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The July 31 nonwaiver trade deadline is approaching, and fans in several cities are Internet-obsessed as their teams mobilize for the waning days of the Mark Teixeira shopping season.

Meanwhile, recent history says we'll see an Octavio Dotel trade here, a Jon Rauch deal there, and a Teixeira trade only if Texas general manger Jon Daniels is determined to move him or a contender is willing to give up the farm.

So what will transpire to distract us from the Barry Bonds 756 watch and the Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn induction speeches in the coming week? At the very least, we're likely to see some moves that could seem inconsequential now, but have a bigger impact as the postseason approaches.

Since 2000, several World Series-bound teams have made upgrades in July that paid significant dividends in August, September and October. We run them down in this week's installment of "Starting 9.''

St. Louis Cardinals acquire starter Jeff Weaver from Los Angeles Angels on July 5, 2006, for minor league outfielder Terry Evans.
The trade: Weaver is having a terrible season for the Angels, who finally decide to move him to create a spot in the rotation for his brother Jered. Suitors aren't exactly breaking down GM Bill Stoneman's door. Weaver has a career record of 81-97, he's flopped in two major markets, and he's more renowned for his bad body language than his track record.

The Cardinals are too desperate to be choosy. Mark Mulder's shoulder is hurting, rookie Anthony Reyes isn't ready, Jason Marquis is giving up home runs with regularity and Sidney Ponson is pitching like, well, Sidney Ponson. So Walt Jocketty has to bring in somebody.

The payoff: Weaver, 5-4 with a 5.18 ERA for St. Louis in the regular season, ratchets up his game in October and becomes the latest in a long line of Dave Duncan reclamation projects. He wraps up a big postseason with eight innings of nine-strikeout ball to beat Detroit 4-2 in the World Series clincher.

"He was our biggest hero,'' manager Tony La Russa says during the champagne celebration.

Weaver isn't Jocketty's only productive deadline move. Second baseman Ronnie Belliard, acquired from Cleveland for Hector Luna, hits .462 against San Diego in the Division Series and provides the Cardinals with some sparkling defense.

Detroit acquires first baseman Sean Casey from Pittsburgh for reliever Brian Rogers on July 31, 2006.
The trade: Tigers fans are salivating over the prospect of Detroit acquiring Alfonso Soriano from the Washington Nationals at the trade deadline, but general manager David Dombrowski isn't willing to part with elite outfield prospect Cameron Maybin for a two-month rental.

So the Tigers settle for an upgrade at first base: They pick up Casey, a .304 career hitter, great clubhouse guy and sure-handed defender, under the assumption that he'll be an improvement over the slumping Chris Shelton.

It's a weird twist for Casey, who leaves the team he grew up rooting for -- the Pirates -- and joins the manager (Jim Leyland) who led Pittsburgh to three straight NL East titles in the early 1990s.

The payoff: "The Mayor'' delivers for Detroit, hitting .432 in the postseason and going deep twice against St. Louis in the World Series. The Tigers reward Casey by signing him to a one-year, $4 million deal shortly after the Series.

Chicago White Sox pick up utility infielder Geoff Blum from San Diego on July 31, 2005, for minor league pitcher Ryan Meaux.
The trade: Chicago general manager Kenny Williams, unable to swing a deal for Florida starter A.J. Burnett or one of several relief targets (Billy Wagner, Danys Baez or Jose Mesa), decides to upgrade his bench instead.

Blum, a former University of California sociology major, is known for his versatility, wry sense of humor and outlandish, multicolored hairstyles. He blends right in with Group 4, the White Sox batting practice contingent that includes fellow backups Chris Widger, Willie Harris and Pablo Ozuna.

The payoff: Blum is strictly a moral-support guy in the playoffs, but makes the most of his big October opportunity -- hitting a 14th-inning homer off Ezequiel Astacio to lead the White Sox over Houston 7-5 in Game 3 of the World Series.

"The roof was open and the stars were aligned right tonight,'' Blum tells reporters after silencing the crowd at Minute Maid Park.

In a jubilant Chicago clubhouse, Williams is asked if he envisioned a contribution of this magnitude when he traded for Blum.

"I ain't that smart,'' Williams says.

Boston acquires shortstop Orlando Cabrera and first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz in a four-way trade with Minnesota, Montreal and the Chicago Cubs on July 31, 2004. Nomar Garciaparra goes to Chicago as the centerpiece of the deal.
The trade: Boston leads the American League in runs scored and is third in team ERA, but GM Theo Epstein is troubled by the fact that the Red Sox also rank first in the majors in unearned runs allowed. So he gets busy, adding Cabrera and Mientkiewicz and picking up center fielder Dave Roberts in a separate deal with the Dodgers.

The acquisitions necessitate cutting ties with Garciaparra, a five-time All-Star and the face of the Boston organization since Mo Vaughn left town.

"In my mind, we weren't going to win the World Series with this defense,'' Epstein tells the Boston media. "What we've done today is lose a great player. But we've also made our club a more functional club.''

The payoff: The functional Red Sox beat Anaheim in the first round, then make history by overcoming a 3-0 deficit to eliminate New York in the ALCS. Roberts sets the wheels in motion with a dramatic steal of second base in Game 4.

After Boston sweeps St. Louis in the World Series, the new faces are hailed for their contributions. Cabrera hits safely in 12 of 14 postseason games and handles 56 chances without an error.

Mientkiewicz gives the Sox some sure-handed defense at first and catches the final out of the World Series on a comebacker to Keith Foulke. It's the quintessential feel-good moment -- at least until Mientkiewicz and Red Sox president Larry Lucchino begin sparring over who's the rightful owner of the ball.

Florida acquires reliever Ugueth Urbina from Texas on July 11, 2003, for first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, pitcher Ryan Snare and outfielder Will Smith.
The trade: Florida's bullpen ranks 13th in the National League in ERA, so GM Larry Beinfest sends three minor leaguers to the Rangers for Urbina. The Rangers are ecstatic to land Gonzalez, a former No. 1 overall draft pick who has elicited comparisons to Rafael Palmeiro.

The payoff: Urbina, closing in on 200 career saves, tells Marlins coach and fellow Venezuelan Ozzie Guillen that he'll be happy to come to Florida as a setup man. He eventually supplants Braden Looper as the Marlins' closer, and goes 3-0 with a 1.41 ERA down the stretch.

Beinfest makes another impact trade in late August, acquiring Jeff Conine from Baltimore, and the Marlins win their second World Series in a seven-year span.

New York Yankees acquire third baseman Aaron Boone from Cincinnati on July 31, 2003, in a trade for pitchers Brandon Claussen and Charlie Manning and cash.
The trade: It's an eventful week in the life of Boone. First the Reds fire his father, Bob, as team manager in an organizational purge. Then the only franchise that Aaron has ever known sends him to the Yankees, who make room at third base by trading Robin Ventura to the Dodgers.

Boone is so emotional at his farewell news conference in Cincinnati, he breaks down in tears and has to leave the room to compose himself before returning to answer reporters' questions.

The payoff: Boone has a rough go for a while in New York. He hits .254 during the regular season and is so feeble in the playoffs that manager Joe Torre benches him for Enrique Wilson in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series.

"Hey, you stink right now,'' Boone's brother, Bret, in town with the Fox broadcast crew, tells him before the game.

Not for long. After the Yankees rally to tie Game 7 against Pedro Martinez, Boone homers off Tim Wakefield in the 11th inning to eliminate Boston and send New York to the World Series. He joins Bucky Dent in the pantheon of unheralded Red Sox tormentors, and is honored with his very own bleepin' nickname in Boston.

San Francisco acquires outfielder Kenny Lofton from Chicago White Sox on July 28, 2002, in exchange for pitchers Felix Diaz and Ryan Meaux.
The trade: Barry Bonds, Reggie Sanders and Tsuyoshi Shinjo are all banged up, and general manager Brian Sabean is hoping Lofton can give the Giants a lift similar to the one Andres Galarraga provided when he arrived from Texas in a 2001 deadline deal.

"Not only do we want him, we need him,'' manager Dusty Baker says of Lofton. "I think he's still got some valuable miles left.''

The payoff: Lofton hits .291 in the postseason and strings together back-to-back three-hit games in the World Series as the Giants come close to beating the Angels. It's great for Lofton's reputation, but not so good for stability. He's in Pittsburgh the following spring, and later adds the Cubs, Yankees, Phillies, Dodgers and Rangers to the list of 11 stops in his big league career.

New York Yankees acquire outfielder David Justice from Cleveland on June 29, 2000, for pitchers Jake Westbrook and Zach Day and outfielder Ricky Ledee.
The trade: The New York tabloids are jam-packed with Sammy Sosa and Juan Gonzalez trade rumors when Yankees general manager Brian Cashman calls Cleveland assistant GM Mark Shapiro on a seemingly trivial mission: He wants to track down Indians scout Gary Tuck to give him his World Series ring.

Shapiro mentions that Justice is available, and New York and Cleveland swing a deal that satisfies the Yankees' need for a bat and the Indians' desire to shed payroll in an attempt to sign Manny Ramirez to a long-term contract.

The payoff: Justice slugs .585 and hits 20 homers in 275 at-bats to help the Yankees squeeze into the postseason with 87 victories. He wins the MVP award in the ALCS against Seattle before coming back to earth against the Mets in the World Series.

New York fans once heckled Justice with chants of "Hal-le Ber-ry'' -- his actress ex-wife -- when he came to town as a visiting player with Atlanta and Cleveland. But folks in the Bronx are a lot more supportive now that he's sporting the pinstripes.

New York Mets acquire shortstop Mike Bordick from Baltimore on July 28, 2000, in exchange for Melvin Mora, Mike Kinkade, Lesli Brea and Pat Gorman.
The trade: After Rey Ordonez breaks his forearm, Mets GM Steve Phillips tries to deal for Cincinnati's Barry Larkin. When that attempt fails, he trades for Bordick, a steady fielder and tireless worker who has replaced Cal Ripken Jr. at short in Baltimore.

"If we had nine Mike Bordicks, we would be in contention today,'' Syd Thrift, the Orioles' vice president of baseball operations, tells the Baltimore Sun.

Unfortunately, the Orioles have too many Jason Johnsons and Pat Rapps. They're 43-57 and going nowhere, and management decides to go with a younger, less expensive look.

The payoff: Bordick homers in his first at-bat as a Met and hits .324 in August, but slumps in September and October. After he's benched by manager Bobby Valentine in the finale of the Mets' World Series loss to the Yankees, it's revealed that Bordick has been playing with a broken thumb. His tenure with the Mets is brief, and he re-signs with Baltimore as a free agent in December 2000.

Jerry Crasnick covers baseball for ESPN.com. His book "License To Deal" was published by Rodale. Click here to order a copy. Jerry can be reached via e-mail.