The Major League Baseball trade deadline is coming.

Usually that magical July 31 date is met with a blockbuster or two, a player switching teams for a boatload of prospects and the chance to get a team over the hump and a World Series title.

Except for this year, that is.

Don’t expect a big, earth-shattering trade.

The deadline isn’t what it used to be.

Thank the wildcard for that — well, thank both of them, really.

Because of the extra playoff spot that teams are fighting for, the market is flush with buyers.

Sellers? Not so much.

Every Royal, Mariner and Padre thinks he has a chance to snag that last coveted wildcard spot, even though they are all languishing below the .500 mark.

The extra wildcard gives them hope. False hope, but still hope.

So, instead of unloading guys like Jeremy Guthrie, Raul Ibanez and Chase Headley — all of whom could fetch some prospects and perhaps put a real contender over the top — they hang on to them like that old pair of jeans everyone has that doesn’t quite fit anymore.

A look at the standings reveals that there are only a smattering of teams that don’t have a legitimate shot at claiming the second wildcard in each league.

Teams like the White Sox, Twins and Astros in the American League and the Marlins and Brewers in the National League.

It’s hard to tear down a roster when there is a sliver of hope.

Fans see the standings. The front office knows that and doesn’t want to risk alienating that wishful fan base by making a move that, in reality, would help the team in the long run.

Fans don’t think long-term. They think short-term. They think now.

So, there is a stalemate with precious few impact players available in the trade market.

That puts teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates in a tough predicament.

Do the Bucs, who have a chance to not only win one of the two wildcard spots, but also have a shot at a division title, overpay for a rent-a-player in the hopes that this year they can win, even though in reality the team is set up for the future?

That’s the question Neal Huntington and the Buccos’ brass will wrestle with this week as the deadline approaches.

The Pirates could use another bat and, suddenly, another arm in the bullpen with the injury to Jason Grilli.

The temptation would be to part with a Jamison Taillon or a Tony Sanchez to fill those holes.

Those would be bad moves.

Then again, fortune favors the bold. Teams are going to have to be bold to make any kind of impact move at this deadline.

Mike Kilroy is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.