MLB Trade Rumors: 4 Teams That Will Be Busy at Deadline

The first month of the baseball season is behind us and you know what that means, playoff talk…already? It is never too early to imagine and speculate which teams will be active around the trade deadline.

There have been some interesting surprises this season thus far, from the collapse of the former World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies to the surging Baltimore Orioles, and it’s only May!

Among teams that will be busy around the trade deadline include the Phillies and Orioles, but also the struggling Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. Both these powerhouse teams out of the AL East have not reached their standards and will be sure to add by the end of July.

Check out who these teams might have on their radar and what they need in order to build a championship-caliber team by the end of the year (the teams are not in any particular order).

1. Boston Red Sox

Entering the 2012 season, the Red Sox front office was without a familiar face: Former general manager Theo Epstein now calls the north side of Chicago his home. The Boston dugout was missing an important face as well, former manager Terry Francona.

Bobby Valentine, who was interviewed and almost accepted the Florida job a year ago, decided that the Red Sox would be a great fit for an ambitious, intelligent baseball guy like him. However, this season has been anything but great for Boston.

Currently, they are a game under the .500 mark at 11-12, and are in last place in the AL East. Their offense, led by the resurgent David Ortiz, is clicking on all cylinders. The problem is their pitching, which has been horrendous this year.

Collectively, they sport a 5.51 ERA, which ranks them last in the East and 12^th out of 14 American League teams. I just read a report that mentioned they did not call up former Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Aaron Cook’s contract, so he can leave within the next day if they do not come to a contractual agreement.

Both Clay Buchholtz and Felix Doubront have struggled out of the rotation. Buchholtz, although 3-1 on the season, sports an 8.69 ERA as he’s already allowed 29 runs! Regardless if the Sox have been able to win his games so far, their offense will falter at some point and he will need to improve. Daisuke Matsuzaka and John Lackey are also on the DL with no timetable for return (and who knows how they will pitch afterwards).

Yes, Cook might not be the best starting pitcher out there, but he is better than what they have right now. Since they passed up on Cook, definitely keep an eye out for another starting pitcher.

Maybe Barry Zito, who is putting together an impressive season with the Giants, would be a nice fit with the Sox. The Giants are struggling a bit and the Dodgers seem to have the NL West locked down, so letting go of Zito for the remainder of the season might not be a bad idea.

Not only have the Red Sox's starters struggled, but some of their relievers have been lit up as well. Vicente Padilla has allowed eight runs over his nine innings of work. Alfredo Aceves has surrendered eight runs in just over seven innings. Mark Melancon has been touched up for 11 runs in just two innings.

Boston will be on the lookout for relief pitchers come the end of July.

2. Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles are in second place in the American League East with an impressive 15-9 record. Usually, the Birds get off to a strong start and then somehow find a way to falter and lose almost 100 games. It’s really an amazing sight to watch.

This season seems a bit different, however. They might actually make a run for it, and they are looking out west for some help. According to Jon Heyman, the Birds could be interested in veteran outfielder Bobby Abreu to fill in at left field.

Nolan Reimold, who was supposed to be the everyday left fielder, is currently out of the lineup with numbness in his fingers, which could cause problems for the Birds. Former Yankee Nick Johnson has also been struggling, and actually just picked up his first hit of the year last night in New York.

The Birds could definitely use another bat in their lineup, especially since power-hitting third baseman Mark Reynolds has yet to crack a home run and is hitting even worse than last season.

Collectively, their offense is batting .251, which is good for sixth among American League teams, and they are third in home runs with 32. A hitter like Abreu would be a great addition to the Orioles’ offense; he hits around .300 with occasional pop, and he’ll be playing in hitter-friendly Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

The Orioles have one of the best bullpens in the league and are second in the American League (first in the AL East) in pitching with a 2.96 ERA. I’m sure they will not keep it up the entire summer, but their pitching is strong and seems to be in it for the long haul.  

3. Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies have been one of the most underachieving teams thus far into the season. Everyone knows about their outstanding pitching staff and their impressive bullpen, but that’s not the surprising part.

Their offense has been one of the worst in the National League to date. They are hitting .250 as a team, which isn't terrible, as it places them in the middle of the pack at eighth. Where they have really struggled is scoring runs (80, 12th) and crushing home runs (14, 11th).

Citizen Banks Park has been known as a hitter-friendly park and has seen some monstrous home runs from guys like former MVPs Ryan Howard and Jim Thome. Speaking of Thome, the Phillies just placed him on the DL, so that is another bat they will need to replace in the lineup. Howard is still recovering from an ACL injury he suffered last year in the playoffs.

They have hitters who are batting above .300 and are getting their hits, they just aren't producing the type of power numbers we have been accustomed to seeing in Philadelphia. Shane Victorino, an unlikely candidate, is leading the team with four home runs. Carlos Ruiz and Ty Wigginton are tied with 10 RBI each.

It’s quite obvious that the Phillies need to fortify their lineup and add some pop if they are going to even think about competing in the Fall Classic. They have been able to stay at .500 so far, but if they continue to lose pieces of their offense without adding any reinforcements, they are headed down a tough road.

Definitely look for the Phillies to be one of the big buyers this summer.

4. New York Yankees

Another disappointing team this season has been the New York Yankees. They have played better than the Sox and the Phillies, but that’s mainly because of their offense and superb bullpen. As for their starting pitchers, well, they have been atrocious.

Collectively, their starting pitchers sport a 5.85 ERA as they have surrendered 82 earned runs over their first 126.2 innings of work. C.C. Sabathia has not been himself, and his ERA reflects that as it sits around 4.60 (4.58 to be exact). Former rookie Ivan Nova, although he has a 3-0 record, sits with an above five ERA.

Phil Hughes, who toed the mound last night and received the loss after he allowed four earned runs against the Orioles, is just 1-4 and has an inflated ERA of 7.85. Veteran Freddy Garcia was just demoted to the bullpen last week after recording an ERA of over 12 in his first four outings.

The only bright spot has been newly-acquired RHP Hiroki Kuroda from the Los Angeles Dodgers. Over his five outings, he is 2-3 with an impressive 3.69 ERA. He has been the most consistent starter thus far into the season for the Yankees.

So, to say the least, the Yankees will definitely be in the market for a starting pitcher come the end of July. As previously mentioned, the Sox did not call up Cook, and the Yankees are possibly interested in this acquisition.

I think Cook would be a good fit with the Yankees; in 2008, he won 16 games for the Rockies and has a career 4.53 ERA pitching for the thin-aired Colorado faithful. He might not be the best choice, but he is an option right now.

Definitely look for the Yankees to make some moves before the trade deadline because if they do not add a strong starting pitcher, their playoff hopes this season might be over before it even starts.

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