Sometimes, the best trades are the ones you don’t make. That couldn’t ring more true for what we’re about to talk about.

The trade deadline is literally right around the corner and things are starting to get interesting. With new rumors surfacing every 20 seconds, it’s easy to get lost on social media in order to follow along. It’s also harder for teams to keep these negotiations as private as they used to, which makes their jobs a little more difficult.

This couldn’t have been more evident over the past year with potential deals that fell through with the general public looking on. Situations involving Wilmer Flores, Brandon Phillips, Michael Saunders and Jay Bruce were just some of the ones we’ve recently watched break down right in front of our eyes.

After seeing a number of trades fall apart in a short period of time, what about old proposed trades that never happened, but would’ve been ridiculous if they did? I was led to the following five near-deals that had the power to transform the looks of every franchise involved.

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