MLB Trade Rumors: Identifying All 30 Teams as Buyers or Sellers

With the July 31 trade deadline just a month away, teams across MLB are trying to make that one last push for a potential playoff spot. The teams that find their way into contention will go a long way in determining how the rest of the season will shake out.

However, with only eight spots up for grabs many of those same teams will reach the deadline with no alternative but to trade some of their players and retool for 2012.

In this slideshow I take a look at which direction teams will be going in come July 31 with a preview of some of the players that could be dealt.

Dmitriy Ioselevich is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter for all your MLB updates.

Arizona Diamondbacks: BUYERS

The Diamondbacks at 43-36 and just 1.5 games back of the Giants in the NL West are the new feel-good story of the year. Nobody expected this team to contend and little more than a month into the season most GM’s expected GM Kevin Towers to host a wholesale.

A string of 22 wins in 26 games changed all that and the young Diamondbacks are poised to make some serious noise. They could use an upgrade at either infield corner and in left field. Starting pitching is also a major need regardless of how well the top three of Ian Kennedy, Daniel Hudson and Joe Saunders have pitched, considering that every starter is 30 or younger.

The Diamondbacks don’t need to make a big move and they probably won’t, especially since they’ll be able to add 2011 draftees Trevor Bauer and Archie Bradley to the rotation over the next three or four years. This is a long-term project for Towers, so the only trades we’ll see from the Diamondbacks are depth acquisitions.

Atlanta Braves: BUYERS

The Braves are in the thick of the race and are the current NL wild card leaders with a record of 44-35. They owe their success to one of the most complete rotations in baseball and a dominant bullpen.

The offense, however, has been more of a work in progress. Dan Uggla (.578 OPS) and Alex Gonzalez (.654 OPS) have struggled in the middle of the infield, and the center field platoon of Nate McLouth (.698 OPS) and Jordan Schafer (.611 OPS) hasn’t been much better.

The Braves could move one of their veteran relievers (Scott Linebrink, George Sherill, Scott Proctor) and pick up a bat, preferably a right-handed one. Josh Willingham and Hunter Pence are two of the names they’re very interested in.

Baltimore Orioles: SELLERS

There was a faint hope that the Orioles would be able to post their first .500 season in quite some time, but after a spirited start to the season the 35-40 Orioles have fallen to dead last in the AL East.

That means it’s almost trade season in Baltimore. Almost anybody over the age of 30 could be available. Vladimir Guerrero, Luke Scott and Derrek Lee are the bats most likely to be traded, while on the pitching side Jeremy Guthrie, Kevin Gregg and Mike Gonzalez all hold some value.

The Orioles have a nice core of pitchers in Zach Britton, Jake Arrieta and Chris Tillman (with Dylan Bundy soon on the way), but they need to add more impact bats if they want to contend in baseball’s best division. The best way to do that is through the trade market and the Orioles figure to be one of the most active teams.

Boston Red Sox: BUYERS

When have the Red Sox ever not been buyers? After a troubling start to the season the red-hot Red Sox stand at 45-32 with the third-best record in baseball. But even a team this complete has some holes and you can bet GM Theo Epstein will be busy at the deadline.

One of the major concerns for the Red Sox is right field where JD Drew is doing his best to become baseball’s most overpaid player. The Red Sox could look internally to a player like Josh Reddick or Ryan Kalish, or they could go out and get a Carlos Beltran or Josh Willingham. Ryan Spillborghs and Jeff Baker are two other options.

Another concern for Boston is the bullpen. After losing Rich Hill for the season and enduring the struggles of Bobby Jenks and Dan Wheeler, the Red Sox are left without a capable left-handed option. Hideki Okajima could get a call up, but it’s more likely Epstein goes after someone like John Grabow, Mike Gonzalez, Brian Fuentes or Randy Choate. 

Chicago Cubs: SELLERS

It may be tough to swallow for some die-hard fans, but with at 31-36 the Cubs are 12 games out of the NL Central and have the second worst record in all of baseball. Management is taking its time to pull the “sell” trigger, but rest assured—it will happen.

So who’s going to be trade bait? The Cubs would love to unload the bloated contracts of Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Zambrano and Kosuke Fukudome, but with the except of Fukudome they’ll have a hard time finding any takers. Aramis Ramirez, Reed Johnson, Jeff Baker and possibly even Carlos Pena could all be moved. Ditto for starters Ryan Dempster and Doug Davis.

The Cubs don’t have any one glaring organizational need other than “more talent.” Stalin Castro and Geovany Soto are a good foundation, but this is a franchise that needs to completely start over if it wants to compete.

Chicago White Sox: SELLERS

The 38-41 White Sox still have a fighting chance at getting back in the race, especially with the Indians free-falling and the Tigers horribly flawed. However, conventional wisdom suggests that the White Sox may want to wait until next year to make a run (or until Adam Dunn stops striking out).

The White Sox don’t have a ton of trade chips unless they want to completely rebuild, but they do have plenty of 2012 free agents with some value. Edwin Jackson is the most likely candidate to be traded with John Danks not very far behind him. Star lefty Mark Buehrle could also be moved for the right price.

Of more interest is what the White Sox plan to do with Carlos Quentin. The 28-year-old outfielder is one of the club’s best offensive performers and won’t be a free agent until 2013. However, if the White Sox want any sort of return for their players they may have to part ways with Quentin.

Cincinnati Reds: BUYERS

The Reds burst onto the scene last year and they’re poised for a return to the postseason even though they are four games back of the Milwaukee Brewers.

This is an extremely young and talented club, but youth has its downside too. Of the Reds six starters only two of them have an ERA under 4.00 and one of them (Homer Bailey) is on the disabled list. That means GM Walt Jocketty will be targeting starting pitching, with Jeremy Guthrie likely at the top of his wish list.

The Reds won’t move any of their young players in a trade, but they could sacrifice one of Ryan Hannigan or Ramon Hernandez, catchers who are just keeping the spot warm for top prospect Yasmani Grandal. 

Cleveland Indians: BOTH

The 40-36 Indians are in a very unique position. Nobody expected their group of youngsters (Carlos Santana, Asdrubal Cabrera, Josh Tomlin) to be this good this quickly. However, that doesn’t mean they’re good enough to win a championship.

Cleveland’s roster is a strange fusion between overpaid veterans (Travis Hafner, Grady Sizemore) and dirt-cheap rookies. The Indians could easily take on payroll, but they won’t trade any of their young stars to do it.

That leaves the Indians with lots of options. They could stay pat and ride out the season with the group they got. They could make a minor depth move and wait out the return of Shin-Soo Choo. They could even add a few more prospects by dealing veterans Orlando Cabrera and Austin Kearns. What will it be?

Colorado Rockies: SELLERS

The Rockies are the type of team you can never count out, but at 38-39 and 5.5 games back in the NL West I’m going to go ahead and do it—they’re out!

This is still an immensely talented team. Between Troy Tulowitzki, Carlos Gonzalez and Seth Smith you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better group of young sluggers. The problem, however, is a lack of pitching, especially with Ubaldo Jiminez (4.50 ERA, 1.39 WHIP) forgetting that he’s an ace and Jorge de la Rosa out for the season.

Righty Aaron Cook should be available, as should utility players Ryan Spilborghs, Jose Lopez and Jason Giambi. None of these players will net a significant return, but the Rockies might as well get something for them while they still can.

Detroit Tigers: BUYERS

The Tigers rebounded from a slow start and are now sitting comfortably atop the AL Central with a 42-35 record. They’ve accomplished this despite nothing from Carlos Guillen (still injured) and a horrific season from slugger Magglio Ordonez (.195/.262/.271).

Ace Justin Verlander is almost single-handedly keeping this team in contention, but he can’t do it all alone. The rest of the rotation has struggled with the lowest ERA belonging to Phil Coke’s 4.32. Big free agent acquisition, Joaquin Benoit, has also been a big disappointment with a 4.60 ERA through 33 games.

The Tigers could use an upgrade in right field or just any left-handed bat in general, with Carlos Beltran, Jason Kubel and Kosuke Fukudome as the most attractive names available. On the reverse side, there are too many lefties in the bullpen and a right-handed reliever like Heath Bell or Chad Qualls could be a target. Also, don’t rule out Ordonez being traded if the Tigers can find a team willing to bite on his $10 million salary.

Florida Marlins: SELLERS

The Marlins are officially in freefall and are comfortably in last place in the AL East with a 34-44 record. Even manager Jack McKeon can’t salvage this one.

Hanley Ramirez was tabbed as a potential trade candidate after his sluggish start (.218/.309/.309) and repeated feuds with coaches and players, but Florida management promptly put those rumors down. He’s still the franchise player and under control through 2014.

Instead, look for the Marlins to deal off some of their veteran players who will be free agents after this season. Javier Vazquez still can’t seem to get it going (6.37 ERA, 1.69 WHIP), but he’s still one of the most experienced starters on the market. One of Greg Dobbs or Wes Helms (or both) should be available with Matt Dominguez slated to take over third base in 2012. Don’t expect any major trades as the Marlins are scheduled to move into a new ballpark next year, which should generate enough revenue to help them keep their arbitration-eligible players (Leo Nunez, Anibal Sanchez, Clay Hensley). 

Houston Astros: SELLERS

The Astros changed owners this season and within a month they should be getting a lot of new players too. Plus, with the worst record in baseball (28-51) there are few untouchable names on the roster.

Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn are constantly mentioned as possible trade chips even though both are young and under team control for at least another season. The sentiment is that the Astros need to completely rebuild and Pence and Bourn are the only players who could net several impact prospects in a trade.

Far more likely is that the Astros unload some of their surplus pitching, starting with righty Brett Myers and lefty Wandy Rodriguez. Infielders Jeff Keppinger and Clint Barnes should also be available in minor trades. The dream scenario is if the Astros can find a team willing to take on Carlos Lee’s albatross of a contract ($19 million in 2012).

Kansas City Royals: SELLERS

The Royals, 33-45, figure to be one of the busiest teams at the deadline once again as they retool around one of the best, young cores in baseball.

There as many as a dozen players who could leave Kansas City in the right deal. On the offensive side of the ball, Wilson Betemit, Melky Cabrera, Jeff Francoeur, Alex Gordon and Mike Aviles are all available and arbitration-eligible. GM Dayton Moore could also unload starters Jeff Francis, Kyle Davies and Bruce Chen.

One name to keep an eye on is righty Joakim Soria, the Royals closer who has struggled this season but at 27 has one of most electric arms in the game. This is likely Moore’s last chance to get anything for him, and with the team so close to contending he might finally pull the trigger.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: TBA

The Angels are a game under .500, and yet they stand only two games behind the Texas Rangers for the AL West lead. That’s a small gap for a team with this much talent, but the Angels are still horribly flawed.

On the one hand, Jered Weaver, Dan Haren and Ervin Santana form as good of a starting top three as there is in baseball. On the other hand, the two big bats in the lineup (Vernon Wells and Torii Hunter) are still struggling, with only rookie Mark Trumbo showing any signs of life with the bat.

Further complicating matters is the fact that owner Arte Moreno told GM Tony Reagins that he wants to cut spending. With a payroll bordering $142 million that’s easier said than done. Reagins will have to trade Joel Pineiro ($8 million) and/or Fernando Rodney ($5.5 million) just to have some wiggle room at the deadline. 

Los Angeles Dodgers: SELLERS

It goes without saying that a team that just filed for bankruptcy will not be adding salary at the trade deadline. However, just because the Dodgers are in financial limbo and 34-55 doesn’t mean that GM Ned Colletti will host a fire sale either.

With close to $70 million expected to come off the books next season, Colletti shouldn’t be under any pressure to sell off his players for free. Hiroki Kuroda, Jamey Carroll and Casey Blake all have value as trade chips, especially since they’ll soon be free agents. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Jon Garland or Mike MacDougal moved either.

Forget about superstar Matt Kemp being available. The Dodgers would much rather wait until Frank McCourt is out of town to figure out a possible extension for Kemp and teammate Andre Ethier. The same can’t be said of closer Jonathan Broxton, who the Dodgers can’t wait to get rid of.            

Milwaukee Brewers: BUYERS

The Brewers were big-time buyers during the offseason, acquiring starts Zack Greinke and Shawn Marcum in two separate deals. The moves paid off, as the Brewers hold a three game lead in the NL Central with a 44-35 record.

Now, with the trade deadline approaching the Brewers are expected to be big-time buyers again. They don’t have a ton of pieces to move after nearly depleting their farm system in the Greinke and Marcum deals, but they did just draft two big-time starters in Taylor Jungmann and Jed Bradley so GM Doug Melvin should be able to piece something together.

The Brewers would like to add another bullpen piece, preferably a left-handed one, behind closer John Axford and cut down on the workload for Marco Estrada (47.2 IP) and Kameron Loe (37.2 IP). Mike Gonzalez, John Grabow and Randy Choate are the best names on the market and should all be within Melvin’s price range.

Minnesota Twins: SELLERS

It’s hard to imagine how the Twins season could have gone any worse. They stumbled out of the game en route to baseball’s worst record. Then they made a surge behind the big bat of Justin Morneau with Joe Mauer nearing a return. Now, Morneau is out until August and Mauer is out until (who knows?) and the Twins sit at dead last in the AL Central with a 32-44 record.

There’s almost nothing to salvage here, even if everyone returns from the DL. The only logical thing to do is to sell.

Michael Cuddyer, a lifetime Twin, is the most likely to go, with Matt Capps, Jason Kubel and Jim Thome not very far behind him. Lefty Francisco Liriano is also available, although the Twins would like to see him pitch better to boost his value before trading him. Relievers Matt Capps and Joe Nathan (both impending free agents) should also receive plenty of calls.

New York Mets: SELLERS

The Mets, 39-39, may not be the laughingstock they were earlier in the season, but this is still a franchise headed in the wrong direction and in need of a face lift.

After owner Fred Wilpon all but ran over his players with his comments earlier this year, the Mets seemed poised for a fire sale. Those notions have died down as Wilpon and GM Sandy Alderson have shown a willingness to trying to sign Jose Reyes long-term.

Not so lucky are Carlos Beltran, one of the most popular trade candidates, and Francisco Rodriguez, who recently announced he’d accept a set-up role if he was traded to a contender.  The Mets need lots of long-term help, with an emphasis on starting pitching.

New York Yankees: BUYERS

As long as one of the Steinbrenner’s has a pulse, the Yankees will always be buyers at the deadline. The difference between this year and previous seasons is that the Yankees (45-31, second best record in MLB) actually desperately need help.

They’ve survived thus far on the backs of Bartolo Colon, Freddy Garcia and Ivan Nova, but nobody in the Yankees front office or in baseball in general thinks that will continue. That means priority No. 1 for GM Brian Cashman is finding starting pitching, and lots of it.

The Yankees have been linked to lefties Wandy Rodriguez and Francisco Liriano, as well as righties Brett Myers, Carlos Zambrano and Hiroki Kuroda. Cashman’s dream trade would be to pry Mark Buerhle away from the White Sox, but that seems unlikely even with Jesus Montero being floated around as trade bait. The Yankees will also look for a reliever to replace the injured Rafael Soriano, possibly Heath Bell or Brian Fuentes.

Oakland Athletics: SELLERS

The A’s were a popular pick to win the AL West because they had some of the best young starting pitching people had ever seen. The rotation lived up to its billing, but unfortunately the offense is still nonexistent and couldn’t help Oakland avoid a 35-44 start.

The reward for many of those hitters is going to be a trade. All three outfielders (Coco Crisp, David DeJesus, Josh Willingham) will be free agents at season’s end and have some value as a third or fourth outfielder for a contending team, with Willingham generating the most interest.

Infielder Mark Ellis is also being scouted heavily and could be headed across town to the Giants soon. Another player to keep an eye on is Rich Harden, who is set to return from the DL later this week and could provide a major boost for a team in need of starting pitching (Yankees?)

Philadelphia Phillies: BUYERS

The Phillies, 49-30, may have the best record in all of baseball, but even great teams have holes. So what’s Philadelphia’s?

The rotation has been as good as everyone thought it would be, even with Roy Oswalt potentially out for the season. However, the offense has been a bit of a disappointment with the Phillies hitting just .246 as a team with a .693 OPS.

It’s not surprising, therefore, that the Phillies have been looking at outfielders and right-handed bats like Michael Cuddyer, Ryan Ludwick and Josh Willingham to provide a boost. The Phillies could also add a reliever or two. The only problem is that they’re right at the luxury tax threshold and will need to cut off some excess fat (Joe Blanton?) in order to make a deal. 

Pittsburgh Pirates: NEITHER

The Pirates have been selling their players for nearly as long as I’ve been watching baseball, but this year is different. Even though Pittsburgh is just 39-38 and has no real shot at making the playoffs, this is a team on the verge of great things. Sometimes it’s more important to have a winning season (something the Pirates haven’t done since 1992) than it is to build for the long-term.

The Pirates would like to upgrade the offense and maybe add a starter or two, although it won’t be long until No. 1 overall pick Gerrit Cole is in the majors. They’d also like to resign lefty Paul Maholm, who at 29 is having a career year and is currently the ace of the staff.

 As far as trade chips, one of Chris Snyder or Ryan Doumit is likely gone. Both 30-year-old catchers will be free agents at the end of the season and it makes little sense for GM Neal Huntington to hold on to both of them.

San Diego Padres: SELLERS

The low-budget Padres were the feel good story of 2010, but without slugger Adrian Gonzalez they’ve become little more than a 34-45 doormat.

Heath Bell has been one of the hottest names on the trade market for months, and it looks like GM Jed Hoyer will wait as long as he can to get a big offer. As many as a dozen teams could get involved and even those clubs not in need of a closer would love to add Bell.

The Padres also have several other trade chips in outfielder Ryan Ludwick, second baseman Orlando Hudson, shortstop Jason Bartlett and pitchers Mike Adams, Chad Qualls and Aaron Harang. Hoyer won’t deplete the roster entirely, but the Padres will definitely be one of the most active teams at the deadline.

San Francisco Giants: BUYERS

The defending world champions at 44-34 are holding on to a slim lead in the NL West, but it’s only going to get harder unless they make a big splash at the deadline.

The Giants were all over Jose Reyes early in the season, but those talks are dead. Instead, the Giants are looking at A’s second baseman Mark Ellis as a quick infield fix, although they really need a bigger bat like a Cuddyer or Beltran. GM Brian Sabean has also been looking at Yorvit Torrealba at catcher to replace the injured Buster Posey, with Ivan Rodriguez and Ronny Paulino as fall back options.

The Giants have as good of a pitching staff as there is baseball, but the offense has struggled in the absences of Posey and Pablo Sandoval. Only two players, Pat Burrell and Cody Ross, have an OPS above .750 and the middle infielders have just six home runs as a unit.

Seattle Mariners: SELLERS

The Mariners, 39-39, are close enough to the Rangers to make them sweat. However, a team with only one player sporting an OPS above .700 (Justin Smoak) isn’t really built for the playoffs, no matter how good the rotation is.

The Mariners will wait to pull the trigger as long as they can, but the general sentiment is that sooner or later GM Jack Zduriencik will push the “sell” button. If and when that happens, lefty Erik Bedard will be the first to go after rebounding from three injury-plagued seasons to have a terrific year.

Once Bedard is dealt, several players could be made available. Jack Wilson and Jack Cust have value as utility players, while Chris Ray, Jamey Wright and David Aardsma are all capable middle relievers. 

St. Louis Cardinals: BUYERS

The Cardinals may have lost Albert Pujols for an extended period of time, but at 41-38 they’re still in good shape to stay in the race until their superstar returns.

Besides, the offense is the least of the Cardinals’ problems. The bullpen is holding together by a thread and St. Louis would love to add a more established closer to take the pressure off Fernando Salas.

Two names on the Cardinals' wish list are Heath Bell and Jason Bartlett of the Padres. Bell could take over as the St. Louis closer while Bartlett could play shortstop with Ryan Theriot moving to second base. Other relievers the Cardinals could look at include lefty J.C. Romero and righty Chad Qualls. 

Tampa Bay Rays: BOTH

In any other division the Rays would be the runaway favorite. However, in the AL East the 44-34 Rays (fourth best record in baseball) are still just in third place. That translates into the Rays being a very good team without a playoff spot.

The Rays could certainly make some moves and add payroll, with a particular emphasis on offense. However, GM Andrew Friedman also knows that a two-month rental doesn’t do his team much good and may instead look to add prospects and/or major-league-ready players.

Among the pieces the Rays could move are closer Kyle Farnsworth, who is having an outstanding season, and centerfielder B.J. Upton, who continues to struggle as he enters his prime. The Nationals are one team that would love to land Upton, but the price is probably too high at this point.

Texas Rangers: BUYERS

The 41-38 Rangers may have lost out on Cliff Lee, but this is still one very good team that is poised to make a deep postseason run for the second year in a row.

GM Jon Daniels wants to get bullpen help to decrease the Rangers’ reliance on veterans Arthur Rhodes and Darren Oliver. He’s also been looking at adding a starter, with righty Jeremy Guthrie as a prime target.

The Rangers don’t have too many tradable pieces (Michael Young?), but they could offer either Yorvit Torrealba or Taylor Teagarden to a team like the Giants and maybe get a third team involved to make the deal work.

Toronto Blue Jays: SELLERS

The Blue Jays are another victim of AL East syndrome, otherwise known as “there’s no way we can compete in this division.” They put up a good effort, but at 39-39 they’re already seven games back and falling by the day.

Luckily, the Blue Jays hold some leverage over their division rivals in that they have exactly what the Yankees and Red Sox need: relievers. Among the relievers Toronto could offer as trade bait are Frank Francisco, Jason Frasor, Jon Rauch, Octavio Dotel and even Shawn Camp.

Frasor is the best of the bunch, but any of these righties could help a big league team. The Blue Jays, meanwhile, are in the market for a third baseman and possibly an outfielder.

Washington Nationals: SELLERS

Few people expected the Nationals to be competitive this season, especially with Stephen Strasburg sidelined for the year and Bryce Harper still in the minors. But at 40-38 this a surprisingly decent team with enormous potential for growth.

Still, that doesn’t mean GM Mike Rizzo will lose sight of the long-term plan, especially the draft haul of Anthony Rendon and Alex Meyer. Instead, look for the Nationals to make some small moves and come back in 2012 ready to make some noise.

Ivan Rodriguez is all but gone with Wilson Ramos entrenched at catcher. Jason Marquis and Tyler Clippard are two other good pitchers who could be moved for the right price. On the cheaper side, Livan Hernandez, Todd Coffey and Rick Ankiel are all trade bait.