Infield Chatter is your weekly look at players and trends that will affect your Fantasy outlook.

With baseball's amateur draft now done, the rumor mill begins to churn faster than ever. Front-office executives have more time to focus on dealing players at the higher levels, and lower-level needs that have been apparently filled give teams more flexibility to deal prospects. Unless you're talking about the Yankees, who always seem to swing a major deal even if they are lacking an abundance of prospects, which is the case right now.

Freddy Garcia's name continues to be linked with the Yankees as they look to fill needs in their rotation. While some Yankees sources have indicated they might stand pat for now, it's difficult to fathom New York sticking with Jose Contreras. In fact, one published report indicated the Marlins might be willing to acquire him and use him out of the bullpen. In any case, Fantasy leaguers should have pretty much given up on Contreras by now, and it seems likely the Yankees will do so soon as well.

The Mets are another team that might be interested in Garcia, and the Bergen Record notes they have also been looking at Tampa Bay's Victor Zambrano. Yet the Mets, who own the majors' best ERA right now (3.67), need offense to remain in contention in the NL East, and they continue to be mentioned in association with Carlos Beltran.

Several contenders are linked to a possible blockbuster trade involving Beltran. The Red Sox could acquire Beltran to atone for their Alex Rodriguez blunder and avoid another slap in the face from the Yankees.

"The Yankees is the last team I want to see Carlos traded to," Johnny Damon told the Kansas City Star.

The Padres and Angels have also been mentioned as possible suitors for Beltran. So have the Padres, Phillies, and even the Marlins, who could factor in a Beltran deal as a third party hoping to land prospects. Beltran's name has been more heavily linked with the Yankees, but it's clear that the Beltran talk, which has lasted for too long, will continue to get louder as the trade deadline draws nearer. There will continue to be much talk about starting pitching, which seems to be drawing more of an overall interest than hitting.

Along with Garcia, who would see a significant spike in value with any contender he is dealt to, Kris Benson is also a highly desired hurler. The Beaver County Times reports that the White Sox could be interested in Benson, who could see his Fantasy value jump quite a bit with a move to a contender that should provide him with much better offensive support.

The Expos are reportedly shopping Tomo Ohka, who could be a very serviceable starter for a contender. Ohka is a tough, smart hurler who could be a consistently reliable Fantasy starter if he ends up in a better situation.

A high-profile pitcher who could be on the move soon is John Smoltz, who could actually end his long association with the Braves by waiving his no-trade clause to be dealt to a team in the thick of a pennant race. It sounds strange, but Smoltz could actually be sent away from a Braves team that could fall out of the race.

The biggest name on the market that could certainly alter the fortunes of many teams instantly and make owners salivate with the prospect of playing for a better team is Randy Johnson. But the Yankees have already been reportedly rebuffed in their inquiries about Johnson. The local media has been indicating the D-Backs should try to move Johnson or outfielder Steve Finley for younger talent.

Finley's name has been linked with the Phillies, who seem intent on improving their center field situation and are looking for a more dependable leadoff option. Marlon Byrd has been a big disappointment on both counts, and Fantasy leaguers are growing tired of waiting for him to blossom.

Philadelphia is also reportedly interested in Tampa Bay's Carl Crawford, who might be much more difficult to acquire. While many teams continue to angle for pitching, the Phillies need to fix the top of their batting order, where Byrd and Jimmy Rollins continue to disappoint. The Phils are yet another team, as previously mentioned, who would love to land Beltran in the most highly anticipated move of the season right now.

Scott Engel is the 2003 champion of the Krause Publications Experts League.