With July 31 quickly approaching, it is officially trade season for Major League Baseball. That distinctive day marks the MLB trade deadline, a day that is known for its madness. This year should bring baseball fans plenty of interesting moves to discuss.
For starters, there are two different types of teams in trade season: buyers and sellers. Buyers are contenders; teams looking to add pieces to fuel their run to a World Series championship. Sellers, on the other hand, are teams that find themselves near the bottom of the standings. These teams are looking to trade away their better, preferably older, players in exchange for young players or prospects from the contending organizations.
There are plenty of teams that are looking to be buyers at this year's trade deadline. The Cubs, Rangers, Indians, Nationals and Giants all have comfortable leads in their divisions, and they are all more than likely looking for the missing player that could make them champions. The Orioles, Red Sox and Blue Jays are in the tightly contested American League East, and an acquisition could propel one of these teams to the top of the division. There are numerous teams in contention for the two Wild Card spots in each league, including the Dodgers, Astros, Mets, White Sox, Marlins, Tigers and Royals.
On the contrary, there are also a handful of teams that have been bad since the onset of the 2016 season. These teams, including the Reds, Braves, Twins, Rays and Athletics, could make multiple trades to completely change their team.
The popular pick to win the World Series this year has been the Chicago Cubs. With a young lineup and experienced pitching, the Cubs look poised to build on their NLCS trip last year and finally win the elusive World Series that has avoided them for 108 years. Despite a strong first half, the team sputtered into the All-Star break and saw their division lead shrink by a noticeable margin. Part of the issue has been the Cubs bullpen, which has only a few strong arms. Two names that have been mentioned to the Cubs have been Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman. The two dominant left-hand relievers could bolster the back end of the bullpen on the North Side, fulfilling what looks to be the only weakness on an otherwise strong roster.
In the American League West, the Rangers built up a sizable lead in the division throughout the first half, putting them in a comfortable position after the All-Star break. Like the Cubs, however, the Rangers also have a few holes in their roster that could be sured up with trades. For the entirety of this season Texas has had a noticeable flaw in their catching. Possible trade options include Jonathan Lucroy of the Milwaukee Brewers and Derek Norris of the San Diego Padres. Along with their deficiency behind the plate, the team could also be looking to add another starter to their rotation. After showing noticeable interest in Drew Pomeranz (already traded from San Diego to Boston), the Rangers could now shift their interest to Rich Hill of the Oakland Athletics. Although the teams are in the same division, the Athletics would probably be willing to part way with Hill if they are rewarded with solid prospects. Another intriguing alternative could be Braves starter Julio Teheran. The Rangers will more than likely be reluctant to trade away their best young talent, including third baseman Joey Gallo and utility player Jurickson Profar.
The Cleveland Indians are a surprise leader in the AL Central in 2016. Cleveland is ahead of the defending World Series champion Kansas City Royals by a fairly wide margin. The Indians are anchored by a strong, young and effective pitching staff, along with timely hitting from their powerful lineup. Although their hitting has been strong, the team has been without their best outfielder Michael Brantley for the majority of the season. In his place, Tyler Naquin has been a solid replacement and figures to be in the discussion for AL Rookie of the Year. Even when Brantley returns, the Indians may be looking to add another outfielder who can bring run production. The name mostly circulated with Cleveland has been Jay Bruce of the Cincinnati Reds. Bruce is having a bounce-back season this year after a tough 2015, and he was elected to the All-Star Game in San Diego for his strong first-half. Bruce has been mentioned in trade talks to not only the Indians, but also the Royals, Blue Jays, Giants and Nationals. He is permitted to block trades to the Yankees, Red Sox, Athletics, Rays, Marlins, Twins, Indians and Diamondbacks, but has expressed interest in dropping his no-trade clause to play for a winner.
Of the division leaders with comfortable leads, those three teams look to be the teams with holes that could need filled in order to win a title. The other contenders in each league could also add smaller pieces before July 31.
The National League West is more of a two-horse race than most divisions. The Giants were mentioned along with Jay Bruce, but also have had rumblings with Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun. Their lead may be big enough to stay put at the deadline, as they own the best record in the National League. The Dodgers are 26th in the Majors in team average, but also could make a run at Bruce, or other outfielders to help bolster their lineup. Both teams have strong pitching, but the Dodgers need their starters to get healthy, as Clayton Kershaw and Alex Wood are both battling injuries.
Chicago is currently blowing away the competition in the NL Central, but as mentioned before could add bullpen pieces to help their playoff hopes. The Pittsburgh Pirates need starting pitching, but may be looking to fill that hole internally. The team recently called up top pitching prospects Jameson Taillon and Tyler Glasnow. St. Louis has no glaring need, but could make a post-season push by having Matt Carpenter and Brandon Moss getting healthy. Also, after struggling in the first half, Kolten Wong and Randal Grichuk need to come back much stronger post All-Star break.
In the NL East, the New York Mets could use help at the corner infield spots, and Danny Valencia of the Oakland Athletics could be an intriguing option for them. Along with the Texas Rangers, the Miami Marlins could also make a move for starting pitcher Rich Hill. A leadoff hitter and center fielder is desperately needed in Washington, and the Nationals could possibly try to use top prospect, and noted speedster Trea Turner to help fix that disparity. From outside the organization, Washington could explore options such as Coco Crisp, Jon Jay or Charlie Blackmon.
The American League is completely wide open, as the Wild Card has six teams within six games of the second spot.
Baltimore is currently leading the American League East, and one more pitcher could aid their chances of winning the division. Rich Hill could also be an option for the Orioles, along with prospects within the organization who could be called up. The Red Sox have already acquired Drew Pomeranz, Aaron Hill, Brad Ziegler, and could also help their lineup with the call-ups of top prospects Yoan Moncada and Andrew Benintendi. If they look to add more pitching, the Red Sox have been linked to Athletics starter Sonny Gray as well, although he may cost them Moncada or Benintendi. North of the border, Toronto could use pitching help, but the recent success of Marcus Stroman could be all the help they need moving forward. In the Bronx, the Yankees are a near-.500 team that could be a few wins away from being back in contention. If they string together a few victories, look for the team to try and add a powerful outfielder like Bruce, or even make a shocking move and try to acquire the Rockies Carlos Gonzalez.
Aforementioned Cleveland has a comfortable lead in the American League East, however the teams below them are still strong in contention. Detroit is in the same realm as the Yankees, as multiple wins could result in them becoming a buyer. If so, the team should look for starting pitching help at a cheap cost, as Jordan Zimmerman and Daniel Norris are both temporarily injured. The South Side of Chicago could see playoff baseball for the first time since 2008, but the White Sox will need a strong second half to do so. More than making a trade, the White Sox need their best hitters to have a more successful second half at the plate. The defending World Series Champion Kansas City Royals are in the same spot as the White Sox, as the team just needs to stay healthy and play strong baseball to make a postseason push.
The American League West is currently lead by the Texas Rangers, however the Houston Astros have been making a strong drive up the standings. Houston signed Cuban defector Yulieski Gurriel on July 15 to a five-year, $47.5 million contract. After a few weeks in the minors, the 32-year-old should be able to help the Astros at third base. If he is not the answer, look for the team to possibly call up top prospect Alex Bregman. In the Pacific Northwest, the Mariners have been hovering near .500 and could be one move away from serious contention. Steve Cishek has not been stellar as the closer, and the team could make moves for bullpen pieces such as Houston Street, or make a big splash by trading for one of the Yankees bullpen monarchs. The team also needs help at shortstop, where Ketel Marte has struggled in his second big league season. GM Jerry Dipoto could look to Eduardo Nunez of the Minnesota Twins or Zack Cozart of the Reds as possible trade candidates.
It is officially MLB trade season, one of the most intriguing times of the year for baseball fans everywhere, and this year looks to be nothing short of exciting.
