The Major League Baseball non-waiver trade deadline is creeping up on everyone, and so far, there haven’t been any huge moves. But they’re definitely coming.
It was expected trades would happen well before the Aug. 1 deadline this season, as a handful of contenders have some glaring needs, especially in the pitching department. But even though the market is pretty quiet three weeks out, it’s becoming abundantly clear which teams will be buyers and which will be sellers.
Here are the clubs that likely will be wheeling and dealing:
BUYERS
Boston Red Sox
Dave Dombrowski and Co. undoubtedly will be making moves before we turn the page on our calendars. The Red Sox are desperate for another front-end starter, and they have a loaded farm system to work with. There definitely are some untouchables — think top prospects Yoan Moncada and Andrew Benintendi — but Boston has plenty of talent in the minors and hitters on the big-league roster to offer.
Chicago Cubs
The Cubs are the favorite to win the National League pennant (and the World Series) this season, and that means president of baseball operations Theo Epstein is going to do all he can to make sure that happens. Chicago is pretty darn good, but it could use another solid reliever — especially a lefty — and perhaps a starter.
Texas Rangers
The Rangers are another team having some rotation trouble, as starters Derek Holland, Yu Darvish and Colby Lewis all are on the disabled list. So, expect the American League leaders to go looking for another starter and maybe a reliever. Texas also happens to have one of the best farm systems in baseball, so it’ll have plenty of leverage in trade talks.
Cleveland Indians
The Indians are looking to make Cleveland a winning city again and are pretty safe in the American League Central right now, sitting in first place with a 6 1/2-game lead over the Detroit Tigers. They have one of the best, if not the best, rotations in baseball, so the Indians are all set there, unlike many other contenders. However, Cleveland is doing pretty well offensively even with its best hitter, Michael Brantley, on the DL, so it’ll probably be on the lookout for some insurance there in case things slow down.
New York Mets
The Mets are hanging on by a thread going into the second half of the season. They just lost starter Matt Harvey to season-ending shoulder surgery, Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz both have bone spurs, and Zack Wheeler isn’t expected to return to the rotation until late August at the earliest. New York will focus on getting bats, as it’s in more desperate need of offense, but recent developments might make the club look for a starter, too.
SELLERS
Oakland Athletics
The A’s just might be having a fire sale. They haven’t indicated anyone on the roster is untouchable, and that includes starters Sonny Gray and Rich Hill, relievers Sean Doolittle and John Axford and, well, everyone else on the roster.
Atlanta Braves
The Braves are bad and don’t have a lot of players to sell, but they’ll be getting offers from left and right for starter Julio Teheran and reliever Arodys Vizcaino. Even if they don’t want to trade the little talent they have, they’re going to get some pretty tempting offers.
Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay has what everyone wants: pitching. The Rays’ rotation isn’t necessarily at the top of its game right now, but it still have some talented guys, and the team likely will listen to offers for any starter not named Chris Archer. Their offense is one of the worst in the league, and if they want to stay competitive in the heavy-hitting AL East, they’ll need to give up some of that pitching for bats.
San Diego Padres
The Padres have been pegged as sellers pretty much since April. And despite San Diego’s 38-51 record, the club actually has some quality talent — like starter Drew Pomeranz and outfielders Matt Kemp and Jon Jay — that’ll keep plenty of teams talking.
Cincinnati Reds
The Reds are the second-worst team in the majors behind the Braves, so there’s almost no way they’ll get past the trade deadline without making a deal. They should hear plenty of offers for outfielder Jay Bruce and have the potential to get a nice haul in return.
Thumbnail photo via Mark L. Baer/USA TODAY Sports Images
