MLB Trade Scenarios: 6 Perennial Sellers Who Will Be Buying This Season

The 2012 baseball season has already gotten off to an exiting start with several teams playing like we never would've guessed after spring training.

The Baltimore Orioles and the New York Mets are both over .500 and the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies have had their early struggles. As time goes on, we'll start to have a clearer picture as to who's in the playoff race and who's already rebuilding for next season.

Bleacher Report featured columnist Avi Wolfman-Arent wrote in late March which teams could be buyers and sellers once it comes to the trade deadline. With the addition of an extra wild card for this year's playoffs, things should get even more interesting.

Here are six teams, one from each division, who will be buyers at the trade deadline, despite usually being sellers.

Toronto Blue Jays

It will not be easy for the Toronto Blue Jays to come out on top of the AL East with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox usually taking the division crown, but the addition of the second wild card makes a playoff appearance much more realistic.

Even with slugger Jose Bautista in the middle of their lineup, the Blue Jays could still use some more above-average hitters to follow him and possibly add another starting pitcher as well.

Sure, Ricky Romero is a good young pitcher who can win games for you, but can you really make a run at the playoffs with Henderson Alvarez as your No. 3 starter? I don't think so, but hey, there was Doug Fister with the Detroit Tigers, right?

Kansas City Royals

The Kansas City Royals could be one of the underdogs to take one of the two coveted wild cards this spot. It would be hard to argue that they could surpass the Detroit Tigers for the AL Central title, which is why I think a wild-card spot could work.

The Royals are very young and lack veteran leadership besides Bruce Chen in the starting rotation. It would be interesting if they could work out a deal for a veteran outfielder who could play along side of Alex Gordon in left field and Jeff Francoeur in right field.

Kansas City could also benefit by adding another reliever to their bullpen with only Jonathan Broxton and Aaron Crow as relevant players at the moment. Even if they don't make the playoffs in 2012, look for the Royals and their youth within the next couple of years.

Los Angeles Angels

So the Los Angeles Angels aren't usually sellers but will definitely be buyers at the trade deadline, as the front office is clearly going for a World Series championship this season, as indicated by the signing of Albert Pujols and CJ Wilson during the offseason.

The Angels still have a lot of age on their payroll, including Torii Hunter, Vernon Wells and Bobby Abreu who could all be moved in order to acquire younger talent that could bring home a title. They still have Mike Trout in the minors, and he could be up for a late-season stint, but L.A. could use someone else in the outfield.

Someone to aid Jordan Walden in the bullpen could also be sought out during the late weeks of July. LaTroy Hawkins and Jason Isringhausen might not cut it during September and the playoffs.

Washington Nationals

The Washington Nationals are off to a great start to the 2012 season, and if they would've won on Sunday, it would've been their best 10-game start since the 1930 Washington Senators.

Over the offseason they acquired Gio Gonzalez and signed Edwin Jackson to a one-year contract, so it's pretty obvious that they're getting serious about winning. The Nats could still use some help in their bullpen and maybe at first base as well.

Not many championship-caliber teams have guys like Adam LaRoche hitting cleanup and playing first base. Washington still has Bryce Harper in the minors which could solve their outfield issues but a more legitimate upgrade could be more realistic if Harper isn't ready to go yet.

Cincinnati Reds

With the St. Louis Cardinals missing Albert Pujols in their lineup, it leaves the door open for the Cincinnati Reds who could easily take the NL Central this season.

The Reds have a very good group of young players led by Joey Votto and Jay Bruce but could still use some power and help in the starting rotation. Every playoff team needs an ace and I definitely wouldn't consider Johnny Cueto to be an ace. Cincinnati chose to not leave Aroldis Chapman in the rotation, which could inevitably hurt them in the long run.

If the Reds want to win the NL Central, they should make a deadline move to acquire a power hitter or someone that can lead their rotation through the grueling postseason.

Colorado Rockies

When you think of the NL West you would usually think of the San Francisco Giants or the Arizona Diamondbacks. This year, keep the Colorado Rockies in mind.

Yes, they might be old with Todd Helton and Jason Giambi, but with Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez leading their team, they could easily be contenders this season with the help of a midseason deal. The Rockies really lack depth in their starting rotation and bullpen, so any help in those two areas would be a huge improvement.

Could they really go late into the season with Jamie Moyer as their No. 2 starter? Listen up Colorado. If you want to be relevant in 2012, make a deal and fight your way into the playoffs. Don't let age and inexperience be a factor in your campaign.