American League
National League
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BUYERS
Baltimore Orioles
Toronto Blue Jays
Detroit Tigers
Cleveland Indians
Kansas City Royals
Oakland Athletics
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Seattle Mariners
Washington Nationals
Atlanta Braves
Milwaukee Brewers
St. Louis Cardinals
Pittsburgh Pirates
Cincinnati Reds
San Francisco Giants
Los Angeles Dodgers
WAIT-AND-SEE
New York Yankees (No prospects, barely any hope, still only 4 games out somehow)
Tampa Bay Rays (David Price? Ben Zobrist? Are we winning or not?)
SELLERS
Boston Red Sox
Chicago White Sox
Minnesota Twins
Houston Astros
Texas Rangers
Miami Marlins
New York Mets
Philadelphia Phillies
Chicago Cubs
San Diego Padres
Arizona Diamondbacks
Colorado Rockies
I should preface the big lists of possible trade-bait by mentioning that obviously not all deals will be done before July 31st's non-waiver deadline as waiver deals like the epic 2012 Carl Crawford/Josh Beckett/Adrian Gonzalez deal can take place up until August 31st.
Baltimore Orioles: Matt Wieters is out and there's nothing they can do about that other than try and get a solid replacement man who'll stay healthy for three months. Ubaldo Jimenez is nowhere near as good as advertised and Dylan Bundy is struggling in the minors, meaning they don't have the obvious replacement-in-waiting quite yet.
Targets: Catcher, Starting Pitcher, Second Baseman?
Specific Targets: Carlos Ruiz, Ian Kennedy, A.J. Pierzynski (already on waivers), Bartolo Colon, Emilio Bonifacio?
Any big-name prospects they'd deal?: No but, that'd make it hard to acquire Ian Kennedy.
New York Yankees: Chase Headley, Brandon McCarthy, and Jeff Francis are already on board plus Alfonso Soriano and Yangervis Solarte are gone so what more could Yankees fans ask for? Reliability.
Targets: Anything with an arm and a pulse.
Specific Targets: Antonio Bastardo, J.J. Putz, Joakim Soria, Bartolo Colon
Any big-name prospects they'd deal?: Like the Yankees have any prospects that interest any other teams... No.
Toronto Blue Jays: With Edwin Encarnacion, Brett Lawrie, and Adam Lind on the Disabled List and Melky Cabrera and Mark Buehrle's first-half magic wearing thin, Canada's lone team might not be able to get more than some bullpen help.
Targets: Infield help (Temporary), One more reliever because Aaron Sanchez can't do it all by himself.
Specific Targets: Antonio Bastardo, Mike Dunn (Marlins), DJ Lemahieu, Jeff Baker
Any big-name prospects they'd deal?: No.
Boston Red Sox: With A.J. Pierzynski on waivers, the team appears to be selling despite a recent hot streak.
Selling Points: Jake Peavy, Jon Lester (Highly unlikely), Koji Uehara, Felix Doubront, Shane Victorino
Who gets a bigger post-deadline role?: Depending on who's traded among their starting pitchers, either Felix Doubront or Allen Webster will be in the starting rotation for the rest of the season. Also, look out for Mookie Betts return to the major league outfield as he'd get a major boost in playing time if the flyin' Hawaiian Victorino is dealt.
Tampa Bay Rays: It seems that every night the Rays win, they're dead set on being buyers at the trade deadline. If they lose, the world is falling apart and David Price must go to whomever has the best offer. This team is convinced they are still in it and Price is unlikely to be moved unless they get three top 100 prospects.
Selling Points: Ben Zobrist, David Price, Erik Bedard, Grant Balfour, Juan Carlos Oviedo, Yunel Escobar, Matt Joyce, James Loney
Who gets a bigger post-deadline role?: The Rays have to find a way to get talented RHP Alex Colome into the major league rotation and that might be at the small cost of Erik Bedard. Other than that, I don't see any of the other names getting traded unless they really want to see what they have in Shortstop Hak-Ju Lee and end up dealing Yunel Escobar.
Detroit Tigers: Shorstop has been a disaster position for Detroit all season long and even when it seems like they may have settled on an answer (Eugenio Suarez), there's still room for improvement. Drew Smyly is having trouble in the starting rotation and Joe Nathan is a shell of the closer he once was. They will definitely acquire at least one name before this mid-season madness is through.
Targets: Shortstop, Catcher?, Bullpen Help (possibly multiple relievers)
Specific Targets: Elvis Andrus, Everth Cabrera, Didi Gregorius, Jimmy Rollins, Joaquin Benoit, Joakim Soria, Koji Uehara, Jonathan Papelbon, J.P. Arencibia?, Jeff Mathis?
Any big-name prospects they'd deal?: RHP Corey Knebel, IF Hernan Perez, RHP Melvin Mercedes
Cleveland Indians: Cleveland is a curious case right now as they have a prospect that they're very anxious to see in Francisco Lindor at shortstop and they could very well sell Asdrubal Cabrera while buying at every other position. Former Red/Brewer/Yankee/Oriole Chris Dickerson is getting hot at the right time but his tenure as the Indians' starting Left Fielder might run short as clearly, he won't be this good all year long and Cleveland will be targeting some help with their current bats. Among their pitchers, Trevor Bauer and Danny Salazar have been through roller-coaster seasons and it's likely that they look for some assistance in the arm department.
Targets: Outfielder(s?), Starting Pitcher
Specific Targets: Colby Lewis, Cliff Lee, Ian Kennedy, Jorge De La Rosa, Gerardo Parra, Dayan Viciedo, Alejandro de Aza, Chris B. Young, Marlon Byrd
Any big-name prospects they'd deal?: C Tony Walters, SS Dorssys Paulino, RHP Austin Adams
Kansas City Royals: The Royals aren't used to being in the playoff hunt and thus are not prepared for the trade deadline. There might be a very minor deal made by this team but I don't forecast a lot happening for this team that's barely in the race.
Targets: Reliever or Starter
Specific Targets: Dale Thayer, Joaquin Benoit, LaTroy Hawkins, Tony Sipp, Bartolo Colon
Any big-name prospects they'd deal?: LHP Chris Dwyer
Chicago White Sox: The White Sox are sellers once again this season and it's only a matter of time before they dump ALL of the veterans they have on their team not named Chris Sale. They're the worst non-Texas based American League lineup.
Selling Points: John Danks, Connor Gillaspie, Alexei Ramirez, Alejandro de Aza, Dayan Viciedo, Ronald Belisario, Javvy Guerra, Paul Konerko
Who gets a bigger post-deadline role?: 3B Matt Davidson, IF Carlos Sanchez or 2B Micah Johnson, LHP Eric Surkamp
Minnesota Twins: Everyday Joe is on the DL and all the good vibes from Brian Dozier, Danny Santana, and Kyle Gibson will be nice but not enough to keep Minnesota from selling other guys.
Selling Points: Kendrys Morales?, Josh Willingham, Kevin Correia, Jared Burton
Who gets a bigger post-deadline role?: RHP Alex Meyer, RHP Trevor May, 1B/OF Chris Colabello
Oakland Athletics: The best team in baseball for each of the past six weeks (according to ESPN.com) is in a great place after acquiring two starting pitchers (Jeff Samardzija & Jason Hammel) for three prospects. It's unlikely they have any moves left in them.
Targets: Reliever? Second baseman?
Specific Targets: None.
Any big-name prospects they'd deal?: No.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: Outfielder Efren Navarro is currently listed as the Angels' Designated Hitter which is hard to believe based off his lack of experience and fringe-prospect past. Expect Anaheim to be digging for one more bat along with all of the pitching they'll try to acquire. They've already gotten Huston Street, Joe Thatcher, and Jason Grilli so the bullpen appears to be set for October.
Targets: One more batter, 1 or 2 Starting Pitchers
Specific Targets: Chris Carter, Shane Victorino, Jake Peavy, Cliff Lee, Josh Willingham, Seth Smith, Ian Kennedy, Junior Lake
Any big-name prospects they'd deal?: Considering the ages and downward trends of Josh Hamilton and Albert Pujols, they'll throw everything they have at a team like Philadelphia for an elite or 2nd-tier pitcher. Everything is on the table.
Seattle Mariners: Seattle needs to buy at the deadline so they can keep fans in their seats. If the team gets an above-average player at the deadline, they'll be hard to eliminate from playoff contention and attendance will stay up. Nick Franklin and Brad Miller haven't turned out anywhere near the way they were projected to be playing by now and are quite possibly available in any big deals. Erasmo Ramirez has also underachieved and with Taijuan Walker waiting in Triple-A, Ramirez might also be on the move. Seattle might pull off a few player-for-player deals in the fashion of Pittsburgh and the Angels Ernesto Frieri-for-Jason Grilli deal.
Targets: Shortstop, Outfielder, Starting Pitcher?
Specific Targets: Seth Smith, Marlon Byrd, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Chris B. Young, Junior Lake, Jimmy Rollins, Ben Zobrist, Sean Rodriguez, Marco Estrada?, Jake Peavy, Bartolo Colon
Any big-name prospects they'd deal?: LHP Luiz Gohara, 2B Nick Franklin, OF Julio Morban
Houston Astros: After the Brady Aiken signing disaster, everybody sold their stock in Houston and the team is sitting in a dead space with not many veterans to trade away and quite a few prospects who are ready to play now.
Selling Points: Chad Qualls, Tony Sipp, Jason Castro, Scott Feldman?, Chris Carter
Who gets a bigger post-deadline role?: Catchers Carlos Corporan & Max Stassi, L.J. Hoes, Josh Fields
Texas Rangers: SELL! SELL! SELL! The Texas fire-sale is imminent. Prince Fielder, Jurickson Profar, Martin Perez, and Matt Harrison are done for the year and that crippled any chance of Texas contending this season. It's been an unfortunate three months for Texas and there's a small chance that they hang on to everyone for an epic comeback season in 2015. The problem with that mentality is that not all of these players will be back next year due to contract issues or in Harrison's case, lingering injuries.
Selling Points: J.P Arencibia (if anybody actually wants him), Elvis Andrus, Shin-Soo Choo, Alex Rios, Colby Lewis, Joakim Soria, Neal Cotts, Neftali Feliz
Who gets a bigger post-deadline role?: Feliz (unless traded), Jim Adduci, Adam Rosales, Jake Smolinski, Scott Baker (none of these are fantasy-relevant or improvements besides maybe Feliz)
Washington Nationals: With Atlanta right on their tail, the finally fully-healthy Nationals are ready for a deep playoff run. They may look for an extra arm to shore up an already great bullpen but otherwise, D.C. has it made.
Targets: Reliever, Catcher?
Specific Targets: Joaquin Benoit, Chad Qualls, Juan Carlos Oviedo
Any big-name prospects they'd deal?: Although I'm not sure what they'd be asking for in return, RHP Lucas Giolito is an interesting name that could be part of a package for a BIG name like a Cole Hamels (but most likely, not him).
Atlanta Braves: The Upton brothers signings were a disaster. Justin's solid but not an MVP as once projected and B.J. has lost all capability of hitting and will likely be out of baseball by the end of his miserable contract. Unlike recent seasons, Atlanta's rotation is not entirely set-in-stone as Aaron Harang has had his ups and downs while Mike Minor continues to confuse everyone with his bad stats. Ervin Santana has also been surprisingly erratic at times and nobody's rotation spot is guaranteed after the deadline. Evan Gattis (AKA: El oso blanco) will be back this week from his DL-stint, meaning Christian Bethancourt is probably on the trading block.
Targets: Starter, Center Fielder, bat off the bench
Specific Targets: Jake Peavy, John Lackey, John Danks, Jorge de la Rosa, Kevin Correia, Chris Carter, Seth Smith, Ben Zobrist
Any big-name prospects they'd deal?: C Christian Bethancourt, 3B Edward Salcedo, 3B/C Victor Caratini, OF Victor Reyes, OF Todd Cunningham (unless they give up on acquiring an outfielder and put him in a time-share with B.J. Upton).
Miami Marlins: It's been a year of progression and consistently average play from Miami which is an incredible improvement over the past three seasons of disappointment and abysmal win-loss records. They might be 8.5 games back right now but that's not close enough to keep them from selling some parts that won't stick past this season.
Selling Points: Jeff Mathis, Jeff Baker, Reed Johnson, Mike Dunn, Brad Hand
Who gets a bigger post-deadline role?: RHP Andrew Heaney, RHP Anthony DeSclafani, LHP Brian Flynn, C J.T. Realmuto
New York Mets: The future of the Mets' rotation is one of the most exciting things coming up in baseball. Clearly, we'll see Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler, and likely Jonathon Niese in the rotation next year. There's also two righties shocking every Mets fan with how great they've been this season in Dillon Gee and Jacob DeGrom. Sadly, the Mets rotation hasn't helped their awful offense and New York will be selling possibly both of Dillon Gee and Bartolo Colon. With Noah Syndergaard and Rafael Montero as the top two prospects in the organization already in Triple-A, it's a guarantee that Colon is gone unless he injures himself before the deadline.
Selling Points: Bartolo Colon, Dillon Gee?, Ruben Tejada, Eric Young Jr., Juan Legares, Curtis Granderson, Chris B. Young, basically any outfielder.
Who gets a bigger post-deadline role?: Bobby Abreu?, Noah Syndergaard (he has struggled in Triple-A so it's possible they keep him down until September), Rafael Montero, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Eric Campbell
Philadelphia Phillies: Jonathan Papelbon wants out and the Phillies don't want him so what's keeping them from trading him? The fact that he doesn't want to go to a team unless he's guaranteed the closing job. That might be a difficult trade to set up. The Phillies aren't yet convinced that they've fallen off the map of playoff contenders but reality will sink in before all this trading madness is over.
Selling Points: Carlos Ruiz, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Marlon Byrd, A.J. Burnett, Cliff Lee, Kyle Kendrick, Jonathan Papelbon, Antonio Bastardo
Who gets a bigger post-deadline role?: Obviously it's more likely that all of the overpaid veterans stay than all of them leave so I'd say that in all likelihood, only Ruiz, Byrd, Burnett, Papelbon, and Bastardo get dealt and that might even be a stretch, saying they deal five players. Guys who would benefit from these moves are: OF Grady Sizemore, 1B/OF Darin Ruf, RHP Ken Giles, and there'd be a couple of minor leaguers that they'd need in return for those veterans who would get promoted. Philadelphia's kind of a mess.
Milwaukee Brewers: All hail Jonathan Lucroy! The Brewers catcher is the one thing keeping this team in first right now as every other player seems to be struggling in one way or another (much like every team in baseball besides Oakland). Milwaukee is an obvious buyer come deadline time but with the worst farm system in all of baseball, they're unlikely to land a name big enough to win the division without help from the current guys. C.C. Sabathia isn't coming through Miller Park's doors.
Targets: One more bat (back-up outfielder most likely), Pitcher?
Specific Targets: Ben Zobrist, Erasmo Ramirez?
Any big-name prospects they'd deal?: SS Orlando Arcia, 3B Tucker Neuhaus, RHP Michael Blazek, SS Yadiel Rivera
St. Louis Cardinals: With Yadier Molina, Jaime Garcia, and Michael Wacha on the DL, Mike Matheny's ball-club is in dire need of something big to catapult them over Milwaukee. They're ready to throw the kitchen sink at Tampa or Boston for David Price or Jake Peavy. George Kottaras and Tony Cruz seem to have the Catcher position on lock-down for now.
Targets: Back-up infielder, Starting Pitcher (Should be noted in ALL CAPS)
Specific Targets: David Price, Jake Peavy, Ian Kennedy, Yu Darvish (unrealistic), Cliff Lee (also unrealistic), Jeff Baker, Gordon Beckham (not 100% impossible but highly unlikely with the surge of awesome that is Kolten Wong)
Any big-name prospects they'd deal?: Go ahead and take anyone besides Oscar Taveras. This is the Cardinal mentality.
Pittsburgh Pirates: They've been in the playoff hunt for a few years now and it's not as good of a feel-good story as it had been the previous couple of seasons so Pittsburgh has majorly flown under the radar this season. Believe it or not, they are very much still in it and even with two trades down (Frieri & Ike Davis), they probably have something left up their sleeve. With Gerrit Cole going back-and-forth between struggling and DL-stints, something needs to change in their rotation in order for the Pirates' to stay serious contenders.
Targets: Starting Pitcher, Bullpen help
Specific Targets: Kevin Correia, John Lackey, Colby Lewis, Bartolo Colon, Mike Dunn, Joaquin Benoit, Joe Nathan?, Ronald Belisario
Any big-name prospects they'd deal?: RHP Luis Heredia, OF Willy Garcia
Cincinnati Reds: The Cincinnati Reds are so full of injuries... "How full of injuries are they?"... The Cincinnati Reds are so full of injuries that their best healthy batter is ______. Thankfully, every one of the celebrities playing MLB Match Game selected Devin Mesoraco, a Catcher who no one expected to hold that title 100 games into the season.
Targets: Infielders, Left Fielder, A Reliever?
Specific Targets: Chris Carter, Ben Zobrist, James Loney, Alexei Ramirez (he is 32), Alex Rios, Seth Smith, Dayan Viciedo, LaTroy Hawkins, Tony Sipp
Any big-name prospects they'd deal?: LHP Tony Cingrani (Seriously? Seriously!), LHP David Holmberg, C Tucker Barnhart, RHP Ben Lively
-sigh- Chicago Cubs: Another year, another fire-sale from the Chicago Cubs. They're already down to a rotation with one respectable starter (Jake Arrieta) and no matter how promising Arismendy Alcantara, Starlin Castro, Kris Bryant, and all the other future big names are, this is still a last-place in the NL Central team for one more year.
Selling Points: John Baker, Emilio Bonifacio, Luis Valbuena, Junior Lake, Justin Ruggiano, Nate Schierholtz, Edwin Jackson, Travis Wood (unlikely they deal anymore pitchers), Pedro Strop, Carlos Villanueva, Wesley Wright
Who gets a bigger post-deadline role?: Literally everyone. Expect to see Shortstops Addison Russell and Javier Baez at some point. Jorge Soler is tearing apart double-A and Arodys Vizcaino already has major league pitching experience so I'd expect to see both of them as well. Don't forget Mike Olt either, this might be his last chance to prove he's more than another Brett Jackson/Josh Vitters strikeout clone.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Nobody of clear importance is injured but with Brian Wilson and Chris Perez having awful seasons, LA is desperate for bullpen help. Oddly enough, Adrian Gonzalez, Hanley Ramirez, and A.J. Ellis have been nowhere near as good as previous seasons. None of these players will be dealt but, it does make one wonder whether or not they go after any offensive help.
Targets: Relievers, backup infielder
Specific Targets: Joaquin Benoit (When in doubt, say Joaquin Benoit), Joakim Soria, Neftali Feliz, Felix Doubront (why not?), Grant Balfour, Emilio Bonifacio, Jeff Baker, Sean Rodriguez
Any big-name prospects they'd deal?: RHP Zach Lee, RHP Pedro Baez (or they just use these guys to shore up the bullpen).
San Francisco Giants: Joe Panik has the perfect name to describe the Giants second base-scenario headed into trade deadline. Brandon Belt has become an overly-fragile player and concussions are the least-obvious of all injuries in terms of time spent on the DL. They need to get one or two infielders to keep themselves alive in the NL West. Also, the pitching isn't golden either. Santiago Casilla is not Bruce Bochy's ideal closer and Yusmeiro Petit is not the ideal #5 starter. With that said, Bochy has shown a tendency to stick to his guns and keep the rotation in tact throughout his two world series so expect Matt Cain to stay once he comes back.
Targets: First & Second Baseman, Relievers, Maybe even a Closer
Specific Targets: Grant Balfour, Jonathan Papelbon, Joakim Soria, Koji Uehara, Ben Zobrist, Chad Qualls, Chris Carter, Elvis Andrus?
Any big-name prospects they'd deal?: C Andrew Susac (Unless they want to make Posey a full-time first baseman immediately), RHP Chris Stratton, OF Gary Brown (They've waited long enough for this guy and he doesn't appear to be any better than Angel Pagan, who was pretty average until this season).
San Diego Padres: Somehow this horrendous offensive team is only the middle-of-the-pack in their division. Luckily for them, their pitchers have saved them from complete embarrassment. This means San Diego should try trading all of them! (or just some since... let's be real).
Selling Points: Any batter, Any pitcher not named Odrisamer Despaigne, Jessie Hahn, Tyson Ross, or Kevin Quackenbush.
Who gets a bigger post-deadline role?: IF they stay it's likely that Will Venable and Alexi Amarista get everyday jobs while C Austin Hedges is one more catcher trade (they already dealt Nick Hundley to Baltimore) away from the major leagues. RHP Casey Kelly (if healthy) could find himself in the rotation before September. 2B Taylor Lindsey was acquired for reliever Huston Street and might be up by September if enough players are dealt and Jace Pederson continues his drought. Overall, San Diego's prospects have one thing in common and that's a horrible rash of injuries so this team could just be a few promotions away from the wildcard race in 2015. Also, watch Kevin Quackenbush win the Closing job.
Colorado Rockies: Troy Tulowitzki is on the DL (Gee, who could've seen that one coming?) and the lineup has greatly lost their luster over the past month. It's now or never for Colorado to sell guys like D.J. Lemahieu, Charlie Blackmon, or Corey Dickerson who may never do anything again. Unfortunately for Colorado fans, I don't see the Rockies backing away from Blackmon or Dickerson with their strong first halves and the team will continue to have a cluttered outfield for the rest of this season. That's not necessarily a horrible thing to have but it doesn't nab the Rockies anything to improve their outlook. Meanwhile, in the pitching rotation, the dust has cleared and what remains? FIVE LEFTIES! How does that happen and work so ineffectively? Rush a bunch of fringe-talents up and pretend they're major league ready only to ruin their potential (Yohan Flande, Tyler Matzek). Look for Colorado to sell on multiple pitchers so they can push up more minor leaguers with higher potential.
Selling Points: D.J. Lemahieu, Corey Dickerson, Charlie Blackmon, Charlie Culberson, Drew Stubbs, Brandon Barnes, Jorge de la Rosa, LaTroy Hawkins, Matt Belisle, Nick Masset
Who gets a bigger post-deadline role?: 3B Ryan Wheeler, RHP Rayan Gonzalez
Arizona Diamondbacks: Another team ravaged by early struggles and major injuries, Arizona will try to solve the one-sided battle of the more-talented Chris Owings and Didi Gregorius at shortstop by floating Gregorius's name over teams in contention. Sadly, they cannot trade the recently Tommy-John'd Bronson Arroyo and will be lacking in trade-able pitching assets.
Selling Points: Gerardo Parra, Didi Gregorius, Josh Collmenter, Trevor Cahill, Randall Delgado, Oliver Perez
Who gets a bigger post-deadline role?: RHP Archie Bradley of course, OF Ender Inciarte
BREAKING NEWS UPDATE THAT MAKES A SMALL PART OF THIS LARGE POST OUTDATED AND IRRELEVANT NOW
The Texas Rangers have sent their closer Joakim Soria to the Detroit Tigers for RHP's Jake Thompson (didn't call that one) and Corey Knebel (I called that one!).
Oh well, this is what happens when you can't just hammer out a post in 24 hours or less without studying the possibilities a little bit harder than you normally would.
Good luck to all of your teams and may your futures be ultimately brighter!
Targets: Shortstop, Catcher?, Bullpen Help (possibly multiple relievers)
Specific Targets: Elvis Andrus, Everth Cabrera, Didi Gregorius, Jimmy Rollins, Joaquin Benoit, Joakim Soria, Koji Uehara, Jonathan Papelbon, J.P. Arencibia?, Jeff Mathis?
Any big-name prospects they'd deal?: RHP Corey Knebel, IF Hernan Perez, RHP Melvin Mercedes
Cleveland Indians: Cleveland is a curious case right now as they have a prospect that they're very anxious to see in Francisco Lindor at shortstop and they could very well sell Asdrubal Cabrera while buying at every other position. Former Red/Brewer/Yankee/Oriole Chris Dickerson is getting hot at the right time but his tenure as the Indians' starting Left Fielder might run short as clearly, he won't be this good all year long and Cleveland will be targeting some help with their current bats. Among their pitchers, Trevor Bauer and Danny Salazar have been through roller-coaster seasons and it's likely that they look for some assistance in the arm department.
Targets: Outfielder(s?), Starting Pitcher
Specific Targets: Colby Lewis, Cliff Lee, Ian Kennedy, Jorge De La Rosa, Gerardo Parra, Dayan Viciedo, Alejandro de Aza, Chris B. Young, Marlon Byrd
Any big-name prospects they'd deal?: C Tony Walters, SS Dorssys Paulino, RHP Austin Adams
Kansas City Royals: The Royals aren't used to being in the playoff hunt and thus are not prepared for the trade deadline. There might be a very minor deal made by this team but I don't forecast a lot happening for this team that's barely in the race.
Targets: Reliever or Starter
Specific Targets: Dale Thayer, Joaquin Benoit, LaTroy Hawkins, Tony Sipp, Bartolo Colon
Any big-name prospects they'd deal?: LHP Chris Dwyer
Chicago White Sox: The White Sox are sellers once again this season and it's only a matter of time before they dump ALL of the veterans they have on their team not named Chris Sale. They're the worst non-Texas based American League lineup.
Selling Points: John Danks, Connor Gillaspie, Alexei Ramirez, Alejandro de Aza, Dayan Viciedo, Ronald Belisario, Javvy Guerra, Paul Konerko
Who gets a bigger post-deadline role?: 3B Matt Davidson, IF Carlos Sanchez or 2B Micah Johnson, LHP Eric Surkamp
Minnesota Twins: Everyday Joe is on the DL and all the good vibes from Brian Dozier, Danny Santana, and Kyle Gibson will be nice but not enough to keep Minnesota from selling other guys.
Selling Points: Kendrys Morales?, Josh Willingham, Kevin Correia, Jared Burton
Who gets a bigger post-deadline role?: RHP Alex Meyer, RHP Trevor May, 1B/OF Chris Colabello
Oakland Athletics: The best team in baseball for each of the past six weeks (according to ESPN.com) is in a great place after acquiring two starting pitchers (Jeff Samardzija & Jason Hammel) for three prospects. It's unlikely they have any moves left in them.
Targets: Reliever? Second baseman?
Specific Targets: None.
Any big-name prospects they'd deal?: No.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: Outfielder Efren Navarro is currently listed as the Angels' Designated Hitter which is hard to believe based off his lack of experience and fringe-prospect past. Expect Anaheim to be digging for one more bat along with all of the pitching they'll try to acquire. They've already gotten Huston Street, Joe Thatcher, and Jason Grilli so the bullpen appears to be set for October.
Targets: One more batter, 1 or 2 Starting Pitchers
Specific Targets: Chris Carter, Shane Victorino, Jake Peavy, Cliff Lee, Josh Willingham, Seth Smith, Ian Kennedy, Junior Lake
Any big-name prospects they'd deal?: Considering the ages and downward trends of Josh Hamilton and Albert Pujols, they'll throw everything they have at a team like Philadelphia for an elite or 2nd-tier pitcher. Everything is on the table.
Seattle Mariners: Seattle needs to buy at the deadline so they can keep fans in their seats. If the team gets an above-average player at the deadline, they'll be hard to eliminate from playoff contention and attendance will stay up. Nick Franklin and Brad Miller haven't turned out anywhere near the way they were projected to be playing by now and are quite possibly available in any big deals. Erasmo Ramirez has also underachieved and with Taijuan Walker waiting in Triple-A, Ramirez might also be on the move. Seattle might pull off a few player-for-player deals in the fashion of Pittsburgh and the Angels Ernesto Frieri-for-Jason Grilli deal.
Targets: Shortstop, Outfielder, Starting Pitcher?
Specific Targets: Seth Smith, Marlon Byrd, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Chris B. Young, Junior Lake, Jimmy Rollins, Ben Zobrist, Sean Rodriguez, Marco Estrada?, Jake Peavy, Bartolo Colon
Any big-name prospects they'd deal?: LHP Luiz Gohara, 2B Nick Franklin, OF Julio Morban
Houston Astros: After the Brady Aiken signing disaster, everybody sold their stock in Houston and the team is sitting in a dead space with not many veterans to trade away and quite a few prospects who are ready to play now.
Selling Points: Chad Qualls, Tony Sipp, Jason Castro, Scott Feldman?, Chris Carter
Who gets a bigger post-deadline role?: Catchers Carlos Corporan & Max Stassi, L.J. Hoes, Josh Fields
Texas Rangers: SELL! SELL! SELL! The Texas fire-sale is imminent. Prince Fielder, Jurickson Profar, Martin Perez, and Matt Harrison are done for the year and that crippled any chance of Texas contending this season. It's been an unfortunate three months for Texas and there's a small chance that they hang on to everyone for an epic comeback season in 2015. The problem with that mentality is that not all of these players will be back next year due to contract issues or in Harrison's case, lingering injuries.
Selling Points: J.P Arencibia (if anybody actually wants him), Elvis Andrus, Shin-Soo Choo, Alex Rios, Colby Lewis, Joakim Soria, Neal Cotts, Neftali Feliz
Who gets a bigger post-deadline role?: Feliz (unless traded), Jim Adduci, Adam Rosales, Jake Smolinski, Scott Baker (none of these are fantasy-relevant or improvements besides maybe Feliz)
Washington Nationals: With Atlanta right on their tail, the finally fully-healthy Nationals are ready for a deep playoff run. They may look for an extra arm to shore up an already great bullpen but otherwise, D.C. has it made.
Targets: Reliever, Catcher?
Specific Targets: Joaquin Benoit, Chad Qualls, Juan Carlos Oviedo
Any big-name prospects they'd deal?: Although I'm not sure what they'd be asking for in return, RHP Lucas Giolito is an interesting name that could be part of a package for a BIG name like a Cole Hamels (but most likely, not him).
Atlanta Braves: The Upton brothers signings were a disaster. Justin's solid but not an MVP as once projected and B.J. has lost all capability of hitting and will likely be out of baseball by the end of his miserable contract. Unlike recent seasons, Atlanta's rotation is not entirely set-in-stone as Aaron Harang has had his ups and downs while Mike Minor continues to confuse everyone with his bad stats. Ervin Santana has also been surprisingly erratic at times and nobody's rotation spot is guaranteed after the deadline. Evan Gattis (AKA: El oso blanco) will be back this week from his DL-stint, meaning Christian Bethancourt is probably on the trading block.
Targets: Starter, Center Fielder, bat off the bench
Specific Targets: Jake Peavy, John Lackey, John Danks, Jorge de la Rosa, Kevin Correia, Chris Carter, Seth Smith, Ben Zobrist
Any big-name prospects they'd deal?: C Christian Bethancourt, 3B Edward Salcedo, 3B/C Victor Caratini, OF Victor Reyes, OF Todd Cunningham (unless they give up on acquiring an outfielder and put him in a time-share with B.J. Upton).
Miami Marlins: It's been a year of progression and consistently average play from Miami which is an incredible improvement over the past three seasons of disappointment and abysmal win-loss records. They might be 8.5 games back right now but that's not close enough to keep them from selling some parts that won't stick past this season.
Selling Points: Jeff Mathis, Jeff Baker, Reed Johnson, Mike Dunn, Brad Hand
Who gets a bigger post-deadline role?: RHP Andrew Heaney, RHP Anthony DeSclafani, LHP Brian Flynn, C J.T. Realmuto
New York Mets: The future of the Mets' rotation is one of the most exciting things coming up in baseball. Clearly, we'll see Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler, and likely Jonathon Niese in the rotation next year. There's also two righties shocking every Mets fan with how great they've been this season in Dillon Gee and Jacob DeGrom. Sadly, the Mets rotation hasn't helped their awful offense and New York will be selling possibly both of Dillon Gee and Bartolo Colon. With Noah Syndergaard and Rafael Montero as the top two prospects in the organization already in Triple-A, it's a guarantee that Colon is gone unless he injures himself before the deadline.
Selling Points: Bartolo Colon, Dillon Gee?, Ruben Tejada, Eric Young Jr., Juan Legares, Curtis Granderson, Chris B. Young, basically any outfielder.
Who gets a bigger post-deadline role?: Bobby Abreu?, Noah Syndergaard (he has struggled in Triple-A so it's possible they keep him down until September), Rafael Montero, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Eric Campbell
Philadelphia Phillies: Jonathan Papelbon wants out and the Phillies don't want him so what's keeping them from trading him? The fact that he doesn't want to go to a team unless he's guaranteed the closing job. That might be a difficult trade to set up. The Phillies aren't yet convinced that they've fallen off the map of playoff contenders but reality will sink in before all this trading madness is over.
Selling Points: Carlos Ruiz, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Marlon Byrd, A.J. Burnett, Cliff Lee, Kyle Kendrick, Jonathan Papelbon, Antonio Bastardo
Who gets a bigger post-deadline role?: Obviously it's more likely that all of the overpaid veterans stay than all of them leave so I'd say that in all likelihood, only Ruiz, Byrd, Burnett, Papelbon, and Bastardo get dealt and that might even be a stretch, saying they deal five players. Guys who would benefit from these moves are: OF Grady Sizemore, 1B/OF Darin Ruf, RHP Ken Giles, and there'd be a couple of minor leaguers that they'd need in return for those veterans who would get promoted. Philadelphia's kind of a mess.
Milwaukee Brewers: All hail Jonathan Lucroy! The Brewers catcher is the one thing keeping this team in first right now as every other player seems to be struggling in one way or another (much like every team in baseball besides Oakland). Milwaukee is an obvious buyer come deadline time but with the worst farm system in all of baseball, they're unlikely to land a name big enough to win the division without help from the current guys. C.C. Sabathia isn't coming through Miller Park's doors.
Targets: One more bat (back-up outfielder most likely), Pitcher?
Specific Targets: Ben Zobrist, Erasmo Ramirez?
Any big-name prospects they'd deal?: SS Orlando Arcia, 3B Tucker Neuhaus, RHP Michael Blazek, SS Yadiel Rivera
St. Louis Cardinals: With Yadier Molina, Jaime Garcia, and Michael Wacha on the DL, Mike Matheny's ball-club is in dire need of something big to catapult them over Milwaukee. They're ready to throw the kitchen sink at Tampa or Boston for David Price or Jake Peavy. George Kottaras and Tony Cruz seem to have the Catcher position on lock-down for now.
Targets: Back-up infielder, Starting Pitcher (Should be noted in ALL CAPS)
Specific Targets: David Price, Jake Peavy, Ian Kennedy, Yu Darvish (unrealistic), Cliff Lee (also unrealistic), Jeff Baker, Gordon Beckham (not 100% impossible but highly unlikely with the surge of awesome that is Kolten Wong)
Any big-name prospects they'd deal?: Go ahead and take anyone besides Oscar Taveras. This is the Cardinal mentality.
Pittsburgh Pirates: They've been in the playoff hunt for a few years now and it's not as good of a feel-good story as it had been the previous couple of seasons so Pittsburgh has majorly flown under the radar this season. Believe it or not, they are very much still in it and even with two trades down (Frieri & Ike Davis), they probably have something left up their sleeve. With Gerrit Cole going back-and-forth between struggling and DL-stints, something needs to change in their rotation in order for the Pirates' to stay serious contenders.
Targets: Starting Pitcher, Bullpen help
Specific Targets: Kevin Correia, John Lackey, Colby Lewis, Bartolo Colon, Mike Dunn, Joaquin Benoit, Joe Nathan?, Ronald Belisario
Any big-name prospects they'd deal?: RHP Luis Heredia, OF Willy Garcia
Cincinnati Reds: The Cincinnati Reds are so full of injuries... "How full of injuries are they?"... The Cincinnati Reds are so full of injuries that their best healthy batter is ______. Thankfully, every one of the celebrities playing MLB Match Game selected Devin Mesoraco, a Catcher who no one expected to hold that title 100 games into the season.
Targets: Infielders, Left Fielder, A Reliever?
Specific Targets: Chris Carter, Ben Zobrist, James Loney, Alexei Ramirez (he is 32), Alex Rios, Seth Smith, Dayan Viciedo, LaTroy Hawkins, Tony Sipp
Any big-name prospects they'd deal?: LHP Tony Cingrani (Seriously? Seriously!), LHP David Holmberg, C Tucker Barnhart, RHP Ben Lively
-sigh- Chicago Cubs: Another year, another fire-sale from the Chicago Cubs. They're already down to a rotation with one respectable starter (Jake Arrieta) and no matter how promising Arismendy Alcantara, Starlin Castro, Kris Bryant, and all the other future big names are, this is still a last-place in the NL Central team for one more year.
Selling Points: John Baker, Emilio Bonifacio, Luis Valbuena, Junior Lake, Justin Ruggiano, Nate Schierholtz, Edwin Jackson, Travis Wood (unlikely they deal anymore pitchers), Pedro Strop, Carlos Villanueva, Wesley Wright
Who gets a bigger post-deadline role?: Literally everyone. Expect to see Shortstops Addison Russell and Javier Baez at some point. Jorge Soler is tearing apart double-A and Arodys Vizcaino already has major league pitching experience so I'd expect to see both of them as well. Don't forget Mike Olt either, this might be his last chance to prove he's more than another Brett Jackson/Josh Vitters strikeout clone.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Nobody of clear importance is injured but with Brian Wilson and Chris Perez having awful seasons, LA is desperate for bullpen help. Oddly enough, Adrian Gonzalez, Hanley Ramirez, and A.J. Ellis have been nowhere near as good as previous seasons. None of these players will be dealt but, it does make one wonder whether or not they go after any offensive help.
Targets: Relievers, backup infielder
Specific Targets: Joaquin Benoit (When in doubt, say Joaquin Benoit), Joakim Soria, Neftali Feliz, Felix Doubront (why not?), Grant Balfour, Emilio Bonifacio, Jeff Baker, Sean Rodriguez
Any big-name prospects they'd deal?: RHP Zach Lee, RHP Pedro Baez (or they just use these guys to shore up the bullpen).
San Francisco Giants: Joe Panik has the perfect name to describe the Giants second base-scenario headed into trade deadline. Brandon Belt has become an overly-fragile player and concussions are the least-obvious of all injuries in terms of time spent on the DL. They need to get one or two infielders to keep themselves alive in the NL West. Also, the pitching isn't golden either. Santiago Casilla is not Bruce Bochy's ideal closer and Yusmeiro Petit is not the ideal #5 starter. With that said, Bochy has shown a tendency to stick to his guns and keep the rotation in tact throughout his two world series so expect Matt Cain to stay once he comes back.
Targets: First & Second Baseman, Relievers, Maybe even a Closer
Specific Targets: Grant Balfour, Jonathan Papelbon, Joakim Soria, Koji Uehara, Ben Zobrist, Chad Qualls, Chris Carter, Elvis Andrus?
Any big-name prospects they'd deal?: C Andrew Susac (Unless they want to make Posey a full-time first baseman immediately), RHP Chris Stratton, OF Gary Brown (They've waited long enough for this guy and he doesn't appear to be any better than Angel Pagan, who was pretty average until this season).
San Diego Padres: Somehow this horrendous offensive team is only the middle-of-the-pack in their division. Luckily for them, their pitchers have saved them from complete embarrassment. This means San Diego should try trading all of them! (or just some since... let's be real).
Selling Points: Any batter, Any pitcher not named Odrisamer Despaigne, Jessie Hahn, Tyson Ross, or Kevin Quackenbush.
Who gets a bigger post-deadline role?: IF they stay it's likely that Will Venable and Alexi Amarista get everyday jobs while C Austin Hedges is one more catcher trade (they already dealt Nick Hundley to Baltimore) away from the major leagues. RHP Casey Kelly (if healthy) could find himself in the rotation before September. 2B Taylor Lindsey was acquired for reliever Huston Street and might be up by September if enough players are dealt and Jace Pederson continues his drought. Overall, San Diego's prospects have one thing in common and that's a horrible rash of injuries so this team could just be a few promotions away from the wildcard race in 2015. Also, watch Kevin Quackenbush win the Closing job.
Colorado Rockies: Troy Tulowitzki is on the DL (Gee, who could've seen that one coming?) and the lineup has greatly lost their luster over the past month. It's now or never for Colorado to sell guys like D.J. Lemahieu, Charlie Blackmon, or Corey Dickerson who may never do anything again. Unfortunately for Colorado fans, I don't see the Rockies backing away from Blackmon or Dickerson with their strong first halves and the team will continue to have a cluttered outfield for the rest of this season. That's not necessarily a horrible thing to have but it doesn't nab the Rockies anything to improve their outlook. Meanwhile, in the pitching rotation, the dust has cleared and what remains? FIVE LEFTIES! How does that happen and work so ineffectively? Rush a bunch of fringe-talents up and pretend they're major league ready only to ruin their potential (Yohan Flande, Tyler Matzek). Look for Colorado to sell on multiple pitchers so they can push up more minor leaguers with higher potential.
Selling Points: D.J. Lemahieu, Corey Dickerson, Charlie Blackmon, Charlie Culberson, Drew Stubbs, Brandon Barnes, Jorge de la Rosa, LaTroy Hawkins, Matt Belisle, Nick Masset
Who gets a bigger post-deadline role?: 3B Ryan Wheeler, RHP Rayan Gonzalez
Arizona Diamondbacks: Another team ravaged by early struggles and major injuries, Arizona will try to solve the one-sided battle of the more-talented Chris Owings and Didi Gregorius at shortstop by floating Gregorius's name over teams in contention. Sadly, they cannot trade the recently Tommy-John'd Bronson Arroyo and will be lacking in trade-able pitching assets.
Selling Points: Gerardo Parra, Didi Gregorius, Josh Collmenter, Trevor Cahill, Randall Delgado, Oliver Perez
Who gets a bigger post-deadline role?: RHP Archie Bradley of course, OF Ender Inciarte
BREAKING NEWS UPDATE THAT MAKES A SMALL PART OF THIS LARGE POST OUTDATED AND IRRELEVANT NOW
The Texas Rangers have sent their closer Joakim Soria to the Detroit Tigers for RHP's Jake Thompson (didn't call that one) and Corey Knebel (I called that one!).
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| Neftali Feliz feels a great sense of RELIEF over winning the Closer's role back temporarily. (Pun very much inteneded) |
Good luck to all of your teams and may your futures be ultimately brighter!
