-Chan Ho Park deal all but done and Eric Byrnes-Larry Bigbie done.

That leaves us with a few things that make you go hmmm about the three biggest names of the week that haven’t been dealt yet . . .

• Manny Ramirez remains with the Red Sox. That’s likely a statement that stands next week, too. It’s just too hard to put together an equation that makes sense. This is a Hall of Fame player, whatever the other issues going on. This has to be an incredible deal. Mike Cameron and Aubrey Huff, the players the Sox were reported to be getting in the proposed three-way with NYM and TB, are two good players. Incredible deal? No. Or, not yet, at least.
• Alfonso Soriano remains with the Rangers. Makes you wonder, now that Manny-to-Mets seems to has cooled, whether the Mets could intensify their efforts to get Soriano. And the Rangers do have another right-handed power bat with Nevin now. More likely, it’s still Richard Hidalgo who might move. Sidney Ponson’s thumb is OK, so maybe that Baltimore thing will come through, and Ponson and Nevin will be teammates instead of trade partners.
• Adam Dunn remains with the Reds. He whacked two homers Friday at the place that doesn’t give up any, PETCO Park in San Diego. He’s going to make ton$ next year. Can’t the Reds trade him? And if they don’t want to, how do they expect to improve the pitching staff? That said, the pitching market certainly hasn’t sounded like it’s teeming. Anyway, you’d think Dunn’s a prime candidate to move, but it hasn’t happened. Maybe this winter. Maybe never.

Names more likely to move: Danys Baez, Mark Redman, Randy Winn and somebody bigger we haven’t even thought of yet. A.J. Burnett sounds like he’s staying, though.

It’s down to the final weekend. The comments continue to be the best part of this blog, so hit that link and add your $.02 to it.

This isn’t a reprise of the 2003-04 winter soap opera with Manny Ramirez as the jilted superstar — and A-Rod certainly won’t be involved this time.

But is it possible this is a summer rerun of the 2004 blockbuster that knocked Nomar Garciaparra off his Red Sox and sent him to another hallowed ground at Wrigley? Could we actually see another Sox star leave?

Doubtful. Just bizarre enough not to dismiss outright, but doubtful.

Manny might want out, but granting his wish is tougher than the Sox trading a marquee name of the franchise like they did with Nomar last year. Really, how does a first-place team in the middle of a pennant race and a lukewarm (at best) trade market make it worth its while? That’s a lot to ask, even of Theo Epstein. Who could pick up that contract? And if Ramirez really shuts down, that’s not exactly going to make it easy to get it done, either. The very idea has so many holes in it, but you can’t ignore it or think it’s out of the realm of possibility. Not with Manny. Not with the Sox.

Hey, if young Theo can get something done in 72 hours that actually makes sense and doesn’t send Boston on a detour from its road to October, go ahead and hand him Exec of the Year honors.

This bizarre twist fits right in with the market so far this July — sure sounds intriguing but not all that plausible. The deal that brought Shawn Chacon to the Yankees tells you a little bit about what this season’s like — the Yankees have wherewithal to shore up their again, limping rotation, and that’s what they come up with. No offense to Chacon, who might benefit from the change of scenery, but this isn’t the stuff of celebratory back-page pronouncements. This is a B movie compared to summer blockbusters.

One thing that does seem apparent: Even if there hasn’t been a ton of significant action, GMs have been burning up the phones. There are enough discussions going around in different directions that maybe the weekend will have a flurry of interesting activity after all.

If somebody like Manny, or Manny himself for that matter, changes addresses, that’d still be a surprise.

P.S. Loving the string of trade rumors and discussions building up in the comments. Keep on keepin’ on.

No team has more names that have been on the rumor mill than the Reds. So far, Joe Randa and now maybe some possibilities brewing with Rich Aurilia. No Adam Dunn, no Austin Kearns. GM Dan O’Brien says don’t hold your breath waiting for a big deal out of him, so that probably means not a lot of phone calls about Ken Griffey Jr., either — understandably.

That’s whole lot of nothing. But there’s a lot of that going around. There just might be more of it coming out of Cincinnati these days.

Hate to keep harping on the Reds, but they seem to be the center of attention this July but not exactly the center of activity.  Dunn couldn’t fit the fodder bill better, a 25-year-old slugger heading for a big salary bump next year. The Dodgers are widely reported to be after Dunn, and they should be — he’d be a great fit there, now and later. Throwing infielder Antonio Perez and pitcher Edwin Jackson at the Reds probably won’t do it, though. O’Brien has made it clear he’s not seeking a deal and would have to be overwhelmed. That’s not overwhelming. Oakland? Well, they at least might be able to send young pitching, but affording him? Houston’s not sounding like they’re going that hard after the hometown kid yet, either.

Sigh. More and more, seems like there are too many wanna-be buyers and the few sellers that there are all want to be overwhelmed. And that means without a flurry this weekend, the biggest moves may come in August, after the non-waiver deadline.

Hey, check out the previous comment threads for some good contributions of trade talk, or add your own — maybe you have some thoughts about what the Reds are or aren’t up to this week.

First of all, thanks for all the rumors coming in via the comments link. Keep ’em coming.

Addressing one of them, Alfonso Soriano probably isn’t going to the Mets, or anywhere. The Rangers are said to be asking too much, and they should ask a ton for this guy. Soriano is an All-Star talent. Texas still has hope in at least the Wild Card race if their freefall doesn’t continue much longer, and dealing Soriano would be a white flag. The Rangers are more likely to pick up Sidney Ponson for Richard Hidalgo, which at least makes more sense than dealing away Soriano. The Twins also are said to be pursuing Soriano, but his earning potential in aribtration for 2006 ($10M?) doesn’t seem to add up there. They could look at him as a rental and non-tender him, but the Rangers would need more in return than what the Twins could give up in that case.

Things can change in a heartbeat, but the Rangers trading away the player they received for A-Rod at this point just doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense. If they do, it had better be for pitching. But it’s looking unlikely on all trade fronts at this point.

To answer one of the comments from the plea for trade rumors … With Phil Nevin saying no, where do the Padres and Orioles go? Back to the drawing board — and fast.

The Orioles, you have to think, try and jump back in after  A.J. Burnett — or at least some pitching help, which they need more than Nevin’s bat anyway. There’s more competition for Burnett now (both Sox), and the Marlins don’t have to trade him. Whatever, get an arm. The O’s need a boost in this postseason race, and shedding Sidney Ponson for a bat isn’t going to cut it.

The Padres still need a starter as insurance against Adam Eaton’s finger injury, or depth in the best-case scenario that Eaton’s back for the stretch run. They also have Nevin happy to be home in San Diego but probably not that happy to be headed for a lot of time on the bench. (Note to self: Always go with your first instinct.) If Kevin Towers can move him, he will. And should. It’s just that the one team that has expressed interest was one of what now should be known as the Nevin Eight. But the Padres, first in the NL West and falling, are looking like a team still in need of some shaking up.

Now, back to begging for rumors. Hit that comment button with one or two, would ya?

Guess it’s the nature of the blog beast, but this thing’s been way too one-sided.

It’s your turn, people.

Throw some rumors my way and let’s toss ’em through the Reality Check machine. Hit that comment link and let’s get some ideas rolling.

Actual published rumors are preferred over conconctions, of course — but that could be fun, too. At the very least, let’s put together a page of the best rumors out there, and don’t be afraid to do your own Reality Check on them. You’re allowed, you know.

These posts will be a lot more frequent this week as we head toward Sunday’s deadline. Look for another one later today.

P.S. One quick take: The longer this Phil Nevin decision goes, the more it seems like he’ll accept it. It’s all in his hands now. Phil, some unsolicited advice: Take the deal and get a fresh start.

While we’re waiting for shoes to drop, it’s worth wondering if any of these shoes fit in the first place. And, while we’re at it, it’s worth wondering: What’s it gonna take for the O’s to put something on?

First, there’s the A.J. Burnett deal that appears to have fallen through. If the O’s had him in their grasp, their bad for not finishing off the deal. It didn’t sound like taking on Mike Lowell was a deal-breaker — maybe it was. But the O’s certainly seemed to be on the verge of picking up the best pitcher available on the market, and now they’re on the back burner, with the White Sox making their play for the Marlins’ free agent-to-be. Maybe the O’s weren’t all that serious in the first place. But if not, why not? Even if he’s a rental, he’s a good one.

The other one twisting in the trade winds swirling around Baltimore is Phil Nevin, who has the right to deny a trade that would send him to the Orioles for Sidney Ponson. At this point, the shocker would be Nevin actually saying yes to the deal — he’s been in San Diego since ’99, and as he said Saturday, he’s earned the right to say no to this trade. Stranger things have happened, but Nevin’s a stubborn sort and Baltimore obviously was among eight teams he felt like blocking at one point. His agent, Barry Axelrod, has said in the past the list was constructed with teams in mind that might be able to afford picking him up, because Nevin has wanted to do whatever he can to stay in San Diego.

But this third time the Padres are trying to trade him should give him some pause. Sure, he’d be going to a much more hitter-friendly park than PETCO, but Nevin has more to consider than that. On the flip side, he should consider that a.) the organization clearly wants him to move on, and b.) that could make for an uncomfortable relationship going forward if he nixes this one like he did the Ken Griffey Jr. one a couple of years ago. If he does bounce the trade, the Padres will continue to try and move him, that much is clear. Finding a taker hasn’t been easy so far, though. Perhaps an August deal if this one falls through.

In the meantime, the Padres — in first place but plummeting — probably just go with Xavier Nady at first and have Nevin coming off the bench. That’s their leverage with Nevin at the moment, at least: You stay, you don’t play. Still, anyone banking on Nevin giving his OK to move to Baltimore is likely to be disappointed.

Which brings us back to the O’s. This is an opportunity here. If they fail to get something done this week, they’ll be regretting it. Last winter, it became pretty obvious it’s become a tough sell to get free agents to come to Baltimore, at least in part because the Red Sox and Yankees are in the same division. They need to get things done via trade, and this week’s huge for the stretch run as well as the future.

Joe Randa is headed to the Padres, and that may only be the beginning. With the NL West leaders stumbling and their division advantage shrinking, bringing in the veteran third baseman meant the demotion of a young third baseman and perhaps the pending departure of a veteran first baseman.

Reports first surfaced in the San Diego Union-Tribune on Saturday morning that Phil Nevin could be headed from San Diego to Baltimore for Sidney Ponson. OK, but don’t bank on Nevin waiving his limited no-trade provision, which includes the Orioles. Remember, he invoked his right before to nix a Ken Griffey Jr. swap. He might waive it this time, just don’t bank on it.

What this makes clear is that the Padres are motivated to move Nevin while they can — he’ll earn full 10-and-5 rights early next season, and they have other options at first in Xavier Nady and Ryan Klesko. Taking on Ponson is a heavy price to pay, though, and you’d think the Padres might have other takers for Nevin among the 21 teams not on Nevin’s no-trade list. Guess at the very least this puts Nevin on the market, no?

The Randa acquisition — even if he’s relatively cheap, especially for his production — does add about $1 million to the 2005 payroll. Padres owner John Moores has essentially said the club will have to move money to add money, so the Nevin rumors make some sense. Hmmm, and the difference in the contracts for Nevin and Ponson almost hit exactly what extra is picked up with Randa’s arrival. Hmmm.

Anyway, with this move that pushes Sean Burroughs to the Minors, the Padres don’t look like they’ll be standing pat while clinging to the division lead and the .500 mark at the same time. Looks like San Diego’s getting ready for some roster rumbling.

Hard not to keep one eye on the Reds these days. Perhaps no other team has as much potential to trade a big hitter the next nine days.

With that backdrop, the Junior Conundrum reared its head the other day. Rumors began swirling that it might be Ken Griffey Jr. — not Adam Dunn, not Austin Kearns, not Wily Mo Pena — who gets dealt to a team looking for a big bat. And, to his credit, Junior said all the right things, keeping his focus on the present while understanding why moving him would make sense for the club.

If they could. But they can’t.

When HOF writer Hal McCoy says he spoke to scouts from 15 clubs, and none of them were there to scout Junior, that tells you something. Even the Yankees — desperate for a center fielder and seemingly the only team in baseball that could take on his monster contract — aren’t giving a sniff. Big money and too many injuries in recent years have conspired to make Junior appear stranded in his hometown. While he says he’d consider waiving his 10-and-5 right for the right club, getting all these stars to align seems like too much to ask.

Remember, though, the Reds did have a deal done to send Griffey to San Diego a couple of winters ago, but Phil Nevin’s no-trade clause nixed it. So it’s not as though the Reds wouldn’t have to consider it. Getting a partner, that’s the rub. Never say never, but … (It would be a doozy if they did.)

The Reds still have some stuff they can do, that’s for sure. They should be able to find a taker for Joe Randa (Padres? Twins?), and they could do themselves some good by picking up some young pitching for Dunn. He stands out as the most likely of the three to move simply because he’s the most marketable and he’ll be the most expensive to keep. Gotta say, the Dodgers and Dunn seem like a good match, though his hometown Astros could use him as well.

Meanwhile, we await the inevitable A.J. Burnett finale — O’s still seem like the best call, with or without Mike Lowell — and figure for the moment on the Yankees picking up Randy Winn to help out in CF.

Don’t.

OK, here are a few more, hopefully with a little less of a glimpse of the obvious:

After watching Howard win Tuesday’s game for the Phillies with a 430-foot homer, it’s pretty easy to suggest Philly hang onto their top hitting prospect. Yes, the Phillies need a starter, but not at that price. Jim Thome’s in the way and on his way back in early August, but you need insurance against Thome’s health and bench strength if you want to contend this year. These are things the Phillies, who no doubt would move Thome’s contract now if they could, already appear to have decided. Howard’s off the market, from everything that’s being reported. (Seems like the first time in two years we’ve heard that.)

And maybe trading Billy Wagner isn’t such a bright idea at the moment, either. Things can change a lot in the next 11 days, but with the Phillies being five games out in the NL East and 3 1/2 games in the Wild Card, adding seems to make a lot more sense than subtracting at this point. As suggested by the Philadelphia Inquirer‘s Jim Salisbury, maybe Cole Hamels could be the pitching solution and standing pat really might be the best option at this point for the Phillies.

That’s the kind of trading season this is shaping up to be. When it comes to big moves, there seem to be more reasons not to do things than to do them — nobody seems to want a rental, and nobody seems to want to give up prospects. So many teams are weighing their options still, and sellers keep on asking for the farm. Maybe the other shoe dropping on a Burnett deal will open things up — the little flurry last week didn’t exactly do it.