While the MLB is enjoying a quick breather after the All-Star Game, rest assured things are about to speed back up pretty quickly.

We’re getting ready to head into the final half of the season, and the July 31 trade deadline is fast approaching. Thanks to a significant amount of parity – especially within the American League – it’s a little difficult to determine which teams are buyers and which are sellers.

Such is the case with the Cleveland Indians. At 42-46, it’s safe to say the team has significantly fallen short of their expectations at the halfway point of the year. At the same time, even though they’re eleven games out of first in the division, the Indians are just 5.5 games out of the final AL wild card spot.

So, will Cleveland try and make a splash on the trade market in attempts to salvage their season? Or, knowing the struggles the team has endured so far, will the front office begin looking to shed some parts?

At the moment, all indications point to the latter being more likely. However, I certainly don’t anticipate this reaching the same fire-sale levels we saw in ’08 and ’09.

The Indians have done a solid job of re-signing core players lately. Corey Kluber, Jason Kipnis, Michael Brantley and Carlos Carrasco are a few cornerstone players Cleveland has locked up in the past couple years. Since the team is still technically alive this season, I wouldn’t be concerned with the possibility of these players going on the market. The team has struggled this year, sure, but not to the level of “let’s just blow this thing up and start over.”

That said, even though I anticipate the team selling, it doesn’t really appear as though anything they can get in return will make a huge splash.

This is mainly due to the fact Cleveland is unlikely to deal anyone who could net an impact player in return. Veterans such as David Murphy or Ryan Raburn are popular names when it comes to who the team might look to trade. While both are having decent-to-solid years, no club is going to sell the farm for either.

Both Murphy and Raburn have club options next year, so trading them would essentially just be shedding some salary to a team looking for a small piece to help for a playoff push. Each could probably net a prospect or two, but nothing which would help the Indians’ attempts to turn their season around.

Of course, there are two other names on the roster fans would love to see Cleveland get rid of. They would be none other than Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn, marquee signings from the 2013 offseason who’ve hardly earned their massive salaries.

Unfortunately, it’s tough to believe these two are going anywhere. The market for underachieving players with high price tags is – believe it or not – pretty shallow. Additionally, the Indians would likely have to take on a big contract in return, something they’re likely not too keen on.

Making matters worse is the fact Bourn is struggling something awful at the plate this year, while Swisher is dealing with setbacks from offseason surgery on both his knees. Obviously, each player’s issues are going to scare off anyone who’d consider taking on their salaries.

So, though it’s far more likely the Indians will sell instead of buy, it’s tough to anticipate anything major. They may try to convince someone to bite on a possible Swisher deal, but the odds certainly favor trading vets like Raburn or Murphy instead.

At the end of the day, fans shouldn’t hold their breath for an instant fix to come via the trade market. Of course, it’s just as unlikely for Cleveland to blow up the entire roster and start another long rebuilding process.

Small victories, I guess.

Casey Drottar is the Cleveland Beat Writer for www.Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter or “Like” him on Facebook