Fringe 2015 MLB Contenders Who Must Face Reality at the Trade Deadline

The advent of the second wild card upended the MLB trade deadline, tempting more teams than ever with the promise of a postseason berth and flooding the market with would-be buyers.

This year, widespread parity (or mediocrity if you're feeling cynical) has further muddied the waters.

Entering play Sunday, 21 clubs are within six games of a playoff spot, compared to 18 on this day a year ago and 13 in 2013.

With so much baseball left to play, everyone in that group is technically in contention. 

For some squads, buying at the deadline to address short-term needs and trying to sneak into October is worth the chance. Others, however, should resist the urge and either sell or stand pat, saving their chips and/or reloading for the future.

Let's take a look at some of these "contenders" and why they need to see the quote marks on the wall.

Keep in mind, we'll narrow our focus to teams that fall within the semi-arbitrary six-games-out parameter, eliminating the likes of the San Diego Padres and Boston Red Sox—who should both be sellers, if you're wondering.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

Hats off to the Arizona Diamondbacks for even making this list.

In a division that features the free-spending Los Angeles Dodgers, defending champion San Francisco Giants and rebuilt San Diego Padres, the D-Backs were mostly an afterthought.

And yet here they are, hanging around at 42-47, six games out of the second wild-card slot.

Should the Snakes dream big and double down, augmenting an offense that leads the National League in runs scored or upgrading a pitching staff that's 26th in baseball with a 4.26 ERA? Or should they hang back and strike later?

Chief Baseball Officer Tony La Russa indicated which direction the club will take without eliminating the possibility of a late-season charge.

"We don't want to put any limits on how well we can play in the second half of the season," La Russa said, per Zach Buchanan of AZCentral.com. "But I'm not going to jeopardize anything that would take away from us being better in '16, '17 and '18 going forward."

Atlanta Braves

Joe Mahoney/Associated Press

Like Arizona, Atlanta wasn't supposed to be a factor in 2015.

Also like Arizona, the Braves are clinging to relevance at 43-48, six games out in the wild-card race.

Still, they looked like clear sellers, at least until veteran closer Jason Grilli went down with an Achilles injury.

Now, Atlanta may be in a holding pattern, as President of Baseball Operations John Hart told Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

"

When we went into the season, I was as candid as I could be. We were going to have players who had good makeup and would play hard, but we never tried to fool anybody that we had high expectations. ... 

We're not going to be big buyers. I'm not saying we won't deal. But with Grilli going down...we're not in a position where we can go out and try to get three or four pieces.

"

The Braves still have tradable assets, including outfielder Cameron Maybin, third baseman Juan Uribe and reliever Jim Johnson, and will listen on all of them, according to CBS Sports' Jon Heyman.

In particular, Maybin—who is hitting .286 with a .353 on-base percentage and 15 steals—could net a nice return from a contender looking for offense.

Chicago White Sox

Carlos Osorio/Associated Press

The Chicago White Sox enjoyed one of the most active offseasons in MLB and entered 2015 as a trendy pick to win the American League Central.

Now they sit at 42-47, six games out in the wild-card race.

Yes, they've won six of their last 10. Yes, the pitching can be transcendent with ace Chris Sale leading the way.

But an offense that ranks 27th in MLB in team batting average and dead last in runs scored doesn't scream "contender."

Speaking of pitching, right-hander Jeff Samardzija could be on the move, despite a mixed-bag season. And he could stay in the Windy City, re-donning a Chicago Cubs uniform after the Cubbies traded him away last year, per Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. 

"Obviously, as a professional you understand the situation," Samardzija told Wittenmyer. "You're always ready to move when you're around that point in your career. There isn't too much you can do other than your job on the mound."

Cleveland Indians

John Minchillo/Associated Press

Blame it on the Sports Illustrated cover jinx if you must, but the bottom line is that after a hefty dose of preseason hype, the Cleveland Indians haven't been especially good in 2015.

Still, the Tribe sits just 5.5 games out of the wild-card race at 43-47.

Does that make them sellers, buyers or none of the above? Here's Zack Meisel of Cleveland.com:

"

One trade acquisition won't catapult the Indians to the top of the AL Central. ... So, if the club opts to "buy," it will likely do so with an eye toward the future. And in that regard, the team could decide to "buy" and "sell" at the same time, or to simply stand pat. The Indians have been in this purgatorial position quite often. Either way, the team's faint hopes at a playoff spot will largely depend on improved performance from those already on the roster.

"

If they're going to go on a summer surge and bust the SI curse, in other words, they're going to do it as currently constructed.

Detroit Tigers

Carlos Osorio/Associated Press

At 45-45 and just 3.5 games out of the wild-card race, the Detroit Tigers are closer to a playoff spot than any team on this list.

But not all is running smoothly in the Motor City.

Despite an offense that leads MLB in batting average and ranks third in runs scored, the Tigers are staring up at the first-place Kansas City Royals and the upstart Minnesota Twins in the AL Central.

And with Miguel Cabrera on the disabled list, even the offense is suspect.

General manager Dave Dombrowski, who isn't signed beyond this season, sounds like he's ready for a fire sale.

"It's either to win or there's been other times in a situation where somebody says—like when I was with the Marlins way back when—'we're going to break this championship team up,'" Dombrowski said, per Chris Iott of MLive.com. "So you always work with your owner in that regard."

If Detroit's ownership knows what's good for the team, it will move a few pieces—possibly including ace left-hander David Price, acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays at last year's trade deadline—and aim to upgrade the worst farm system in the game, per Baseball America. 

Texas Rangers

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press/Associated Press

The Texas Rangers have hung around the playoff picture despite a pitching staff that ranks 13th in the AL in ERA and an offense that's scored fewer runs than the last-place Oakland Athletics.

Give a hefty share of the credit to Prince Fielder, who has re-established himself as one of the game's premier power hitters.

At the same time, don't expect Texas to go all-in, not with ace Yu Darvish on the shelf and the club mired under .500 at 43-47.

Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News suggests the Rangers target players "who will be under control at least through next season, hopefully beyond," including marquee talent like Sale, ace lefty Cole Hamels of the Philadelphia Phillies and the Cincinnati Reds' fireballing closer Aroldis Chapman. 

Any of those names would surely deplete, if not drain, the Rangers' minor league reservoir, making them less viable suggestions and more sensational speculation.

To be fair, that's what the trade deadline is all about. To be realistic, it's what Texas—and every other club on this list—should avoid.

All statistics current as of July 18 and courtesy of MLB.com unless otherwise noted.