Breaking down all 30 general managers 

The trade deadline is just two weeks away. After July 31, no trades can be made without securing trade waivers. General managers have the most leverage during this time period to make deals, whether a team is a buyer or a seller. It's the time of year when GMs feel the most pressure because of pennant races, or opportunities to build for the future and the fact that after July 31, there is a strong possibility that their team will only be able to make a deal with the one club that gets awarded the player on a trade waiver claim.

Recent history has taught us how GMs react to the deadline, the one's that pull the trigger to make a difference or walk away from a potential trade because they believe it's the best decision for the long-term benefit of the franchise.

Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro has dominated the deadline the past two years with the acquisitions of Roy Oswalt and Cliff Lee in back-to-back seasons. Those moves made the Phillies serious World Series contenders the past two years and into the future. Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski has been active in each of the past two seasons. Though the acquisition of left-handed pitcher Jarrod Washburn in 2009 not working out, Dombrowski acquired an All-Star in shortstop Jhonny Peralta at last year’s deadline. Mike Rizzo, GM of the Nationals, picked up his long-term solution at catcher last year by acquiring Wilson Ramos, while at the other end of the deal Twins GM Bill Smith acquired back-end reliever Matt Capps, who was an important part of the 2010 team that won the AL Central title. White Sox general manager Ken Williams tried to hit "home runs" in each of the past two years by picking up starting pitchers Jake Peavy and Edwin Jackson in back-to-back deadline deals. Giving up young starters Daniel Hudson and Clayton Richard in those deals, however, could haunt the White Sox in the long term.

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