MLB Trade Rumors: What Each Buyer Needs the Most

The 2011 MLB Trade Deadline is less than two weeks away, and the trade market is starting to heat up.

With the trade deadline so close, the trades themselves are about to start flooding in, and we need to prepare for what exactly is going to happen.

With these 17 teams appearing to be contenders, they will be looking to land a player or two in order to address their biggest needs.

As the trade deadline approaches, this is what each of the contenders want.

Boston Red Sox: One of the New York Mets

The Boston Red Sox' main needs include: right field, shortstop, left-handed reliever.

The New York Mets are looking to trade Carlos Beltran and/or Jose Reyes.

While neither of these would not address Boston's need for another reliever, the Red Sox appear to be more interested in Beltran or Reyes, anyway.

Beltran is the best bat on the market, and Reyes could be a close second. Beltran gives his team a powerful switch-hitter, while Reyes provides an offensive spark.

The Red Sox have been linked to trade rumors involving Beltran, while Nick Cafardo believes that the team should go after Reyes.

New York Yankees: Pitching

The New York Yankees have the second-best offense in the MLB, scoring 479 runs this season. They have the ninth-best team ERA in the majors, so that is the area that they need to improve the most.

The Yankees have Cy Young-candidate C.C. Sabathia, but their staff has let them down after him.

Phil Hughes was supposed to be solid, but he struggled and was injured in the beginning of the season. Hughes is working his way back, but he is not where the Yankees wanted him to be.

A.J. Burnett has an ERA of 4.19 and a WHIP of 1.31 this season. He has not been as good as the Yankees were hoping, but he has been decent.

Bartolo Colon has been a pleasant surprise for the team, going 6-5 with an ERA of 3.47, but he has not made up for the lack of other quality arms.

The bullpen for the Yankees was supposed to be lights out with Mariano Rivera and Rafael Soriano, but it has struggled.

Rivera has been very good this year, but Soriano has been awful.

The Yankees will look to improve their pitching, and that could be done with a reliever like Heath Bell or Mike Adams of the San Diego Padres.

If Ubaldo Jimenez is traded, New York will probably be the winners of the bidding war.

Tampa Bay Rays: Reliever

The Tampa Bay Rays are 50-44, good enough for third in the AL East. The Rays still consider themselves contenders, and they appear to be buyers heading into the trade deadline.

The Rays need help in the bullpen, and there are some good relievers who could really help them.

Closer Heath Bell of the San Diego Padres is on top of everybody's wish list, but his teammate Mike Adams is not much worse.

Tyler Clippard of the Washington Nationals has drawn some trade speculation, and he could really help the Rays.

If the Rays can land a big-name reliever, they could be back in the running for the AL East crown.

Cleveland Indians: Anyone Who's Available

The Cleveland Indians were baseball's hottest team at the beginning of the year, but they have since cooled off.

The Indians are struggling both with pitching and offensively. They are 20th in the MLB in ERA (4.01) and tied for 10th in runs scored (419). Cleveland could use help on both sides, and they should take whoever is available.

If the Indians look for a starting pitcher, they could go after Aaron Harang or Edwin Jackson, both of whom could be traded. For a reliever they could get Heath Bell, Mike Adams, or any of the rest of the usual suspects.

If the club looks for more offense, they could go after an outfielder. With Shin-Soo Choo and Grady Sizemore both on the DL until August, the team may opt to go for a more reliable player. They could go after Carlos Beltran, Josh Willingham, Huner Pence, Ryan Ludwick, etc.

The Indians have a lot of needs to address, and while they are not glaring needs, the team will be looking to make a few improvements.

Detroit Tigers: Pitching

The Detroit Tigers are a solid team, but they need a lot of help when it comes to pitching.

The team has Justin Verlander, a bona-fide ace, but they have little help after him.

Detroit has the fifth-worst team ERA in the MLB (4.29), and they will definitely be looking to lower that.

Their best bet is to trade for one of the pitchers on the market.

There are obvious relievers who they would like to get (Bell, Adams, Clippard, etc.), but they could really use a starting pitcher.

Edwin Jackson and Aaron Harang are their best bets now that Mike Pelfrey will probably be staying with the Mets.

The Tigers will look for a pitcher, and they could win the division if they can land a good one.

Chicago White Sox: Reliever

The Chicago White Sox have a solid starting five, but their bullpen is weak.

Sergio Santos is a decent closer, and Chris Sale is not a bad relief option, but the rest of their guys are not up to scratch.

The South Siders will be looking to add some bullpen help at the trade deadline, and they will do so with the normal options: Heath Bell, Mike Adams, Tyler Clippard, etc. They may also try to think outside the box and go after Oakland Athletics' closer Andrew Bailey.

If the White Sox can't land one of these relievers, they will fall out of contention.

Minnesota Twins: Reliever

The Minnesota Twins have said that they are no longer interested in trading Michael Cuddyer, and they look more and more like buyers everyday.

If the Twins are buyers as we expect, they will go after a middle reliever. They will not necessarily chase Heath Bell or Mike Adams, but they will go after the Washington Nationals' Tyler Clippard and Drew Storen.

The Twins need some bullpen help, and if they are willing to trade away Denard Span, the team will be able to get a lot.

Texas Rangers: Pitching

With 474 runs scored, the Texas Rangers have the third-best offense in the MLB, but only the 13th-best pitching staff, with a team ERA of 3.79.

The Rangers need more helping pitching than anything, and they could use a back-end starter or a reliever.

If the Rangers chase a reliever, it will be one of the big-name players like Heath Bell or Mike Adams.

If the team does not win the bidding war on one of those two, however, they will instead go after a starter like Aaron Harang or Wandy Rodriguez.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: Offense

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have the seventh-best pitching staff in the MLB, with a team ERA of 3.31.

Their 366 runs, however, put them at 25th on offense.

The Angels need more offense if they want to win the AL West over the Rangers, and they have a few areas that they could look for.

The Angels could use a replacement third baseman, first baseman, or outfielder. When it comes to third base, they would most likely pursue Aramis Ramirez or Wilson Betemit. They could also chase Garrett Jones.

As for the outfield, there is obviously Carlos Beltran, but the team would more likely land Josh Willingham, Ryan Ludwick, or Melky Cabrera.

Philadelphia Phillies: Outfield

The Philadelphia Phillies have the best record in baseball, but they still have areas to improve in.

The Phillies have the third-best team ERA (3.15), but they lack offense. The team needs a right-handed bat, and they need an outfielder.

The Phillies will be looking to land Carlos Beltran, Melky Cabrera, Hunter Pence, Josh Willingham, or Ryan Ludwick.

For a complete list on these players and more, click here.

Atlanta Braves: Outfield

The Atlanta Braves are second in the NL East behind the Phillies, and they lead the NL Wild Card race. The team's needs are almost exactly the same as those of division-rival Philadelphia.

The Braves need an outfielder, so they will be looking at the same players as the Phillies: Carlos Beltran, Hunter Pence, Melky Cabrera, Ryan Ludwick and Josh Willingham.

The NL East could potentially come down to which team signs the better outfielder, so the trade deadline is very important in this division.

Pittsburgh Pirates: Big-Name Players

That the Pittsburgh Pirates lead the NL Central is arguably the biggest surprise of the season.

The Pirates have two major needs: a hitter and a reliever.

These are the two most plentiful positions available on the trading block this season, so the Pirates are just looking for anyone whose name has appeared in trade conversations before.

The team could use Heath Bell, Mike Adams, Carlos Beltran, Josh Willingham, Hunter Pence, Tyler Clippard, Jose Reyes, Melky Cabrera, etc.

Anyone who is a good hitter/pitcher is welcome in Pittsburgh.

St. Louis Cardinals: Pitching

The St. Louis Cardinals have the sixth-most runs in the MLB (443), but only the 16th-best ERA (3.94).

The Cardinals will be looking to improve their pitching, either with a starter or a reliever.

The Cardinals will probably chase the top-notch relievers like Heath Bell, Mike Adams, and Tyler Clippard, but will come up short.

They will then go for starters like Aaron Harang.

Milwaukee Brewers: Infield

The Milwaukee Brewers could use some infield help if they want to win the incredibly tight NL Central. The Brewers need a shortstop or a third baseman if they want to truly compete.

They could go after Jamey Carroll or Wilson Betemit, or, if the Cubs don't mind trading within their own division, Milwaukee could also gain Aramis Ramirez.

The Brewers made the first big move this season, trading for Francisco Rodriguez.

One more big trade like that and they could find themselves atop the NL Central.

Cincinnati Reds: Pitching

The Cincinnati Reds are looking for pitching at the trade deadline. The team is fifth in runs scored (447), but 22nd in ERA (4.12).

The Reds seem to be the leading candidate for landing Ubaldo Jimenez if the Rockies decide to trade him. The likelihood of Jimenez being traded has jumped from 10 percent to 25 percent recently, so they could land him.

The Reds could also go for relievers like Jim Johnson, Koji Uehara, Jason Isringhausen, Jason Frasor, or Todd Coffey.

Cincinnati is looking for pitchers, and they could get one of the best in the MLB.

San Francisco Giants: Offense

The San Francisco Giants have the second-best ERA in the MLB (3.14), but the fifth-worst offense (356 runs scored).

The Giants need hitting, and they could find some for a lot of positions.

With Buster Posey going down, the Giants are in need of a catcher. They could get Ivan Rodriguez if they decide that that is their biggest need.

The Giants could also go after a middle infielder like Jose Reyes (if he is traded).

The Giants will most likely go after a corner outfielder like so many other teams. They could go after Carlos Beltran, for whom they appear to be the front-runners. They could also go for Hunter Pence, Melky Cabrera, Ryan Ludwick, or others if they miss out on Beltran.

Arizona Diamondbacks: Affordable Pitching

The Diamondbacks' GM, Kevin Towers, has said that the team will be looking for "pitching in general."

Arizona doesn't have a lot of money to throw around, so they will be looking for affordable options at pitcher.

While this eliminates players like Heath Bell, they can still go after good pitchers.

The Diamondbacks will be looking to land relievers like Jason Isringhausen or Brad Ziegler. They could also go after Kerry Wood.

They are not going to make any big moves at the trade deadline, and they could fall out of contention if the Giants land a big-name player.