MLB Rumors: 10 Teams Guaranteed to Be Buyers at the Trade Deadline

With the 2011 MLB Trade Deadline on July 31, these 10 teams are guaranteed to be buyers. These teams will all make moves before the time is up, as they are trying to make it to the postseason—and potentially beyond.

The trade deadline is a time for teams to improve and address their weak points. If a team makes a blockbuster trade, they could land themselves in the playoffs, or even the World Series.

Look for these 10 teams to be all over the news over the next few days.

Arizona Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks  are 55-47, putting them four games behind the division-leading San Francisco Giants, and four games behind the Atlanta Braves for the wild card.

The team is in the hunt for the postseason for the first time in a while, and they will make another move to get back. They have already traded Edwin Jackson for Daniel Hudson, and that has paid off immensely.

Arizona still needs to add another pitcher and possibly another outfielder. They could use another guy in their bullpen, but they also need another starter if they want to make the postseason.

Arizona could pursue Wandy Rodriguez, Mike Adams, Erik Bedard, or a number of other pitchers on the market. They also could try to trade for the bats of Jeff Francoeur or Marlon Byrd.

The Diamondbacks need to try their best to get into the postseason, and if the Giants land Carlos Beltran, they will make some big moves.

Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves are 59-43 this season, and are tied for the second-best record in the National League. Unfortunately for Atlanta, they are in the same division as the Philadelphia Phillies, who own baseball's best record (64-37).

The Braves are 5.5 games back of the Phillies for the lead in the NL East, but they are leading the NL Wild Card race by four games over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Braves are going to look to improve their team by trading for an outfielder or a shortstop. They have been in the hunt for Houston Astros outfielders Michael Bourn and Hunter Pence, or perhaps even Carlos Beltran of the New York Mets. The team could also make a run at Mets shortstop Jose Reyes, who is rumored to be off the trading block.

The Braves have a few really good pitching prospects including Julio Tehran, Arodys Vizcaino and Brandon Beachy. Tehran and Vizcaino may be off limits, but Beachy is still good enough to get attention from teams.

Look for the Braves to make a deal before the deadline.

Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox are 62-37, giving them the best record in the American League and putting them one game back of the MLB-leading Philadelphia Phillies. They are three games up on the New York Yankees for the lead in the AL East.

The Red Sox are looking to trade for starting pitcher. The team is set on the offensive end, scoring 541 runs in 99 games—the most in baseball by 28 runs over the Yankees.

The Red Sox need to improve their pitching because they are in the lower half for team ERA (3.93).

Boston is looking at Ubaldo Jimenez of the Colorado Rockies and Hiroki Kuroda of the Los Angeles Dodgers. There aren't a whole lot of good starting pitchers on the trading block this season, but Wandy Rodriguez is another name that could come up.

The Red Sox are going to make a move in order to stay one step ahead of the Yankees, and it will most likely be for a starting pitcher.

Cleveland Indians

The Cleveland Indians are 51-48, putting them two games behind the NL Central-leading Detroit Tigers and eight games out of the wild-card race.

The Indians started off with a great start, but they have fallen behind other teams now. The team needs to trade for an infielder or a starting pitcher if they want to make the postseason once again.

The Indians are looking at Jamey Carroll of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Wandy Rodriguez of the Houston Astros and Derek Lowe of the Atlanta Braves. A Grady Sizemore-for-Lowe trade would help both teams.

The Indians need to make a trade to get their edge back, so they will definitely make a move.

New York Yankees

The New York Yankees are always buyers at the trade deadline; and this year is no exception.

Despite having the third-best record in baseball, the Yanks sit three games behind the rival Red Sox at 59-40. They also have the lead in the AL Wild Card race by 5.5 games.

The Yankees are going to trade for either a starting pitcher or an outfielder.

They are looking for good starting help them in the postseason as A.J. Burnett has issues in October and Bartolo Colon has finally returned to his usual form. They have inquired about the Rockies' Ubaldo Jimenez and Derek Lowe of the Atlanta Braves. The Yanks have the best shot at landing Jimenez, and he would make them a team to be feared.

They are also looking at Melky Cabrera of he Kansas City Royals. It would make a nice reunion, as he is batting .300 with 12 home runs and 57 RBI this season. Cabrera is also very useful because he is a switch-hitter. New York may also look at Alex Gordon, who can play either corner-infield spot or in the outfield.

The Yanks are going to try to overtake the Red Sox for home-field advantage in the playoffs, and they will do so by adding one of these players.

Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies own the best record in baseball at 64-37. They are not bullet proof however and they still need to improve if they want to hold off the Atlanta Braves, who are only 5.5 games back for the division lead.

The Phillies need to get an outfielder if they want to solidify their chances in the postseason.

The Phillies have been linked to relievers, but since Michael Stutes and Antonio Bastardo have emerged as solid options, and Ryan Madson, Brad Lidge and Jose Contreras will be off the DL soon, they do not need another arm in the bullpen.

The Phillies have been rumored to be in the lead for Carlos Beltran, Hunter Pence, Heath Bell and Mike Adams at some point over the last few weeks, so they will definitely trade for someone. Since they don't need a reliever, their best bets are Pence, Beltran, Melky Cabrera and Ryan Ludwick.

The Phillies are going to make a move, and it will probably be for an outfielder.

Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates are tied with the St. Louis Cardinals for the NL Central lead and only a half game up on the Milwaukee Brewers. For the first time in what feels like decades, Pittsburgh is right in the thick of things and they owe their fans a trip to the postseason.

Making a blockbuster trade before the deadline is the way for the Pirates to make it to the postseason. They need an infielder and a pitcher, and will not go unnoticed this week.

The Pirates have been linked to Ronny Cedeno, Carlos Lee, Carlos Pena, Kevin Slowey and even Ubaldo Jimenez.

The team could use and infielder to play shortstop or one of the corner-infielder spots; or they could use a starter like Wandy Rodriguez or Jimenez, or even a reliever like Mike Adams and Heath Bell of the San Diego Padres.

St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals are tied for the lead in the NL Central and they need to add another good player if they want to hold off the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Cardinals could use a reliever or a second baseman if they make a move, and it is very likely that they will.

The Cardinals have been looking at Aaron Hill of the Toronto Blue Jays and Chone Figgins of the Seattle Mariners. Both players have been very good in the past, but are struggling with their current teams. More importantly, their teams would help pay off their contract.

St. Louis has also looked into Heath Bell and Randy Choate. Bell is highly coveted and will require a good package, but Choate could be a cheap option for the Cards.

St. Louis is going to make a move in the next few days, and the only question is: will it be for a middle-infielder or for a relief pitcher?

San Francisco Giants

The San Francisco Giants are 59-43 this season. They are tied for the second-best record in the National League, and are leading the NL West by four games over Arizona.

The Giants are looking to return to the World Series this year and will have to make a trade in order to do so.

The team has arguably the best pitching staff in baseball with a 3.08 ERA—the lowest in the Big Leagues—but the Giants' biggest need is on offense.

The Giants' primary targets appear to be Carlos Beltran of the New York Mets, Jose Reyes of the Mets (if he becomes available) and Aramis Ramirez if he waives his no-trade clause. All three of these players are superstars and they would bolster the Giants lineup to the point of guaranteeing them a spot in the postseason.

They have also considered B.J. Upton of the Tampa Bays Rays and Colby Rasmus of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are both backup plans for Beltran, but they wouldn't complain if they landed one of these guys.

The Giants are trying to hold off the Diamondbacks and will make a trade for a bat to do so.

Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers are 59-44 this season. They lead the AL West by four games over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim but are losing the wild-card Race by 2.5 games.

The Rangers are trying to make up for their loss in the World Series to the San Francisco Giants last year, and they could do so by winning the World Series this season. They need to trade for a pitcher if they wish to do so.

The Rangers could use both a reliever in the bullpen and another starter to solidify their rotation.

The Rangers are trying their best to land either Heath Bell or Mike Adams of the San Diego Padres. The Rangers need to address their bullpen issues and trading for one of these top-notch relievers would certainly help.

The Rangers could also make a move for another bat. Their offense is solid, but they have still been rumored to be pursuing Carlos Beltran and B.J. Upton.

The Rangers' primary concern should be their bullpen, and I would be shocked if they didn't make a move.

Notable "Snubs"

Detroit Tigers: The Detroit Tigers lead the AL Central and could use either a third baseman or a starting pitcher. With Wilson Betemit being traded already, these are the two weakest spots approaching the trade deadline. While Aramis Ramirez would help at third, he will not allow a trades to just any team. The Tigers might not be able to find a player to make a move for this year.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: The LA Angels are second in the AL West and they need to find a bat. They have gone after the big targets on the Mets but they may also pursue Vladimir Guerrero for a reunion. The problem with the Angels is that they probably will not be able to land any of these players.

Milwaukee Brewers: The Milwaukee Brewers are in the thick of things in the NL Central. They are a completely solid team now that they have traded for Francisco Rodriguez. With that acquisition, it is unlikely that the Brewers will make another trade.

Minnesota Twins: The Minnesota Twins were out of the running for the postseason earlier in the season, but they have stormed back. They say that they will not trade Michael Cuddyer—which makes it seems as though they will be buyers themselves—but they are fourth in the AL Central at seven games behind the Detroit Tigers. The Minnesota Twins could go either way at the deadline and it will be interesting to see what they do.