Peter Gammons does a great job on his blog for ESPN of running down the best heists in recent history, where smart General Managers have plucked prospects away from other teams.

Among the most notable deals are GM Terry Ryan of the Twins acquiring Johan Santana in the Rule 5 draft from the Astros, as well as getting Joe Nathan, Francisco Liriano and Boof Bonser from the Giants for A.J. Pierzynski, Padres GM Kevin Towers getting Adrian Gonzalez and All-Star Chris Young from the Rangers for Adam Eaton and Akinori Otsuka, Indians GM Mark Shaprio trading Bartolo Colon to Montreal for Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner from the Rangers for Einar Diaz.

Perhaps the most impressive deal of recent memory is A’s GM Billy Beane trading Mark Mulder to get the American League’s All-Star starting pitcher Dan Haren and Daric Barton.

Gammons also lists a number of bullpen arms that should be available at the deadline, which includes Eric Gagne, Akinori Otsuka, Octavio Dotel, Zack Greinke, Salomon Torres, Brad Lidge, Dan Wheeler and Chad Qualls.

…we often sing the praises of omar, but its important to realize how many other smart gm’s there are in baseball, and that in order to stay competitive, you need to stay one step ahead of these guys…the challenge is there for you omar, show us the next rabbit you’re going to pull out of your hat…