MLB Trade Rumors: Which Moves Could Separate the Pack in the NL Central?

The NL Central may not be the best division in MLB, but it is definitely the closest.

The Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds all find themselves within a handful of games of one another, and it is anyone's guess as to who will come out on top.

The NL Central crown may all boil down to moves made before the July 31st MLB trade deadline, where the Brewers jumped out to a head start by acquiring New York Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez almost two weeks ago.

Will the Brewers make another addition in a season where they are clearly already all-in? Will the Cardinals acquire a much needed bullpen arm?

Here are the latest rumors and speculation surrounding the four NL Central teams vying for the divisional crown.

Who will come out on top? Vote below. 

Pittsburgh Pirates (Projected Finish: 4th Place)

The Pittsburgh Pirates are clearly the feel-good story of the 2011 MLB season, as after nearly 20 years of futility the Bucco's are right in the thick of things in the NL Central race.

The question here is, should GM Neal Huntington make a splash before the trade deadline to boost their chances at a run to the playoffs?

In a simple answer, no.

The Pirates have a great core of young players, plus an abundance of top prospects who could be joining the team in the coming years.

Chances are, the Bucs' will slowly fall back in the Central regardless of whether they make a big-time acquisition. They are a young team, and although competitive, they are still a couple year's away from being considered "contenders."

They were recently said to be interested in the New York Mets' Carlos Beltran—along with the rest of baseball—but Buster Olney recently noted the Bucs' are pretty much out of the conversation at this point.

While the Pirates have also been linked to Colorado Rockies catcher Chris Iannetta, that would be a solid, low-risk move without having to give up a bunch of prospects.

If I were in Huntington's shoes, I would consider trading Paul Maholm for close to MLB-ready talent to avoid having to shell out $10 million on the pitcher next season. I'd maybe even look into selling-high on closer Joel Hanrahan.

Without a doubt, the Pirates appear to have a bright future, but they can't afford to make a foolish move that could potentially slow their climb going forward. 

Cincinnati Reds (Projected Finish: 3rd Place)

The defending NL Central Division champs' have been off to a rocky start to the 2011 season, currently sitting three games under .500. Regardless, they are still only five games behind the Milwaukee Brewers and could prove to be active before the trade deadline.

While the Reds are said to have checked on Carlos Beltran, the haul in which the Mets are looking for in return has seemingly shied GM Walt Jocketty away.

The Reds supposed interest in Rockies pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez has led to massive speculation as to where the fire-baller will end up. My guess is that he will remain in Colorado.

Hunter Pence is for sale and the Reds are said to have interest, but the Astros will probably want a boat load in return to trade him within the division.

A move to acquire either Doug Fister or Jason Vargas from the Mariners is possible, and it would make a whole lot more sense to the Reds seeing as they are a piece or two away from being legitimate contenders.

With a large core of young player's who will be due hefty raises in the coming year's, the Reds, too, need to be careful at the deadline.

They may be best suited to rid themselves of Francisco Cordero's contract at this point. 

St. Louis Cardinals (Projected Finish: 2nd Place)

The St. Louis Cardinals are in a very tough position with Albert Pujols' contract situation looming, but what they do at the deadline could very well shift his future with the team in or out of their favor. 

It's no secret that Pujols not only wants to win, but he expects the Cards' to acquire any pieces necessary to help them accomplish that mission. This means that no team in the Central division has to be more financially cautious while deciding who to acquire at the deadline.

There are definitely affordable options on the market that could help fulfill the Cards' two biggest needs: relief pitching and a mid-rotation starter.

The Cardinals are said to be one of the most aggressive suitors in the chase for Padres closer Heath Bell, who would do wonders in shoring up the young, inexperienced back-end of their bullpen.

Other than that, the biggest rumor floating around has been whether or not the Cards' are looking to part from young outfielder Colby Rasmus. Buster Olney believes they would.

It is clear the Cardinals have a solid team in place, but to win the division, they will need a few upgrades in the rotation and bullpen.

If GM John Mozeliak can land Heath Bell and a mid-rotation starter, then the Cards' should stay in the race until the very end. 

Milwaukee Brewers (Projected Finish: 1st Place)

The Milwaukee Brewers made the first big splash of the trade-season by acquiring Francisco Rodriguez from the New York Mets for a pair of mid-level prospects. Considering the Mets ate most of his remaining contract, I'd call it a solid move by Brewers GM Doug Melvin.

The Brewers are the most well-rounded team within the NL Central division with a solid rotation and now, an uber-solid back end of the bullpen.

Their only glaring need would be to shore up the left side of the infield, where incumbents Yuniesky Betancourt and Casey McGeehee have combined to be the worst offensive/defensive duo in baseball.

Betancourt has been on fire over the last 30 days, but getting at least a platoon player at shortstop should still remain Melvin's priority leading up to July 31st.

The Brewers have reached out to the Dodgers regarding Jamey Carroll, and there has been speculation that they have interest in Rafael Furcal as well.

Rumors of Melvin's interest in Carlos Beltran picked up after Brewers center fielder Carlos Gomez went down with a broken clavicle this past week, but Melvin probably doesn't have the prospects to pull off a deal of this magnitude at this point.

In reality, though, Betancourt and McGeehee have been about as bad as it gets so far this season. Any improvement on their part would be like an acquisition in itself.

The Brewers should have no problem securing their first division title since 1982.