Quick Bits: Trade Deadline, HOF

Here are three interesting reads on the day:

• Jesse Sanchez (MLB) has a nice roundup of much of the recent trade speculation. Sanchez notes that the Yankees have, indeed, scouted Ian Snell and that the Pirates would like to move him so as to avoid paying the $4.25 million owed to him in 2010.
• T.R. Sullivan (MLB) has an excellent read out on weighing the risks of blockbuster trades. Sullivan focuses on the Rangers’ decision to trade Mark Teixeira to the Braves—a move that ultimately sparked a youth movement in Texas and one that has definitely worked for them this season.
• While the first two reads focus on the topic of trades, this final read is a bit random, yet acceptable given yesterday’s HOF induction ceremony for Jim Rice and Rickey Henderson. Apparently, a team of professors from Missouri State University have figured out how to predict who will be elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame, based on a set of statistical commonalities. Now, I love baseball as much as the next guy, but, you would think that a team of professors with this much mathematical talent would focus their energy on something else (like “fixing” the economy… oh well).