MLB Trade Deadline: Teams That Can't Afford Not to Make a Deal

The MLB trade deadline on July 31 is a little over a week away, and everyone's waiting to see whether the Toronto Blue Jays and Chicago Cubs trade for a pitcher and if the New York Mets go out and acquire a bat.

Looking at the rosters of the current contenders who need a boost for a playoff run or, in some cases, a World Series run, let's rank the seven teams who most need to make a trade and the players they seemingly have interest in.

The list is based on moves that are most likely to impact the dynamic of the final few months of the season and postseason for each respective team. 

Please keep in mind that all stats and records mentioned don't include anything that happened Monday. 

Take a look, and chime in with your thoughts.

7. San Francisco Giants

Eric Risberg/Associated Press

The defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants haven't created much buzz so far this season, but they're just 3.5 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West and trail the Chicago Cubs by just one game for a wild-card spot.

While there aren't any major holes on San Francisco's roster, there are a few areas that it could address.

Gregor Blanco is having a nice season, hitting .305 with a .377 OBP in 187 at-bats, but at some point, you have to expect him to perform closer to his career norms.

Justin Maxwell has been forced to play more than the Giants would like because of injuries to Hunter Pence and Nori Aoki in the outfield. Pence is back from the disabled list now, but Aoki is not expected to return for a few weeks, according to MLB.com.

So it might be wise for the Giants to acquire an outfielder at the deadline. According to Buster Olney of ESPN.com, San Francisco looked into Cameron Maybin and Gerardo Parra earlier this month. Both players are having nice seasons and would strengthen the Giants' outfield.

San Francisco's bullpen could also use a boost. Santiago Casilla was struggling to the point manager Bruce Bochy wanted to give him a few days' rest earlier this month, per MLB.com Giants beat writer Chris Haft. 

Sergio Romo has an uncharacteristically high 4.71 ERA, while Jean Machi, Yusmeiro Petit and Jeremy Affeldt have all struggled as well for the Giants out of the 'pen.

On Sunday, Jon Morosi of Fox Sports tweeted that the Detroit Tigers have shown interest in Colorado Rockies reliever John Axford.

But the Tigers are 10.5 games behind the Kansas City Royals in the AL Central and may not even be buyers at the deadline.

Considering the unsteady production from their relievers, maybe the Giants could pursue Axford, who has a 2.36 ERA and 16 saves.

Again, San Francisco doesn't need to make any blockbuster trades, but it will have to do something at the deadline to give itself a chance at defending its title.

6. Los Angeles Angels

Ben Margot/Associated Press

The Los Angeles Angels are winners of eight of their last 10 and overtook the Houston Astros for first place in the AL West just before the All-Star break. 

But the Angels can take a big step in a wide-open AL if they trade for an outfielder.

Mike Trout is putting together another MVP-caliber season, and Kole Calhoun is having himself a solid season both in the field and at the plate.

However, left fielder Matt Joyce is hitting a paltry .189 with a .282 OBP. Furthermore, Joyce's .598 OPS is better than just 12 other players with at least 250 plate appearances.

Luckily for the Angels, there are a number of outfielders available who would provide a big upgrade over Joyce.

ESPN's Jim Bowden tweeted on Monday that the Angels don't appear to have interest in impending free agent Justin Upton "because they do not want to give up prospects for a rental." He noted that Jay Bruce and Ben Zobrist, however, are likely targets.

The Angels already attempted to make a move with the Oakland Athletics for Josh Reddick, per Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com, but ultimately couldn't get a deal done.

Perhaps the two teams will revisit talks, and the Angels will work out a trade that lands either Reddick or Zobrist in Los Angeles. 

Zobrist isn't having a great year—he has a .258/.346/.423 slash line, but those are much better than Joyce's numbers. The same can be said for Bruce—.252/.338/.468—but he can provide some more power, as he's got 14 homers so far this season.

A player of that ilk would be a much-welcomed addition to that Angels lineup and would help Los Angeles' chances in a playoff race the rest of the way.

5. Houston Astros

John Minchillo/Associated Press

If the Angels add another piece to their lineup, that's just another reason why the Astros need to acquire a starting pitcher at the deadline.

AL All-Star starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel is proving last year's breakout season was no fluke, but Houston's ace is the only sure thing in an otherwise shaky rotation.

After posting a 2.73 ERA and 1.02 WHIP a year ago, Collin McHugh has a 4.35 ERA so far this season.

Scott Feldman returned from a DL stint on Saturday and allowed four runs and nine hits in 5.2 innings. He's 4-5 with a 4.93 ERA in 11 starts this season.

About the only bright spot in Houston's rotation aside from Keuchel is rookie Lance McCullers, who has a 2.52 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP and 71 strikeouts in 64.1 innings. But according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com, McCullers will have to miss some starts in the second half because of a team-imposed innings limit.

For those reasons, it's imperative that the Astros add a pitcher at the deadline in a season when they've been one of the biggest surprises in baseball.

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Johnny Cueto headlines the list of starting pitchers available, but according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, his "six-walk performance on Sunday likely renewed concerns for teams already worried about his elbow, in turn impacting his trade value."

Would the Astros still be willing to make a move for the star pitcher?

Even if they wanted to, it may be hard considering the rift between Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow and Reds general manager Walt Jocketty back when they were both with the St. Louis Cardinals organization, per Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com. 

Still, the Astros have been aggressively pursuing Cueto, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, so a deal between the two sides remains a possibility.

If Houston fails to land Cueto, it may have another potential trade partner in the San Diego Padres. According to Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune, "the Padres and the Astros have held preliminary talks on starting pitchers, with right-handers Tyson Ross and Andrew Cashner believed to be among those mentioned."

It remains to be seen how serious the two clubs are about making a deal happen, but Houston has to add another arm in the coming weeks if it wants to make a serious run at a playoff spot.

4. Baltimore Orioles

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

After a trip to the American League Championship Series last October and reaching the postseason in two of the past three seasons, just qualifying for the playoffs isn't enough for the Baltimore Orioles.

They're four games behind the New York Yankees in the AL East and in desperate need of outfield help.

Adam Jones has been his typical All-Star self, but the Orioles have shuffled some combination of David Lough, Steve Pearce, Travis Snider and Delmon Young—whom they recently released—at the corner outfield spots.

Lough and Pearce are both hitting under .230 and have combined for 11 home runs and 36 RBI. Snider is hitting slightly better at .255 but has just three homers and 20 RBI.

When you consider that J.J. Hardy is having a down season, it becomes essential for Orioles general manager Dan Duquette to trade for a bat.

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported on Monday that "the Orioles are interested in the Reds' Jay Bruce and Padres' Justin Upton, according to Fox Sports' Jon Paul Morosi, and they've even inquired on the Brewers' Carlos Gomez" as possible upgrades in the outfield.

"Both of the Orioles' top minor league pitchers, Dylan Bundy and Hunter Harvey, have been shut down due to arm trouble," wrote Rosenthal, while "three other righties—Mike Wright, Tyler Wilson and Zach Davies—are faring well at Triple-A" for the Orioles. They also have a few position players in the farm system who may have value to a trade partner.

Bruce probably won't cost all that much. But Upton and Gomez are superstars, so the Orioles would have to put together a hefty package to obtain either of the two.

But a trade for one of Upton or Gomez would be worth it for the Orioles, who are built to win now.

If you add one of those bats to a lineup that already includes Jones, Manny Machado and Chris Davis, suddenly the Orioles become not just a threat to win the division, but one of the favorites to win the pennant.

3. Chicago Cubs

Ben Margot/Associated Press

At 49-41, the Cubs hold a slim lead over the Giants and New York Mets for a wild-card spot, so it would be in general manager Jed Hoyer's best interest to improve the roster at the trade deadline.

Jon Lester hasn't been dominant in his first season in Chicago, and Kyle Hendricks—though he's been great in three July starts—has had an inconsistent sophomore season. The fifth spot in the rotation, meanwhile, has been a mess all year.

Clearly, Chicago could use another starting pitcher as it hopes to make the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons.

According to Bruce Levine of CBSChicago.com, the Cubs are "hoping to add a starting pitcher such as Ian Kennedy or Scott Kazmir to the rotation."

Kennedy presumably will cost less, since he's in the midst of a rough season, with a 4-9 record and 4.91 ERA. But if he can return to his 2014 form, when he finished with a 3.63 ERA, Kennedy would be a nice addition to Chicago's staff.

Kazmir is having a great campaign, holding a 2.38 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. He would give Chicago a lot more confidence going into a playoff series against a staff like that of the Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals or Washington Nationals. 

The Cubs could also use another relief pitcher, and there's a good chance the MLB-worst Philadelphia Phillies will trade Jonathan Papelbon.

According to Tony Andracki of CSNChicago.com, Papelbon wouldn't mind being reunited with Lester, his former Boston Red Sox teammate.

"For me to be able to get back on the field with him and compete with him," Papelbon said, per Andracki, "would be a great deal and a great opportunity."

If the Cubbies can add a starter along with a closer like Papelbon, the rest of the National League better watch out.

2. New York Mets

Morry Gash/Associated Press

Though they trail the Washington Nationals by just two games in the NL East and are also only two behind the Cubs for the second wild-card spot, the Mets are going to have a tough time making the playoffs unless they bolster their offense.

Over their past 28 games, the Mets have scored more than four runs just three times, including 16 games in which they have scored two runs or fewer.

For the season, New York has been shut out 10 times and is ahead of only the Chicago White Sox in runs scored with 317. Its .234 team batting average ranks dead last in MLB.

Sunday's 3-1 18-inning win over the Cardinals only accentuated the fact that the Mets need to acquire at least one impact bat.

ESPN noted "the Mets left a franchise-record-tying 25 runners on base and went 1-of-26 with runners in scoring position." They also had a runner on base in 17 of the 18 innings but continuously failed to get runs across.

According to Marc Carig of Newsday, the Mets may have interest in Justin Upton, Carlos Gomez and Jay Bruce, as well as Will Venable and Gerardo Parra.

While the top young pitchers in the organization and 2014 first-round pick Michael Conforto appear off-limits, the Mets think they can package prospects such as pitcher Michael Fulmer, outfielder Brandon Nimmo and shortstop Gavin Cecchini in a deal that improves the big league club, per Carig.

According to ESPN.com's Adam Rubin, "Mets officials have told ESPN.com that it is unlikely the 22-year-old Conforto will make his major league debut this season," so the Mets will have to look outside of the organization to improve the team.

If they somehow get to the playoffs, the Mets would be dangerous because of their outstanding solid pitching. But general manager Sandy Alderson has to improve a lineup that doesn't have a healthy everyday player hitting over .270 before the team falls out of contention.

1. Toronto Blue Jays

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

The Blue Jays have scored an MLB-high 498 runs this season—the Yankees are second but not even close with 418. Toronto's fifth in the majors in batting average at .263 and tied with the Yankees for second in baseball with 120 home runs.

Still, the Jays are only .500 with a 47-47 record and are 4.5 games back of the division-leading Yankees in the AL East.

Toronto has one of the more formidable lineups in the game, but subpar pitching is holding the team back.

The Jays have a 4.10 team ERA and are in need of both rotation and bullpen help.

Rosenthal tweeted on Monday that the Jays are "showing strong interest" in Mike Fiers of the Milwaukee Brewers.

Fiers is 5-7 with a 3.79 ERA, which would be an improvement over the struggling Drew Hutchison, R.A. Dickey and Felix Doubront in that Toronto rotation. Of that group, Doubront has the lowest ERA at a modest 4.50.

One of the top starting pitchers on the market is Scott Kazmir, and the Jays may be looking to acquire the southpaw.

According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Jays had scouts watching Kazmir's start on Saturday. Kazmir would be a huge pickup for Toronto if it managed to acquire the lefty.

In an effort to upgrade the bullpen, the Jays may stay in contact with Oakland and attempt to deal for its closer. "The Blue Jays recently checked in with the Athletics on Tyler Clippard" as recently as last month, according to Crasnick. 

There are plenty of options available via trade for Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos to upgrade his team's pitching. It would be a shame if the Jays' pitching depth remains as currently constructed and their offense goes to waste.