MLB teams need strong logistics following trade deadline

For many sports fans, July 31 is one of the most exciting days when it comes to off-the-field activity. Today is the Major League Baseball non-waiver trade deadline and social media has been buzzing with rumored deals and confirmed trades, as organizations across the league make moves to improve their teams.

This year's biggest moves came out of Boston and Tampa Bay, as All-Star pitchers Jon Lester and David Price found new homes in Oakland and Detroit, respectfully. This year at the deadline, the Cleveland Indians were sellers, getting prospects for pitcher Justin Masterson and infielder Asdrubal Cabrera.

While fanbases and sports reporters are debating the trades and deciding if they were a step in the right direction for the teams involved, the organizations are dealing several issues. Chief among them is getting new merchandise on the shelves and shipped out to diehards as soon as possible.

The Boston Red Sox, for example, will have a number of retail and logistics issues to deal with. Over the last few days, they traded away several key members of last year's World Series winning team. Now, all that merchandise with those players names and faces on them will be priced to move, and warehouses will need to be emptied as quickly as possible.

The team also acquired a handful of players that will be on the major league roster when the team next takes the field. It also means that jerseys and merchandise with their name on it will soon show up in the shops and online, leading to a short boom in sales that need to be managed.

When the fans are already questioning the moves, they do not want to wait on long shipping and order fulfillment to get the jersey of a new player they are excited about.