MLB Trade Rumors: Teams Actively Searching for Upgrades at 2017 Deadline

A look at the latest MLB standings reveals that nine teams on the outside looking into the playoff picture are within five games of either a wild-card team or a division leader.

Therefore, there are plenty of buyers at the trade deadline looking for upgrades to their lineup, rotation and/or bullpen.

Here's a look at three teams in various playoff positions who are actively searching for some help before the non-waiver trade deadline on July 31.

Houston Astros

Barring a collapse, the Astros will waltz to the No. 1 seed (and home-field advantage) in the American League playoffs. Through games played on Thursday, they were 10 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox, who have the second-best record in the junior circuit.

The Astros rank good to great in all aspects of the game, but they are still looking for some upgrades to their pitching staff.

Buster Olney of ESPN connects Baltimore Orioles closer Zach Britton to the Astros:

Jon Morosi of Fox Sports and MLB Network says the Astros are vying for Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Sonny Gray:

Morosi also noted that the Astros are interested in Detroit Tigers starter Justin Verlander and reliever Justin Wilson:

If the Astros acquire Gray or Verlander, that right-hander figures to slot third in the pitching rotation behind All-Stars Dallas Keuchel and Lance McCullers Jr. With Brad Peacock emerging as a strikeout force as a starter this year, that would give Houston a fantastic, well-rounded playoff rotation.

Houston has one of the better bullpens in the American League, although it isn't dominant. If Britton is added to the bullpen, the Astros will have one of the best relief staffs in all of baseball. Wilson, who has 10 saves this year for the Tigers, would be a great addition as well.

Ultimately, either left-hander would form a solid back end of the bullpen with current closer Ken Giles, who has 20 saves on the year.

Milwaukee Brewers

The Brewers have dropped five straight games at an inopportune time, as two of their division rivals, the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates, have won their last six and five games, respectively (the Bucs recently swept the Brew Crew in four games).

Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweeted that the Brewers are looking into acquiring Wilson, whom many teams are interested in getting:

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports said that the Brewers could be in on the Gray sweepstakes, but the Astros and New York Yankees are interested as well:

Although the Brewers are primarily in the market for some pitching, their big problem lately has been cold bats. Over their last six games, the Brewers have scored just 14 runs. Milwaukee has a ton of power, but it also strikes out quite a bit as well, which leads to some cold streaks.

Still, any team could use more pitching, and acquiring Gray and/or Wilson would instantly bolster the Brewers' pitching staff. Gray would be Milwaukee's ace, while Wilson and closer Corey Knebel would form a fantastic one-two punch at the end of games.

New York Yankees

The Yankees are just 11-22 in their last 33 games. In the drop of a hat, the Yanks went from challenging the Astros for the American League's best record to holding off a bunch of teams for the final wild-card spot.

New York already traded for Chicago White Sox third baseman Todd Frazier and relief pitchers David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle, but they may not be done dealing:

Per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, the Yanks could still bring in a first baseman:

Gray is also a possibility, according to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports:

The Yankees have bolstered the bullpen and added some pop to the lineup with the White Sox trade, but they still have question marks in the rotation and at first base.

With Michael Pineda out for the season and part of next year with a torn UCL, the Yanks have been using Bryan Mitchell and Luis Cessa for the fifth rotation spot. Adding an established veteran to fill that role would go a long way toward securing a playoff spot.

As far as first base goes, the Yanks should hold still and see if the Chase Headley/Garrett Cooper platoon works out. First base remains a question mark, but bolstering the pitching rotation is a higher priority as it has been inconsistent all season.