As expected, today's trade deadline came and went.

So, I went around the clubhouse, asking Angels players what they thought of the team staying put, basically battling it out with the same core group of guys expected to battle it out when they broke camp out of spring training.

The reaction was expected, I guess you could say. No one said they wanted the team to make a deal, that they were confident in the 25 guys in the room and no one was disappointed a deal wasn't consummated.

However, when I told Orlando Cabrera that Boston had acquired Eric Gagne his eyes got big and he said "Really? Wow."

But, when I asked him if that made Boston the team to beat, he said no. Several others agreed.

So, where does another deadline without any activity leave the Angels? Well, according to GM Bill Stoneman, the team is still a good team and has "good players at every position."

Why didn't the team even try for a lesser player instead of putting all of its eggs in the Mark Teixeira basket?

"The smaller deals weren't going to help our ballclub because of what we have here," Stoneman said.