The excuses are falling away. It isn’t too early any longer. And the draft has been completed.

The trade deadline is too close now for teams to divert their attention elsewhere. There is still jostling as a few clubs want to use as much time as possible to determine just which direction to go — buy, sell, both, stand pat. And the liar’s poker will continue until as close to the July 30 6 p.m. deadline as possible.

But it is trade season, and that is where the focus of the game is.

Within that, there are three American League clubs, in particular, who have a chance to change the quantity and quality of this marketplace.