Caught Napping: MLB Contenders Who Must Pull the Trigger on Impact Trade ASAP
With less than a week to go until the non-waiver MLB trade deadline, the rumor mill is in full swing as contenders look to put the finishing touches on their rosters and sellers look to bolster their farm systems.
We've already seen a number of potential impact players on the move this month.
The Cubs added Jose Quintana, the Yankees picked up Todd Frazier, David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle, the Royals acquired Trevor Cahill, Brandon Maurer and Ryan Buchter, the Twins traded for Jaime Garcia and the Brewers filled out their bullpen with Anthony Swarzak.
But what about the contenders who have remained quiet to this point?
Ahead is a look at five potentially playoff-bound teams who should pull the trigger on an impact trade immediately and a look at who they might acquire.
Colorado Rockies
1 of 5
Despite confirming the acquisition of veteran reliever Pat Neshek from the Philadelphia Phillies late Wednesday night, the Colorado Rockies could still look to make a splashy addition before the deadline.
According to Thomas Harding of MLB.com, the team is eyeing Jonathan Lucroy and other potential upgrades at the catcher position, which has produced a dismal .625 OPS with Tony Wolters seeing the bulk of the action.
The Rockies had also been linked to a slew of other relievers, including Justin Wilson (DET), Brad Brach (BAL), Zach Britton (BAL) and A.J. Ramos (MIA), per Harding. The Neshek addition doesn't necessarily preclude them from making a run at one of those other arms.
While an upgrade behind the plate or in the bullpen would be welcome, the starting rotation might be a more pressing area of concern.
Rookies German Marquez, Antonio Senzatela and Kyle Freeland are all headed for uncharted territory in terms of workload, Jon Gray has yet to pitch up to front-line expectations and both Tyler Anderson and Jeff Hoffman are still searching for some level of consistency.
A run at any of the market's top arms is unlikely, but adding a rental starter such as Jhoulys Chacin, Marco Estrada, Scott Feldman, Derek Holland and others would bring some welcome insurance and stability.
While the Rockies are 13.5 games behind the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West standings, they're in prime position to seize a wild-card berth. At 58-45, they are one game behind the Arizona Diamondbacks in the wild-card standings and four games up on the Milwaukee Brewers for the No. 2 spot.
Shoring up the pitching staff and bolstering the catcher position could solidify their standing as a postseason participant.
Cleveland Indians
2 of 5
The Cleveland Indians reached the World Series last season with a banged-up starting rotation and then signed slugger Edwin Encarnacion in free agency. That made them one of the favorites to win it all heading into the 2017 season.
While they're currently perched atop the AL Central standings, it's by a mere 1.5 games over the Kansas City Royals. So, what additions might they look to make ahead of the deadline?
General manager Chris Antonetti told reporters that injuries to second baseman Jason Kipnis and outfielder Lonnie Chisenhall have "complicated" the Indians' approach, causing them to cast a "wider net" in their prospective targets, per MLB.com's Jordan Bastian.
The team has already been linked to New York Mets infielder Asdrubal Cabrera—a former Indian—according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com. He could serve as a temporary fill-in for Kipnis while also providing needed depth across the entire infield.
The starting rotation could also be viewed as an area of need. Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco have been a solid one-two punch all season, and Mike Clevinger has been terrific since joining them in the rotation.
However, Trevor Bauer (5.58 ERA) and Josh Tomlin (5.59 ERA) have struggled to find consistency. Though Danny Salazar was terrific in his return from the disabled list Saturday, he comes with ongoing injury concerns.
Getting healthy and playing up to their full potential could be enough for the Indians to lock down another division title, but a deadline addition or two might be a necessity for them to return to the Fall Classic.
Tampa Bay Rays
3 of 5
As a small-market team reliant on cheap, homegrown talent and bargain-bin additions when it comes to bolstering the roster, the Tampa Bay Rays generally shy away from splashy deadline deals.
However, this summer might be an exception, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times wrote on July 22:
"The buildup to this July 31 trading deadline is different for the Rays, for the rudimentary reason that they are working—feverishly, from what we hear—to add on to a team they feel has a legitimate chance to make a playoff run.
"That's right. Rather than being their usual sellers, or seeking fringe additions, the Rays are looking to be buyers—for an impact reliever and maybe a bat, too.
"Not likely top shelf, but they have been in the conversations for most of the candidates on the market. While still operating under the proviso of being "responsible," they seem willing to take on some salary and part with some good—though not their elite—prospects and maybe a player off the current roster."
With a healthy Alex Cobb and rookie standout Jacob Faria joining Chris Archer and Jake Odorizzi in the starting rotation, they have a staff that stacks up to any in the American League. However, Tampa Bay's bullpen is a clear weakness, as it ranks 19th in the majors with a 4.34 ERA while converting just 34 of 51 save chances.
The Rays scooped up veteran Sergio Romo after the Los Angeles Dodgers designated him for assignment, and they acquired lefty Dan Jennings from the Chicago White Sox on Thursday, so they have taken some preliminary steps to address the pen. Still, considering neither of those players falls under the category of "impact" addition, perhaps there's still more to come.
Meanwhile, the foursome of Corey Dickerson, Steven Souza Jr., Logan Morrison and Evan Longoria has been highly productive, but adding another bat to the mix would be attractive as well.
As it stands, the Rays sit just one game back in the wild-card standings with a 53-49 record. They might be one significant addition away from making their first postseason appearance since 2013.
Houston Astros
4 of 5
It looked like the Houston Astros would be major players for a starting rotation upgrade at the deadline, but that thinking has shifted in recent days with Collin McHugh activated from the disabled list and Dallas Keuchel pushing closer to a return.
"We were thinking we may have to go and get a depth starter—a fourth, fifth starter guy to help us get through the season," general manager Jeff Luhnow told reporters. "That's no longer the case. If anything, we're going to have to put guys in the bullpen."
Strong performances by Brad Peacock and Mike Fiers while McHugh and Keuchel were on the shelf have given the Astros an abundance of starting pitching. If Keuchel returns to the form he showed prior to his DL stint, Houston's need for an ace-caliber arm isn't nearly as pressing.
That leaves the bullpen as a more likely area of focus. Specifically, finding a reliable left-handed reliever to join righties Chris Devenski, Will Harris and Ken Giles in the late innings.
Tony Sipp (36 G, 4.99 ERA) is the only lefty reliever on the active roster, and hard-throwing Reymin Guduan (30 G, 5.31 ERA in Triple-A) is the only other southpaw on the 40-man roster.
This year's trade market includes a trio of controllable, high-end options to fill that need in Zach Britton (BAL), Brad Hand (SD) and Justin Wilson (DET). All three will command a hefty return, but the Astros have the prospect depth and win-now opportunity to pull the trigger.
Tony Watson (PIT) could also be a fit as a rental option, while Jerry Blevins (NYM) would likely come cheaper than the aforementioned trio and is more than just a rental with a $7 million team option for next season.
Los Angeles Dodgers
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There's little question the Los Angeles Dodgers have been baseball's best team to this point.
Their 71-31 record is the best in baseball. After a 22-18 start to the season, they've gone 49-13 with a plus-131 run differential in their last 62 games.
They lead the majors in team ERA (3.12) and starters' ERA (3.28) while pacing the NL in bullpen ERA (2.86). They're also holding their own on offense with 5.14 runs per game, which ranks fifth in the majors.
What do you get a team that has everything? A starting pitcher might be the place to start.
Ace Clayton Kershaw recently hit the disabled list with a lower back strain, and he has no clear timetable for his return. L.A. has already shown "strong interest" in Texas Rangers star Yu Darvish, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network, who would be an impact hired gun before reaching free agency in the offseason.
Despite that stellar bullpen ERA, the team is also looking at relief arms to lighten the load on Pedro Baez and Kenley Jansen in the late innings. L.A. has been linked to Addison Reed (per Buster Olney of ESPN) and Zach Britton (per Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports), and both are capable of making a major impact.
Despite those potential upgrades, team president Andrew Friedman made it clear the Dodgers wouldn't be rushing into anything while talking with reporters:
"In a lot of ways, we're a lot more selective than we've been in the past. Part of that speaks to our organizational talent level, at this point, as well as the depth behind it. But also, the culture that has been created among this group of players—it's something that's special. I can't really see us messing with that, short of doing something that makes an incredible amount of sense to us."
With a golden opportunity to hoist the Commissioner's Trophy, standing pat would be a huge mistake.
All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, unless otherwise noted.
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