E-Mail This Article to a Friend The third annual " You’ve Been Traded " list BY CHRISTOPHER YOUNG

This Sunday, as Wade Boggs is likely finishing up his stultifying three-hour Hall of Fame induction speech, MLB’s trading deadline will come and go. Being trade bait is always a mixed bag; if you’re an upper-echelon major-leaguer, you’re aware that you’ll probably be dealt to a team that is going places, one that acquired you in order to augment its chances for the stretch drive. Involved in that kind of deal, a player like Montreal’s Orlando Cabrera in 2004 improved his lot from a last-place team and ultimately found himself winning a World Series. On the flip side, the pawns for whom those top players are traded are likely prospects or up-and-comers, and the chances are that those rising stars’ new addresses will likely be a city whose team is already out of contention, and is dumping salary or looking to get something in return for an impending free agent.

For the purposes of this list, the destination to which someone may be traded is not ranked merely on win-loss record, but will incorporate a whole slew of factors, including geography, team chemistry and history, and hopes for the future.

The five worst spots for ending up at the trade deadline among baseball’s 30 teams?

26. San Francisco. Who woulda thunk the Giants would be on this list just three years after reaching the World Series? Well, not only is the team going in the tank (14 games under .500) in the absence of the injured Barry Bonds, but whoever joins this club will have to put up with the clubhouse circus that will greet the arrogant slugger upon his return and the resumption of his quest to surpass Hank Aaron’s HR record. An aging roster, a 70-year-old manager, and little hope on the horizon of turning things around soon — that’s what awaits you in the City by the Bay.

27. Tampa Bay. No surprise here, as the arriving newcomer will face an abomination of a stadium and city, a grumpy old man at the helm, and a franchise with a history of refusing to spend money on players despite earning millions in annual revenue-sharing dollars. Some good young players here, but by the time they’re in their prime, they’ll all have become free agents and high-tailed it out of St. Pete.

28. Cincinnati. Marge Schott must be rolling over in her grave at the demise of this once-proud franchise. Wait a minute; it was her tight-fistedness that put the Reds on their present road to ruin in the first place! Cincy’s a mess — a last-place club with decent hitting but a boatload of lousy pitchers (29th-ranked, with a team ERA of 5.60). Where’s Don Gullett when you need him?

29. Kansas City. It’s amazing to think that the Royals haven’t even reached the playoffs since they won the World Series 20 years ago. This season will mark the third in the last four years that KC will reach the 100-loss plateau, and this is fast becoming another small-market team that probably doesn’t deserve to stay in the majors unless a more free-spending management hierarchy is in place.

30. Colorado. At least the Royals have distant memories of post-season success; the moribund Rockies (36-64 heading into the weekend; the worst record after a hundred games in their already-dubious franchise history) have reached the playoffs just once in their 12-year existence, and were ousted in the opening round by the Braves that time (in 1995). This season will be the eighth straight losing season for the Rocks, and there’s not much you can say about them, other than that they stink. Every single year.

Now, the five best:

5. Cleveland. No, I didn’t mix up the lists. It’s unlikely the Tribe will be involved in any capacity at the trade deadline, but one could do a lot worse than end up in Cleveland. An up-and-coming team, a jewel of a stadium, and rebounding franchises in hoops (behind youngster LeBron James) and football (with former Pats defensive guru Romeo Crennel at the helm). You watch: the Injuns will make the playoffs next season.

4. Chicago. No, not the first-place White Sox. Nope, they’re still in a lousy albeit modern stadium, and could still blow the AL Central. The fourth-best destination in my eyes is the North Side, because once the Cubbies get all of their walking wounded back full-time, they’ll be a formidable force in the Senior Circuit for years to come. Plus, there’s Wrigley Field, the Bleacher Bums, and the great sports tradition here — and wouldn’t you want to be on the team that finally breaks the Billy Goat curse? Sure ya would.

3. Boston. A first-place team, the defending world champs, Fenway Park, and arguably the most passionate fans in the game filling the ballpark every night. What’s not to like, unless your name is Manuel Aristides Ramirez? [Insert pregnant pause here.]

2. Anaheim. This year’s first-place Angels squad seems to be developing the same vibe that carried it to the 2002 world championship. Solid hitting, great pitching, tough bullpen, and one of the brightest managerial minds in the game have Halo fans again rummaging around in search of their always-annoying ThunderStix. The Angels aren’t monkeying around this year, and the Red Sox likely don’t want any part of a rematch in this year’s ALDS, because the ending could very well be quite different.

1. St. Louis. Number-one on our list last year, and the same in 2005. Not only do the Redbirds (64-37) have the best record and team in baseball, but they’ve also got the most loyal fan base and are heading into a brand-new stadium come 2006. Perhaps they’ll send off Busch Stadium in Foxboro Stadium-esque fashion by claiming a long-awaited championship in the ballpark’s final year? Could very well happen. This is far from the team that got swept by Boston in last year's Fall Classic, and this year's Sox shouldn't be frothing at the mouth for another go-round against these guys, either.

Coming next week: a report from Cooperstown.

Sporting Eye runs Mondays and Fridays at BostonPhoenix.com, and Christopher Young can be reached at cyoung[a]phx.com