Not since Clinton has a B.J. caused this much flux...

If the B.J. Ryan 5/47 deal is even close to being true, then it appears we're headed toward a drastic upward spike on relievers paralleling last offseason's markup on starters.

Of course, this effects the Dodgers because Gagne hits free agency next year and with Scott Boras representing him, his deal will easily eclipse whatever contract Ryan or Billy Wagner end up with this year. A 5/60-65 deal for Gagne doesn't look out of the question and there are a number of teams out there who will fork it out. I'm not sure whether that team will or should be the Dodgers.

Which brings the question people in L.A. don't really want to discuss: Should the Dodgers trade Gagne? It doesn't make economic sense to pay 13 mil to a guy to pitch 100 innings a year, but when it comes to the team's most marketable figure and the potential PR hit that McC doesn't want to take, it won't be easy to pull off.

This should make July 31 a million times more interesting than last season's trade deadline.