Given all the talk about deadline trades and the nauseating volume of commentary on the Randy Johnson situation, it’s amazing that it took until Thursday for a story to finally break about the one big-name player who absolutely should be traded.

That would be Nomar Garciaparra, Boston’s disgruntled free-agent-to-be shortstop.

Given all the bad blood that developed between him and the team over the winter, when the Sox tried awfully hard to replace him with Alex Rodriguez, there’s almost no hope that Mia Hamm’s husband will sign with Boston again next year.

I said weeks ago that the Red Sox should move him — my idea was for Randy Johnson, but that’s not happening. I’m hardly the only one who noticed that Boston played very well when Garciaparra was rehabbing when the season began and played less well when the all-star shortstop returned. The Red Sox’ big need — isn’t it everyone’s? — was pitching, and here was a guy who could be moved to get it.

Finally, on Thursday the Chicago Tribune reported that the Cubs and Red Sox are talking seriously about a deal that would bring what Boston needs, starter Matt Clement, in exchange for what Chicago needs, a hard-hitting shortstop. The Cubs would throw in Alex Gonzalez, the shortstop who committed the big error in last year's NLCS Game 6 that blew the game after that Bartman fellow tried to catch the foul ball.

Here, at last, is a deal that not only makes sense, but also doesn’t involve the Yankees and Johnson. The Cubs would be giving up a solid starter, which isn’t easy to do. But they’re in the running for the National League wild card and feel that if Kerry Wood and Mark Prior stay healthy down the stretch, they have enough of that. As it is, the Cubs’ pitching staff leads the league in ERA. It’s the Cubs’ offense that is incapable of scoring runs.

The Red Sox, too, are chasing the wild card, because they’ve already shown they can’t catch the Yankees. They’ve got Curt Schilling and Pedro Martinez at the top of the rotation. If they make the playoffs, they’ll be looking at trying to beat the Yankees, who, if George Steinbrenner gets his man — and he usually does — will be going with Johnson and then three or four question marks. Toss Clement into the Boston mix, and it’s advantage Fenway.

It isn’t just a good idea, it’s imperative. First, it just makes baseball sense. It's equivalent of psychologically doing something bold to break the curse.

And trading Garciaparra would be bold. He’s tearing the cover off the ball in July, and he is still No-mah, who was destined to be the next player to have his jersey retired in Fenway. He’s been the face of the franchise and its most popular player.

But his future in Boston looks to be no longer than another two months. He was considered expendable over the winter when it looked as if the team could land A-Rod. That didn’t just break the bond between player and team, it shattered it. The shock now wouldn’t be if he left after the season as a free agent, but if he stayed.

If Garciaparra were the one player you absolutely had to have to have a hope of making it through the playoffs and into the World Series, you’d have to keep him. But the Red Sox have already seen that he’s not. Gonzalez and Pokey Reese will do just fine in the infield. It’s pitching that is holding Boston back.

And since he’s going to go after the season is over — and it’s a huge and dangerous gamble to think the team can convince him to kiss and make up — the Sox have to get something for him. And what better team to work a deal with than the only team that has gone longer since its last World Series?

You could say that a trade between last-won-in-1908 and last-won-in-1918 can’t be anything but a disaster waiting to happen. But curses that strong aren’t broken with normal effort and they aren’t broken by being cautious.

It will take something extraordinary, something that will consume the local papers and grab some of Steinbrenner’s thunder, something that will rock the team and the town. Trading Nomar is that move, if it’s for a starter of Clement’s capabilities.

Making the trade doesn’t guarantee that World Series. But not doing anything does all but guarantee yet another year that ends too soon. All you can ask for in baseball and life is to give yourself the best possible chance of getting where you want to go.

This deal is that chance. It makes sense. Do it.