The White Sox's trade of James Baldwin is a little surprising. Although long shots, they are in the wild-card race, and they've been playing well in recent weeks. From their perspective, it's hard to know why they did it, because no one knows how good the three minor leaguers are that they got.

Every time a pitcher is traded, you have to wait a couple of years before you can honestly evaluate the trade. Pitchers have a tendency to break down in this day and age, although Baldwin does seem to be getting stronger as the season progresses. It will be a couple of seasons before anyone can say if this was a good or a bad deal for the White Sox. Either way, it's still a bit surprising.

It is not necessarily an indication the White Sox are giving up. But they have had contract problems with Magglio Ordonez, and if they trade him, their fans will be right to think, "Here we go again." Then again, the White Sox don't have a lot of fans.

SUNDAY NIGHT BASEBALL

Cardinals at Cubs 8 p.m. ET, ESPN Play-by-play: Jon Miller Analyst: Joe Morgan It's always exciting getting Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire together, because they will be forever linked to one another and the great memories of the home run chase. Cubs fans get an added bonus this game, as it is the debut of Fred McGriff at Wrigley Field. This year, these two teams are even more fun because they're both chasing the NL Central division title. The Cubs look to have a better chance right now, because they have a hold on first place, and because the Cardinals have been inconsistent all year. But there is still a very long way to go in this race. If the Cards can overcome their inconsistencies, they have a good chance to win it.

Acquiring Baldwin makes sense for the Dodgers. They needed not just another arm, but a guy with experience who has pitched in the big leagues to help their young guns, Eric Gagne, Luke Prokopec and Terry Adams. Now they have a veteran they can add to Chan Ho Park, while they continue to hope for Kevin Brown's speedy return. They are definitely in the race, so this is a good move for the Dodgers.

This week involves a lot of tough decisions for teams, and no one ever knows if they're doing the right thing, Chicago included. A lot of teams are blowing in the wind right now. Everyone was wondering if the A's were going to be sellers or buyers, and with the addition of Jermaine Dye, it appears they are buyers. But they might trade Jason Giambi over the weekend, which would make them a big-time seller.

What's up with the Rockies?
I was disappointed that Colorado got rid of Neifi Perez, one of their best, and most popular, players. They had to trade him because they couldn't pay him. But they put themselves in that box by signing Larry Walker, Todd Helton, Mike Hampton, Denny Neagle and Jeff Cirillo to long-term, over-priced deals. So now they don't have any money to keep Perez, who came up through their system, and did everything a team should hope for. He progressed quickly and ended up winning a Gold Glove last season. Jose Ortiz is supposed to be good, but who's to say he'll be as good as Perez? And if turns out to be terrific, how will they be able to afford him?

Colorado is in one of the worst financial situations of any team in baseball, and it's not because of the size of their market. They are in a bad spot of their own doing. They're not a small-market team, they're a bad-decision team. There's a big difference between not having the money because of the market you're in, and not having enought money because you've spent unwisely.

Speaking of money, what's going on with the labor deal?
Almost every team in the league, big- or small-market, has overspent on at least one or two players that won't help them long-term. That's the crux of the small-big market problems; it's not just about the size of the market, it's about making wise decisions.

Not allowing the owners to discuss the impending labor agreement has been a good move by Bud Selig. The commissioner and Donald Fehr should be the only ones making statements -- that way perhaps some of the antagonism can be removed from this process. There are some hawks -- people who like to fight -- on the owners' side, but there are also people who want to get the deal done. On the players' side, there are guys who really want to get it done, too, but there are also guys who say, "We always win, let's go for it."

In a season with several great storylines, the fans don't need every last mud-slinging detail, but Selig and Fehr should continually reassure them there won't be another stoppage.

Who will hit more home runs, Barry Bonds or Luis Gonzalez?
I still think Barry Bonds is a better home run hitter, but Luis Gonzalez is having a better year. Gonzalez has Triple Crown numbers right now, and is the leading MVP candidate. While they are both proving to be great home run hitters this year, Gonzalez hits more line drives, while Bonds hits more fly balls.

If the D-Backs win the West, then Gonalzez should be the MVP, but if the Giants win, Bonds should be the MVP. Bonds sees fewer pitches than Gonzalez does; if he had as many at bats as Gonzalez, he'd have more home runs. Gonzalez is to Bonds what Sammy Sosa was to Mark McGwire.

What should we look for at the trade deadline?
There will be more trades made; but it's always next to impossible to tell who's doing what. The bottom line is that if a team has a chance to win it this year, they should do whatever is possible to get it done. The sense of urgency around the deadline is real -- teams should know that if they have a shot, they should always take it, because they never know if they'll be there again.

Just look at the White Sox -- they had a great year last year, and even though they were dismal in the postseason, everyone thought they'd be right back in it this year, especially if they added an arm (read: David Wells). Instead, the White Sox are busy shipping one of their better arms out of town. The Yankees have always taken their shot, and it's always paid off quite nicely for them. It's not just about taking the shot, it's about being smart about it.

Which contenders need what coming down the stretch?
Everyone, everyone, everyone needs pitching -- especially Cleveland and Houston. San Francisco needs another bat, and got one in Andres Galarraga. Arizona needed someone to follow Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson and will see if Albie Lopez can do that. The Dodgers needed veteran pitching -- and got some help in Baldwin. Minnesota needs bat another and another pitcher. The Yankees need another bat, particularly one who could play left field every day -- or they need to get David Justice to hit home runs again. Boston just needs to get healthy. The Mariners don't need anything, although they seem to think they do.

Hall of Fame second baseman Joe Morgan is a baseball analyst for ESPN.