MLB Trade Rumors: Top 10 Teams That Must Make Deadline Deals

Decision time is fast approaching in the world of Major League Baseball. With the July 31st non-waiver trade deadline just over a week away, teams must soon figure out whether they are in it to win it or better off building for next year.

As always, there is a rather clear and sizable divide between surefire World Series contenders like the Boston Red Sox, the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies and season-long cellar dwellers like the Baltimore Orioles, the San Diego Padres and the Houston Astros, to name a few.

However, the "muddled middle" of MLB is uncommonly inclusive this year, with a hefty helping of teams teetering between the fringes of the postseason and calling it quits after 162 games.

Regardless, just about every team has some sort of significant stake in what transpires between now and the start of August, which bodes well for those baseball buffs awaiting the potential maelstrom of player movement that is yet to come.

With that in mind, here are 10 teams, buyers and sellers alike, that need to make a deal of some sort before the deadline passes.

10. Tampa Bay Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays have about as much chance of overtaking the Boston Red Sox or the New York Yankees as they do of playing at Tropicana Field without some sort of technical difficulty interfering with the flow of a game.

Which is to say, not much.

Joe Maddon's Rays are a respectable 52-45, 7.5 games back of the AL East-leading Sox. But few consider them a legitimate threat to take down either of their intra-divisional behemoths to sneak into the postseason as a wild card, much less by way of a regional crown.

That doesn't necessarily make Tampa Bay sellers or buyers, but perhaps simply equal-value swappers. The Rays are going to need another big bat or two in their lineup, whether they're serious about contending this year or next, and there may be no better time for them to do so than at the upcoming trade deadline.

Everyone and their mother who has even a lick of a chance at playing baseball in October is looking for quality starting pitching right now, and the Rays are one of the few organizations, if not the only one, that is positively swimming in it. Tampa has already added Jeremy Hellickson to their rotation this season and have plenty more arms on the way for whom they will need to make room over the next year or so, including Matt Moore, Chris Archer, Jake McGee, Alex Colome and Alex Torres.

Certainly, general manager Andrew Friedman is in no rush to promote any or all of these youngsters, though he would be smart to strike while the iron is hot and dangle long-time Rays righty James Shields out there in exchange for a young-ish power hitter. After all, Shields is in the midst of far and away the finest season of his career (2.53 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, a ML-best seven complete games) and would likely bring back a decent bounty.

Then again, the Rays could hang on to the 29-year-old Shields to be the veteran leader of their young staff, though they'd be much wiser to use his arm to address their woebegone offense.

9. Seattle Mariners

Like the Rays, the Seattle Mariners have plenty of pitching and almost no hitting.

Unlike the Rays, however, the M's don't have even a puncher's chance of winning their division, thanks in large part to a 12-game losing streak coming out of the All-Star break.

Responsibility for that abysmal streak should fall not on the shoulders of Eric Wedge's staff, which includes All-Star Michael Pineda (3.24 ERA, 1.06 WHIP), reigning Cy Young winner Felix Hernandez (3.26 ERA, 146 strikeouts) and second-year sensation Doug Fister (3.30 ERA), all of whom are reportedly off-limits at the deadline.

Instead, look to the offense, which ranks last in the majors in hitting and runs and fourth-worst in homers.

Seattle has been trying to build back to the postseason for seemingly forever now; always finding a lack of production to be the biggest roadblock.

And despite not being anywhere near contention this year, it's not as though M's GM Jack Zduriencik needs to tear it all down and start back from square one. All his team needs is a solid hitter or two to bolster its lineup to get from worst to first.

That help could come at the deadline, where Seattle should find no shortage of takers willing to sacrifice some offense for one of their pitchers, namely All-Star closer Brandon League and/or back-of-the-rotation starter Jason Vargas.  

8. Florida Marlins

Speaking of teams with their eyes already fixed on 2012, the Florida Marlins have plenty of reason to be busy at the trade deadline.

No, the Fish aren't about to jump ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies and the Atlanta Braves in the National League East. Rather, that's the goal for next year, when they change their moniker to the Miami Marlins and move into brand-new Miami Ballpark.

Stingy and horrible as team ownership may be, they won't likely settle for another last place finish in the division, especially with young stars like Hanley Ramirez, Emilio Bonifacio and Mike Stanton in the field and Josh Johnson, Ricky Nolasco and Anibal Sanchez in the rotation.

Even with such high expectations for next season, the Marlins figure to be active at the non-waiver trade deadline, with a host contenders already inquiring about the availability of closer Leo Nunez.

Marlins GM Michael Hill must be absolutely sure, though, that he brings back Major League-ready talent for whomever he trades away, lest he squander a golden opportunity for Jack McKeon's club to come back strong next season and compete for their third World Series title in franchise history.

7. San Diego Padres

The Padres are one of a handful of teams in the major leagues whose ability to contend year in and year out tilts so tenuously on their tight financial restrictions.

Despite nearly coming out of nowhere to win the National League West last year, there was nary a chance in hell that San Diego would catch even a sniff of the postseason this time around after general manager Jed Hoyer traded first baseman Adrian Gonzalez to the Boston Red Sox in the offseason.

It's no secret that the Dads are willing to deal almost everyone on their pitching staff, including All-Star closer Heath Bell, middle relievers Mike Adams and Chad Qualls and starter Aaron Harang.

Throw in outfielder Ryan Ludwick, and the Padres might yet bring back a major league-ready prospect or two around whom to build for the next few years.

San Diego could seek out a trade with the Texas Rangers, who currently sport a Big League bat in their minor league system in the person of Chris Davis, who just might be the next A-Gon.

6. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Take a short trip up I-5 and you'll find another team that would do well to deal at the trade deadline—the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

The Halos are only three games back of the Texas Rangers at the top of the American League West and certainly have a strong enough pitching staff, with a team ERA of 3.36 that ranks second-best in the AL this season, to mount a serious run at the World Series.

However, like so many teams on the verge of contention, LAA needs a bat, though they are somewhat limited—by both their bloated payroll (just under $139 million) and a lack of openings on the field—in their options for improvement.

The most obvious option is at third base, where Alberto Callaspo, despite a solid average of .289, isn't exactly a big-time run producer, with only three homers and 33 RBI to his name.

Chicago Cubs third baseman makes the most sense, given both his big bat (.304, 18 home runs, 60 RBI) and the fact that his team is going absolutely nowhere.

However, Ramirez is the proud owner of a no-trade clause and could ostensibly cut short any attempt by the Angels to wrest him from the friendly confines of Wrigley Field. That being said, GM Tony Reagins must do whatever he can to bowl over Cubs GM Jim Hendry and convince Ramirez to approve any such deal. Otherwise, the Halos' shot at a championship may be left squandered.  

5. Detroit Tigers

The picture in the NL Central is almost a mirror image of that in the AL Central, wherein the Detroit Tigers own a tenuous half-game lead atop the division.

Jim Leyland's squad is stacked on offense, trotting out sluggers like Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez, Jhonny Peralta and Brennan Boesch on a daily basis, and the statistics bear that out, as the Tigers rank at or near the top of the American League every major offensive matrix.

The very opposite could be said about their pitching. Beyond All-Stars Justin Verlander and Jose Valverde, the Tigers have gotten by with smoke and mirrors, which won't exactly cut it if they're going to win their division, much less the World Series.

As such, GM Dave Dombrowski would be wise to explore his options for quality arms on the market. Starting pitching will be difficult to come by, though Detroit could, in theory, make a push for Colorado Rockies ace Ubaldo Jimenez if they really feel they need to go that far.

Should the White Sox fall out of the race, the Tigers could look to bring back Edwin Jackson, who was marginally successful in the Motor City last season.

The most obvious fit, at this point, is Florida Marlins closer Leo Nunez. The Fish are reportedly interested in veteran third baseman Brandon Inge, whom the Tigers just recently demoted to Triple-A on account of poor play and the arrival of Wilson Betemit. Likewise, Detroit has taken a shine to Nunez, who has had a fine season in Florida thus far (27 saves, 3.22 ERA).

Such a deal would likely require a few more moving parts than just the two aforementioned players, though it doesn't take a professional matchmaker to point out that these two teams should make a deal before the deadline passes. 

4. Cleveland Indians

The Tigers have spent most of the season playing tag atop the AL Central with the Cleveland Indians, who still are anything but far off the pace.

That being said, the Tribe could be due for a fall if they're not careful now that center fielder Grady Sizemore will be out of action for the next four to six weeks while he recovers from a sports hernia.

In the meantime, GM Chris Antonetti would be wise to work the phones for a replacement. Carlos Beltran and Hunter Pence both check out as reaches for Cleveland, though they could inquire about former Indians Ryan Ludwick and Coco Crisp with the Padres and A's, respectively.

The Tribe's starting staff is rather shaky as well, though the dearth of quality arms on the market and the organization's desire to keep its stable of prospects largely in tact may force manager Manny Acta to simply sit tight and hope guys like Carlos Carrasco and Fausto Carmona can turn things around.

Certainly, few would fault the Indians too much if they simply stood pat at the deadline, given that they have already far and away exceeded their preseason expectations. However, to allow such a good thing to go to waste, especially in a city with as prevalent and widespread a sports curse as Cleveland, would still check out as a severe disappointment for all involved. 

3. Minnesota Twins

Not to harp too much on the AL Central, but no discussion of teams in that division that need to make a move would be complete without the Minnesota Twins. 

The defending divisional champs have been among the biggest disappointments in baseball, though at 46-52, the Twins remain in the thick of things in the Central at just six games back of the lead.

The heretofore abysmal Minny offense will likely pick up once Denard Span and Justin Morneau rejoin Jason Kubel in the starting lineup, and the pitching staff is set to improve when Scott Baker returns from the disabled list on Saturday.

That being said, the Twinkies need another middle reliever to help bridge the gap to Matt Capps and Joe Nathan on the back end, a fact which general manager Bill Smith is acutely aware.

Minnesota could be a realistic player for Heath Bell, but might opt for slightly lower-rent options like Seattle's Brandon League, Baltimore's Koji Uehara or Toronto's Frank Francisco.

In short, the Twins have another late-season run left in them, though manager Ron Gardenhire will need a little bit of help from up top to get the job done once again. 

2. Pittsburgh Pirates

Despite still holding firm at the top of the NL Central, the Pittsburgh Pirates have yet to truly fool anyone into thinking that they are, in fact, ready to contend for a World Series championship.

However, the Bucs would be remiss to let that notion keep them from seeing this tightly-contested division race through to the end. Pittsburgh hasn't had a baseball team worth watching in nearly two decades, since Barry Bonds last suited up at the since-imploded Three Rivers Stadium.

The Pirates owe it to their long-suffering fans to jump headfirst into the trade deadline as buyers, though GM Neal Huntington and his staff may want to consult some folks who are more familiar with acquiring players at the deadline for some advice, considering they haven't been in position to do so in 19 years.

Pittsburgh has a strong pitching staff, sporting the fifth-lowest ERA in the NL, but are positively starved for offense.

With Jose Tabata out indefinitely, the Bucs are said to be targeting an outfield bat, though they don't figure to have much of a shot of out-muscling the Red Sox, Phillies and Braves for Carlos Beltran.

Houston Astros All-Star Hunter Pence remains a possibility, albeit an outside one, if the Pirates are willing to sacrifice three or four of their top prospects for a guy who, productive as he may be, will cost the team dearly in salary arbitration over the next two years.

Given the organization's limited financial leeway, Huntington will likely instead target more affordable options, such as Josh Willingham of the Oakland A's or Ryan Ludwick of the Padres.

Ultimately, the most important thing is for Pittsburgh to make a concerted effort to bring a bat on board before August to keep pace in their crowded division.

1. St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals are one of three teams, along with the Milwaukee Brewers and the Cincinnati Reds, that the Pirates will have to fend off to come away with the NL Central crown.

For the Cards, though, there is much more at stake this time around than just a postseason berth.

Another year finishing out of the playoffs would not bode well for St. Louis in their efforts to re-sign All-World first baseman and impending free agent Albert Pujols this winter.

Certainly, GM John Mozeliak isn't keen to lose his franchise superstar, even though Pujols (.272, 21 home runs, 57 RBI) is in the midst of the worst season of his supremely productive career.

That being the case, the Cards would be well advised to do something, anything, at the deadline to at least show Pujols that they're serious about winning another World Series title while he's in his prime.

Producing runs hasn't exactly been a problem in St. Louis this season, as the Cards currently rank at or near the top of the NL in just about every offensive category. Rather, their pitching has been somewhat suspect, with little depth to their staff outside of starters Chris Carpenter, Kyle Lohse and Jaime Garcia and relievers Jason Motte and Fernando Salas.

Starters will be tough to come by, as always, but there will be no shortage of bullpen arms after whom the Cards could and should chase, including Heath Bell and Mike Adams of the Padres, Brandon League of the Mariners, Koji Uehara of the Baltimore Orioles, Leo Nunez of the Florida Marlins and even Andrew Bailey of the Oakland A's.

All told, St. Louis needs to make a move of some sort at the deadline, lest they risk losing both a shot at the postseason and one of the best players of his generation.