In less than an hour Dave Parker, Dick Allen, Billy Wagner, Ichiro and C.C Sabathia will be inducted into the Baseball HOF. Unfortunately, Parker and Allen aren’t able to attend. It’s too bad that they’re not able to bask in the fans’ appreciation for them.

For those with summer things on their platters today, you can always access their speeches later in the day. I am always intrigued by the relationships between the honorees, some that develop during the course of their induction. It’s also pretty cool when the players’ experiences are so diverse. While I appreciate when one or more of the players played all of their games in one city and one franchise, it’s great that most players are able to touch so many different fans in multiple cities.

While it won’t be the topic of his speech, C.C’s time with the Brewers serves as a template for the big go for broke trade deadline deal. Back in 2008 the Brewers pushed all their chips in and acquired Sabathia for a pair of prospects, Michael Brantley and Matt LaPorta with the understanding it would only be a half-season rental. While Brantley developed into a professional hitter with a 15-year career, Milwaukee got everything and then some from C.C.

I’d put this acquisition with those of Randy Johnson, Rick Sutcliffe, and Carlos Beltran in the past 45 years (off the top of my head). Obviously, Milwaukee fell short of the World Series, but his performance was unforgettable and worth it.

Some teams can’t afford to mortgage the future for a possible playoff run that ends poorly. Other teams have to make a trade that will move the needle and can’t afford to be cautious. Where is your team?