All 30 MLB Teams' Nightmare 2016 Trade Deadline Scenario
With the MLB All-Star Game in the books and the second half of the season set to get underway, the league's collective attention will now turn to the upcoming non-waiver trade deadline.
Whether you're a contender looking to upgrade for the second-half push, a rebuilding club looking to sell off more veteran assets or a team on the fence, all 30 franchises have something that would constitute a successful trade deadline.
At the same time, all 30 teams also have the dreaded nightmare scenario.
Maybe a contender misses out on upgrading a major area of weakness or a valuable trade chip gets hurt for a rebuilding team just before the deadline.
A whole host of things can go wrong in the unpredictable game that is baseball and what follows is a look at each team's nightmare scenario for the 2016 trade deadline.
Arizona Diamondbacks
1 of 30
Nightmare Scenario: Not making Daniel Hudson and Tyler Clippard available.
The Arizona Diamondbacks already shipped off one valuable bullpen asset when Brad Ziegler was traded to the Boston Red Sox, and there's no sense stopping now.
Like Ziegler, right-hander Daniel Hudson (15 HLD, 4.91 ERA, 3.81 FIP) is also a free agent at season's end. There was some talk in June that the D-Backs could consider extending both Ziegler and Hudson, according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, but trading Hudson seems far more likely.
Offseason addition Tyler Clippard (13 HLD, 2.97 ERA, 11.1 K/9) should also be made available after signing a two-year, $12.5 million deal this past winter.
With a 38-52 record and little else in the way of viable trade chips, there's no reason to hang onto bullpen pieces in the second half.
Atlanta Braves
2 of 30
Nightmare Scenario: Trading Julio Teheran for anything less than max value.
The Atlanta Braves have every reason to ask for the moon when it comes to All-Star starting pitcher Julio Teheran as a trade candidate.
He's 25 years old, signed to a very team-friendly deal through 2019 with an option for 2020 and enjoying a terrific all-around season with a 2.96 ERA and 0.969 WHIP in 118.2 innings of work.
The Braves farm system might be loaded with pitching talent, but there's no slam-dunk future ace among their young arms and using Teheran as a cornerstone of their rebuilding efforts is certainly an option.
Unless someone offers up a package of prospects that is truly too good to pass up, the Braves have no reason to move their most valuable asset.
Baltimore Orioles
3 of 30
Nightmare Scenario: Not upgrading the starting rotation.
The Boston Red Sox acquired All-Star left-hander Drew Pomeranz from the San Diego Padres on Thursday to bolster their starting rotation, according to Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Check.
Now it's time for the Baltimore Orioles to make a countermove if they hope to avoid checkmate in the AL East, as they entered the break clinging to a two-game lead while trotting out one of the worst rotations in baseball.
The Orioles currently rank 28th in the league with a 5.15 starters' ERA. Aside from Chris Tillman (12-2, 3.41 ERA) no one has been even remotely reliable.
With one of the most dangerous offenses in baseball and a terrific bullpen, this team can't squander a chance at legitimately contending by standing pat at the deadline.
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Boston Red Sox
4 of 30
Nightmare Scenario: Trading away another top-tier prospect.
The decision to flip prospect Anderson Espinoza to the San Diego Padres for Drew Pomeranz has some rather obvious pros and cons.
Pros: Pomeranz is capable of helping a contending team right now and he's proven himself at the MLB level, albeit with a relatively short track record of success.
Cons: Espinoza was one of the most promising pitching prospects in the game and five years from now it's not completely inconceivable to think he could be a legitimate front-line starter.
Luckily, the Red Sox farm system is still loaded.
That being said, seeing another top-tier prospect heading out the door would be a bit troubling for a team that does not to think about the future as well as the present.
Chicago Cubs
5 of 30
Nightmare Scenario: Not properly upgrading the bullpen.
Not much was going right for the Chicago Cubs as the All-Star break approached, but the one area in clear need of an upgrade for much of the season has been the bullpen.
They have some interesting in-house options making their way back toward the big leagues.
Brian Matusz and Joe Nathan will both start the second half pitching for Triple-A Iowa. While they are both a few years removed from being true impact arms, they're an intriguing duo nonetheless.
Hard-throwing Carl Edwards Jr. was also showing signs of emerging as an impact arm as he became more comfortable with life in the big leagues and he could certainly play a bigger role down the stretch.
All of that said, this team needs to go out and land a proven bullpen arm who is currently pitching at a high level. The Cubs can't simply hope for the best on reclamation projects and unproven prospects.
Chicago White Sox
6 of 30
Nightmare Scenario: Holding onto the idea of contention, giving up young talent.
If there's one thing the Chicago White Sox front office has proven incapable of doing in recent years it's accepting the fact that the team is not in a position to contend and acting accordingly.
A seven-game winning streak leading up to the trade deadline last year convinced them not to sell, even though they were still under .500 at the end of that run.
They wound up finishing 10 games under .500 and settled for draft-pick compensation for Jeff Samardzija, who was a hot commodity in July trade talks.
This year's club has already acquired James Shields and signed veteran Justin Morneau, who could make a second-half impact, but trading away more young talent for an outside shot at making the playoffs would be a mistake.
At 45-43 they're seven games back in the AL Central and 4.5 games back with four teams to pass for the second wild-card spot.
Even if they can claw their way into the playoff picture with a few more splashy additions, does this really have the feel of a team that can win it all? If not, the White Sox should keep their young pieces and turn their attention to 2017 and beyond.
Cincinnati Reds
7 of 30
Nightmare Scenario: Jay Bruce is still on the roster post-deadline.
After hitting .222/.288/.406 for a 91 OPS+ over the past two seasons, Jay Bruce did not exactly have sky-high trade value when the 2016 season began.
However, a lot has changed since Opening Day.
Bruce was an All-Star for the third time on the strength of a .267/.315/.538 line that includes 20 doubles, 18 home runs and 63 RBI.
He's owed the rest of a $12.5 million salary this season and carries a fairly reasonable $13 million option for next year, and keeping him at this point doesn't make much sense for a rebuilding Cincinnati Reds team that has already shipped out most of their movable veteran parts.
If Bruce is still wearing a Reds jersey on Aug. 2, something has gone terribly wrong.
Cleveland Indians
8 of 30
Nightmare Scenario: Quality starting pitching depth is not found and injury strikes.
The Cleveland Indians entered the break with a 6.5-game lead in the AL Central standing thanks in large part to one of the most dominant starting rotations in the league.
The trio of Corey Kluber, Danny Salazar and Carlos Carrasco gives the staff three legitimate front-line options and both Trevor Bauer and Josh Tomlin have exceeded expectations to this point to shore up the back of the staff.
However, what happens if *knock on wood* injury strikes?
When Carrasco missed time earlier this season with a hamstring injury, the team struggled to fill the open spot in the rotation.
Cody Anderson (8 GS, 1-3, 7.65 ERA) actually began the season with a rotation spot and a bright outlook, but he's struggled mightily.
Mike Clevinger (3 GS, 0-1, 8.79 ERA) and Zach McAllister (1 GS, 1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 3 ER) are the only other pitchers to start a game this year.
The current five-man staff might be the best in baseball, but not properly preparing for the worst could wind up being a huge mistake.
Colorado Rockies
9 of 30
Nightmare Scenario: Not seriously listening to offers for Carlos Gonzalez.
All we heard regarding shortstop Troy Tulowitzki was how he was the face of the franchise and the Colorado Rockies had no intention of trading him, right up until he was finally traded to the Toronto Blue Jays.
In June, Jon Heyman of Today's Knuckleball wrote: "The calls haven’t started coming in for Carlos Gonzalez. The Rockies are expected to listen, though they are playing pretty well at the moment. 'It’s nice to focus on winning,' GM Jeff Bridich said."
It stands to reason that those calls are probably flooding in now. With the Rockies sitting at 40-48, the hopes of this being a winning season are quickly fading.
CarGo is having another huge season at the plate with a .924 OPS, 19 doubles, 19 home runs and 54 RBI and his contract is no longer a major sticking point.
He's owed the remainder of a $17 million salary this season and is on the books for $20 million next year, but the lack of impact bats and his current numbers make that a reasonable rate.
Trading CarGo could net the Rockies more quality pitching prospects—something they still desperately need—and it would open up a spot for top prospect David Dahl in the Colorado outfield.
The Rockies have no reason to sell low on their top trade chip, but not seriously listening to any and all offers would be a mistake.
Detroit Tigers
10 of 30
Nightmare Scenario: Not upgrading the starting rotation.
The Detroit Tigers closed out the first half with a nice 8-5 stretch of games to climb back over .500 and within 6.5 games of the AL Central lead.
Their offense is stacked, their bullpen is improved and Michael Fulmer has been a revelation in the starting rotation, but the starting staff as a whole still needs help.
Justin Verlander and Jordan Zimmermann are not having the Cy Young-caliber seasons we've seen from them in the past but they're a solid veteran duo. It's the rest of the rotation behind those two and the aforementioned Fulmer that has been the issue.
Mike Pelfrey is 2-8 with a 4.79 ERA and he almost has more walks (38) than strikeouts (44) over his 94 innings of work, while Anibal Sanchez and his $18 million salary have contributed a 6.75 ERA in 82.2 innings and been relegated to the bullpen.
The young trio of Daniel Norris, Matt Boyd and Shane Greene has also been part of the rotation at various times and gone a combined 2-4 with a 6.38 in 12 starts.
They don't necessarily need a front-line arm, which is good because there are none available to them considering the current state of the farm system. A veteran in the Jeremy Hellickson mold who is capable of eating innings with a 4.00 ERA would be a welcome addition.
Houston Astros
11 of 30
Nightmare Scenario: Trading away more high-end prospect talent.
The Houston Astros traded away some quality prospect talent at the deadline last year to first acquire Scott Kazmir from the Oakland Athletics and then Carlos Gomez and Mike Fiers from the Milwaukee Brewers.
Futures Game participant Josh Hader (No. 22) and Brett Phillips (No. 58) both ranked among the league's top 100 prospects in Baseball America's midseason update after being shipped out in the Brewers trade.
Meanwhile, catcher Jacob Nottingham looks to have a bright future in Milwaukee after being traded a second time and right-hander Daniel Mengden has already joined the Athletics' big league rotation.
The Astros have built an impressive young core thanks to their in-house player development. While moving some pieces to add veteran talent makes sense, they can't expect sustainable success if they run the farm dry.
They were playing good baseball heading into the break and once again looking like a serious threat on the AL side of things, but expect their biggest additions to come in the form of reinforcements from down on the farm this time around.
Kansas City Royals
12 of 30
Nightmare Scenario: Not upgrading the starting rotation.
The Kansas City Royals have not had a dominant starting rotation by any means over the past two seasons and it hasn't stopped them from winning back-to-back AL pennants.
However, this year's staff is a different beast.
- 2014: 3.60 starters' ERA, 6.09 innings per start
- 2015: 4.34 starters' ERA, 5.63 innings per start
- 2016: 4.99 starters' ERA, 5.37 innings per start
There's not a Johnny Cueto out there on the trade market this time around for the team to install atop the starting rotation for two months and the postseason.
That shouldn't stop them from exploring any and all potential options to upgrade the starting rotation, though, as even a back-end starter would be a welcome addition.
If the deadline comes and goes without the team making a significant addition to the starting staff, the team's hopes of contending for another title likely go out the door as well.
Los Angeles Angels
13 of 30
Nightmare Scenario: Not aggressively selling any movable parts.
The Los Angeles Angels are not a good team. Given the current makeup of the organization, they're not going to be a good team anytime soon.
Outside of Mike Trout, Kole Calhoun and Matt Shoemaker, the MLB roster is littered with overpaid veterans and underperforming second-tier players trying to plug the holes.
Meanwhile, the farm system remains the worst in baseball by a wide margin and that has to change if the team's long-term outlook is going to improve.
They don't have any marquee trade chips, but they should be able to add some much-needed young talent by selling off upcoming free agents Yunel Escobar, Huston Street, Joe Smith and Fernando Salas.
Hector Santiago could also generate some interest with another year of team control and the team could even shop the aforementioned Shoemaker, who has four years of team control left but is also already in his age-29 season.
Holding at the trade deadline to make a push for a .500 record would be a failure by the front office.
Los Angeles Dodgers
14 of 30
Nightmare Scenario: Bucking trend and trading away top prospects.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have the deepest farm system in baseball and they've done a great job resisting the urge to flip their talented young chips for veterans in recent years.
Joc Pederson, Corey Seager and Julio Urias have since graduated to the majors after being deemed untouchable at recent deadlines and the same should be the case with the new wave of top-tier prospects.
Right-hander Jose De Leon, first baseman Cody Bellinger and outfielder Alex Verdugo are the cream of the crop now and no one from that trio should be available in any trades this summer.
They can still build a strong trade package with Grant Holmes or Frankie Montas as the centerpiece, so there's no reason to surrender anyone from that elite trio.
With the starting rotation finally approaching full health and no obvious hole to fill on the position-player side of things, the Dodgers simply need their in-house talent to perform up to expectations.
Miami Marlins
15 of 30
Nightmare Scenario: Not having the necessary pieces to upgrade a contender.
The Miami Marlins closed out the first half at 47-41 following a three-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds.
That leaves them six games behind the Washington Nationals in the NL East race and tied for the second NL wild-card spot with the New York Mets.
With an improved offensive attack and Jose Fernandez once again pitching like an elite starter, this team has a real shot at contending for a playoff spot.
They're not without some rather glaring areas of need, though, as the back of the starting rotation and the bullpen could both stand to be improved.
Trouble is, they have one of the thinnest farm systems in baseball and, outside of the injured Tyler Kolek and slugging first baseman Josh Naylor, they really don't have any top-tier prospects.
A team can still make useful trades without having elite young trade chips, but a nightmare scenario for the Marlins would be the inability to upgrade a potential contender due to their lack of young trade chips.
Milwaukee Brewers
16 of 30
Nightmare Scenario: Not finding an acceptable return package for Jonathan Lucroy.
There's a good chance that Jonathan Lucroy is the best player traded ahead of this year's deadline, but he won't come cheap.
The 30-year-old is hitting .304/.361/.491 with 16 doubles, 11 home runs and 42 RBI, he's thrown out 39 percent of would-be base stealers and he's been one of the league's best pitch framers, per StatCorner.
He also has an insanely team-friendly contract with a $4 million salary this year and a $5.25 million option for 2017 that is a no-brainer to be exercised.
"Milwaukee has every right to ask for a king’s ransom," wrote Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors.
Ideally, the rebuilding Brewers would find a team willing to offer up that king's ransom. If not, they'll get back to shopping Lucroy during the offseason, but his value may never be higher than it is right now.
Minnesota Twins
17 of 30
Nightmare Scenario: Not selling high on Eduardo Nunez if there's interest.
Was there a more unlikely All-Star in 2016 than Eduardo Nunez?
His 336 plate appearances so far this year are already just two shy of his career high and he's hit a solid .321/.347/.489 with 15 doubles, 12 home runs, 40 RBI and 22 stolen bases in 27 attempts.
The 29-year-old is making just $1.48 million this year and he has another year of arbitration eligibility before he reaches free agency for the first time following the 2017 season.
All of that makes him an unexpectedly valuable trade chip for the Minnesota Twins and they shouldn't hesitate to sell high if another team comes calling with a solid offer.
He's not a great defender by any means, but he's capable of playing second base, shortstop and third base and he's also seen some time at the corner outfield spots in the past.
That versatility and his newfound power-speed combination make him an interesting target for a number of contenders.
New York Mets
18 of 30
Nightmare Scenario: Not focusing on the offensive side of things.
"The Mets will consider most options heading toward the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline, but their primary target is another bullpen arm," wrote Mike Puma of the New York Post.
He goes on to form a hypothetical list of potential targets that includes Ryan Buchter (SD), Brad Hand (SD), John Axford (OAK), Chris Withrow (ATL) and Jeremy Jeffress (MIL).
The team could also be in the market for a starting pitcher with Matt Harvey sidelined the rest of the year with thoracic outlet syndrome and both Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz pitching with bone chips in their elbows.
However, the offensive side of things can't simply be ignored.
The bullpen currently ranks sixth in the majors with a 3.24 ERA and the rotation has some in-house depth in Logan Verrett and Gabriel Ynoa, but the offense has been a weakness once again.
They are currently averaging 3.81 runs per game (28th in MLB) and hitting just .238 as a team (29th in MLB).
Ignoring the offense in favor of upgrading the pitching staff could leave them on the outside looking in when the playoffs begin.
New York Yankees
19 of 30
Nightmare Scenario: Standing pat and missing the playoffs.
According to recent reports, the New York Yankees front office is split on the idea of whether the team has a legitimate shot at contending in 2016.
Wallace Matthews of ESPN.com explained:
"According to a baseball source who spoke to ESPN on condition of anonymity, the opposing factions are composed of the baseball operations people, led by general manager Brian Cashman, who believe the team should sell off its assets and plan for the future, and the business side, which is led by owner Hal Steinbrenner and team president Randy Levine, who hold to the belief that the club is still in contention.
"
There are few things more detrimental to running a successful MLB franchise than the business end standing in the way of the baseball operations side.
More times than not, it's the side signing everyone's paychecks that comes out on top if they're not wiling to listen to the men they hired to make baseball decisions.
If the ownership group puts their foot down on not selling and the Yankees miss the postseason, it would be a huge missed opportunity for the future of the organization.
Even if they just move upcoming free agents Aroldis Chapman and Carlos Beltran, it would net a substantial return of young talent to a steadily improving farm system.
Oakland Athletics
20 of 30
Nightmare Scenario: Rich Hill continues to battle injury, winds up staying put.
No player in Major League Baseball will be more closely monitored over the next two weeks than Oakland Athletics left-hander Rich Hill.
The 36-year-old started off the 2016 season with a bang, going 8-3 with a 2.25 ERA over his first 11 starts, but then he missed over a month with a groin injury.
He returned in time to make two starts before the All-Star break, and all told he's 9-3 with a 2.25 ERA, 1.092 WHIP and 90 strikeouts in 76 innings on the year.
Hill was slated to start the first game of the second half on Friday, but he's been scratched with a blister, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.
He could return as early as Sunday, with Daniel Mengden and Sonny Gray penciled in for Friday and Saturday, but any further issues could put his trade status in jeopardy.
There's also the matter of his workload, which teams will need to monitor closely.
He hasn't topped 100 total innings in a season since 2010 and he's only eclipsed 150 once in his career all the way back in 2007.
Philadelphia Phillies
21 of 30
Nightmare Scenario: Jeremy Hellickson struggles leading up to the deadline.
The Philadelphia Phillies acquired Jeremy Hellickson hoping he could eat some innings, provide a veteran presence for their young starting pitchers and eventually turn himself into a viable trade chip.
The 29-year-old has done exactly that, going 6-6 with a 3.92 ERA, 1.202 WHIP and 93 strikeouts in 105.2 innings on the year.
At this point he's really the only significant trade chip that the Phillies have as they continue to evaluate their young talent in the midst of a large-scale rebuilding effort.
Hellickson is working on a string of four consecutive quality starts, going 2-1 with a 2.16 ERA during that span, so his stock is trending up as the second half begins.
Getting hit hard in his next couple starts would take a serious bite out of his value and qualify as a nightmare scenario for the Phillies this July.
Pittsburgh Pirates
22 of 30
Nightmare Scenario: Standing pat and missing the playoffs.
After winning 98 games last season and with three straight postseason appearances to their credit, the Pittsburgh Pirates entered the 2016 season expecting to be among the best teams in the NL once again.
They were playing well heading into the All-Star break at 12-4 in their last 16 games, but that came on the heels of a disastrous 2-13 stretch.
Even with their recent run of success, they are still just three games over .500 at 46-43. That leaves them 7.5 games back in the NL Central and 1.5 games back with two teams to pass for the second wild-card berth.
The Pirates' performance over the next couple weeks could be the determining factor in whether they continue pushing to contend or change course and sell off some pieces at the deadline.
All-Star closer Mark Melancon would be their most valuable trade chip, as he's set to hit free agency in the offseason.
Francisco Liriano is signed through the 2017 season and could also be shopped with a number of young arms on the rise. Neftali Feliz, David Freese and Matt Joyce were all signed to one-year deals in the offseason and would be attractive rental options as well.
Worst-case scenario, the team holds onto all of those trade assets and then misses the postseason.
San Diego Padres
23 of 30
Nightmare Scenario: Trading Wil Myers for anything short of a king's ransom.
The San Diego Padres already pulled the trigger on trading one of their controllable pieces in left-hander Drew Pomeranz and there will be no shortage of teams inquiring about first baseman Wil Myers in the days to come.
Speaking about Myers, team official Ron Fowler said "he's not going to be traded," while managing partner Peter Seidler added he's "the type of guy we want to build this team around," according to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.
That might be the case, but we've also heard that sort of thing before and then seen a player wind up being traded anyway.
The thing is, Seidler is absolutely right, this is the kind of player the Padres should be looking to build around.
Myers, 25, is finally healthy after battling injury the past two seasons and he once again looks like one of the best young hitters in baseball.
He's hitting .286/.351/.522 with 19 doubles, 19 home runs, 60 RBI and 15 stolen bases for a 2.9 WAR, as a move to first base has allowed him to focus on his offensive game.
On top of that, he's under team control through the 2019 season.
Trading him for anything short of a franchise-changing return package would be a mistake.
San Francisco Giants
24 of 30
Nightmare Scenario: Not making a significant bullpen addition.
The relief corps was such a major strength for the San Francisco Giants during their three recent World Series titles, it's been odd to see it devolve into their biggest weakness here in 2016.
While they could look to add a bat with the injury bug biting hard on the position-player side of things, the eventual returns of Hunter Pence, Joe Panik and Matt Duffy should rectify that situation.
Instead, improving a bullpen that ranks 15th in the majors with a 3.94 ERA and has tallied 16 blown saves in 42 chances appears to be the top priority.
Sergio Romo recently returned from an elbow injury with three scoreless appearances leading up to the All-Star break and he can certainly give the team a boost in the late innings.
However, relying on him to be the difference-maker and not looking outside the organization for more bullpen help would be a mistake.
Seattle Mariners
25 of 30
Nightmare Scenario: Sitting on the fence too long and doing nothing at the deadline.
No team finds itself more firmly entrenched in the gray area between buyer and seller than the Seattle Mariners.
At times, they've looked like one of the best teams in the AL and a legitimate threat to contend not only for the AL West title but the AL pennant.
However, after a 2-5 week leading up to the All-Star break they are now 45-44 on the year and a distant third in the AL West standings.
Losing ace Felix Hernandez to a calf injury has hurt a lot and Taijuan Walker joined him on the disabled list earlier this month, but they're both expected back before the end of the month.
They could use pitching help—both in the rotation and bullpen—if they decide to buy, while veterans Adam Lind and Joaquin Benoit could generate some interest as trade chips if the team decides to sell.
Choosing one way or the other is always the preferred approach and waiting too long to decide and simply standing pat could leave them once again hovering around the .500 mark with little to show for it at season's end.
St. Louis Cardinals
26 of 30
Nightmare Scenario: Trading for pitching help before exploring in-house options.
The St. Louis Cardinals had one of the best bullpens in baseball last season, ranking third in the majors with a 2.82 ERA and converting 62 of 77 save chances (80.5 percent).
Things have not gone as smoothly in the late innings this year.
That ERA has climbed to 3.63, still good for 10th in the league, but they have nailed down just 17 of 27 save opportunities (63 percent) and closer Trevor Rosenthal has been removed from the ninth-inning role.
So what's the answer to upgrading the relief corps?
Before they start scouring the trade market, the Cardinals would be wise to look in-house, where flame-throwing prospect Alex Reyes might just be the answer.
"So when you think about that type of tool set and putting it in the bullpen it’s certainly exciting," GM John Mozeliak told Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "You’d be hard-pressed to find that type of talent in the trade market and let alone (it would be a) zero acquisition cost."
Giving up any sort of prospect talent to acquire a reliever before giving Reyes a chance to show what he can do would be a misstep.
Tampa Bay Rays
27 of 30
Nightmare Scenario: Not seriously entertaining the idea of moving a starter.
Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported earlier this month that the Tampa Bay Rays were actively discussing their controllable starting pitchers and looking to get a jump on the trade market.
Not a bad idea considering the current state of the team.
The Rays have been nothing short of a complete disaster for the better part of a month, going 3-22 in their last 25 games to slide into last place in the AL East standings.
Rosenthal notes that the team probably won't consider moving Chris Archer and his team-friendly deal and there's no reason to think they'll deal rookie Blake Snell either.
Drew Smyly and Matt Moore could be moved but the team would be selling low on them at this point, so right-hander Jake Odorizzi might be the most likely to be dealt.
At any rate, the Rays should be exploring any and all offers for their starting pitching in a thin market for impact arms and with the team suffering through a rough year.
Texas Rangers
28 of 30
Nightmare Scenario Not going all-in on this season.
The Texas Rangers have slumped a bit of late with a good chunk of their starting rotation sidelined by injury, but once they get back to 100 percent they could be the team to beat in the American League.
With that in mind, they should be wiling to go all-in on this season.
The Rangers have one of the deeper farm systems in baseball, earning the No. 14 spot in our post-draft rankings.
Building a package around Joey Gallo or Lewis Brinson could conceivably give them a starting point on virtually anyone expected to be available on this year's trade market, and neither of those players has a clear path to MLB playing time in the near future.
Adding another starting pitcher and improving the relief corps would appear to be the most pressing needs for the Rangers at this point.
For a team that's been aggressive at the deadline in years past, now is not the time to stand pat.
Toronto Blue Jays
29 of 30
Nightmare Scenario: Continuing to gut the farm system with nothing to show for it.
Here's a quick list of the prospects the Toronto Blue Jays have traded in recent years:
Noah Syndergaard, Travis d'Arnaud, Adeiny Hechavarria, Jake Marisnick, Daniel Norris, Justin Nicolino, Sean Nolin, Kendall Graveman, Franklin Barreto, Jeff Hoffman, Miguel Castro and Alberto Tirado.
So far, they don't have much to show for all of their wheelings and dealings except a depleted farm system.
They checked in at No. 25 in our post-draft farm system rankings, but that's not to say they don't have some quality young talent.
Outfielder Anthony Alford and pitchers Sean-Reid Foley, Jon Harris and Conner Greene represent the cream of the crop and it would be nice for the franchise if all four of those guys were still around on Aug. 2.
That's not to say the Blue Jays should sit on their hands at the deadline, but continuing to gut the farm system of top-end talent is not the answer.
Washington Nationals
30 of 30
Nightmare Scenario: Not finding a reliable left-handed bullpen option.
The Washington Nationals swapped out Matt Thornton for Oliver Perez in the offseason, hoping that he could provide a similar veteran presence from the left side in this year's bullpen.
Not so much.
Perez has posted a 4.94 ERA and 1.310 WHIP, though he is still striking out hitters at an 11.4 K/9 rate.
Felipe Rivero has also taken a step back as the other left-hander in the bullpen. He pitched to a 2.79 ERA and 0.952 WHIP in 49 games as a rookie last season, but has a 5.09 ERA in 41 games so far this year.
The Nationals look like the team to beat in the NL East with a dominant starting rotation and a solid offensive attack, but upgrading the bullpen is a must.
Not finding a reliable southpaw would make it a failed deadline for the Nationals.
All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com, unless otherwise noted.
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