Outside The Confines: The Trade Deadline looms

Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty ImagesThere’s a beloved word in baseball writing circles that gets used with blistering frequency around this time of year: hugwatch. The term is in reference to players who, upon getting traded mid-game or right before a game starts, take a moment to hug their former teammates one last time before heading off for their new team.

As the trade deadline gets closer and closer (it’s officially over next Tuesday, August 2 at 5 p.m. CT) we’re seeing some displays that could be qualified as “hugwatch” material (Cubs fans know what I’m talking about), and some statements from players where they politely claim to want to stay with their team, but what most of them really…