MLB Trade Deadline: 5 Potential Contenders in Need of Pitching Talent

With the trade deadline around the corner, here is a look at five playoff-caliber teams that could substantially improve their postseason odds with judicious front office moves for pitching at the trade deadline.

As the adage goes, “good pitching beats good hitting.” Here are some teams that are offensively talented but seem to lack the pitching depth needed in order to make a lengthy postseason run. Many of these teams feature a few excellent pitchers, but one great starter alone does not (generally) a World Series Champion make.

Four of the five teams in this list play in the American League, due in large part to the dominance of National League pitching. 

New York Yankees

Between 1996 and 2001, six World Series were played. The New York Yankees played in five of them, winning four. This dominant team featured not only some of the premiere hitters in the game—Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, and company—but also featured an exceptional pitching staff, featuring the likes of David Cone, David Wells, Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte and Mike Mussina.

Today, the New York Yankees’ offense features the likes of Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson. Lamentably for Yankees fans, however, offensive inconsistency in the playoffs has prevented them from winning consistently.

Despite CC Sabathia’s excellent season, the rest of the rotation seems to be inconsistent. A.J. Burnett is not a certifiable No. 2 starter, and the Yankees can substantially improve their playoff fortunes by acquiring a dominant arm to help anchor the frontside of the rotation. 

Boston Red Sox

Despite starting the season 0-6, the Red Sox are finally playing at the level that most sports analysts had envisioned at the start of the season. The offense features one of the most dominant—if not the most dominant—lineups in all of baseball.

Boston’s perch atop the AL East seems to be relatively safe, and its spot in the playoffs seems to be a foregone conclusion. The pitching, however, seems to be a bit shaky. Josh Beckett has performed spectacularly this season, and Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester have performed admirably. The back of the rotation, however, has been very inconsistent.

Even close Jonathan Papelbon in the bullpen—despite saving 20 of 21 games—has a substandard ERA. While Boston should be able to make it through the early round of the playoffs, the ALCS and World Series may be a bit more difficult without more back-of-the-rotation consistency. 

Detroit Tigers

Justin Verlander is one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball today. The Tigers’ lineup features tremendous explosiveness, especially through the middle of the order. Four everyday players for the Tigers are either over or extremely close to hitting .300. While Magglio Ordonez has not been playing up to his capacity, the offense seems to be able to pick up the slack very well.

Verlander alone, however, is not enough to ensure a deep postseason run. Beyond Verlander, the quality of the Detroit Tigers’ pitching drops off precipitously. Brad Penny, Detroit’s second pitcher and second best starter in terms of ERA, is 7-6 with a 4.47 ERA. The Tigers' bullpen, with the exception of Jose Valverde, has also struggled mightily. If the Tigers are going to emerge as a threat to go deep into the postseason, they must acquire at least one other starting pitcher. 

Texas Rangers

Last year, the Texas Rangers had the best hitting team in baseball. The result? A five-game loss in the World Series to the pitching-rich San Francisco Giants.  Thanks in large part to Texas’ current 11-game winning streak, the team has begun to run away with the American League West. Arguably the weakest middle-of-the-order link is Nelson Cruz (currently hitting .245), and he currently has 21 home runs.

Losing Cliff Lee in the offseason obviously hurt Texas’ rotation. C.J. Wilson is a capable front-of-the-rotation starter, and Matt Harrison and Alexi Ogando are performing very well. The bullpen—Neftali Feliz excluded—has not performed particularly well, however. Texas would benefit substantially from excellent setup men to supplement the elderly core currently anchored by Darren Oliver.             

Colorado Rockies

Calling the Colorado Rockies contenders may seem like a bit of a stretch. The fact of the matter is, however, that the other teams that are contenders are either well-staffed or in no position financially or schematically to be making major plays at the deadline. Furthermore, nobody would have called the Rockies contenders as late as mid September 2007—and you may remember how that ended (a trip to the World Series).

The Rockies have seemingly always had a distinct offensive identity. With Ubaldo Jimenez’ flashes of brilliance early last season, it seemed as though the Rockies had finally found a bona fide ace. As it stands, he currently fits in nicely with the one-year wonders that the Rockies have frequently had on their staffs. Colorado could easily compete in the fairly weak National League West if it added some quality arms to both the starting rotation and bullpen.