As Trade Deadline looms, which AL teams need to make moves the most?

The Major League Baseball Trade Deadline nears and all of the American League divisional races are close. The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees are separated by two games; the Detroit Tigers, Cleveland Indians, and Chicago White Sox are separated by 3 1/2 games, with the Minnesota Twins 7 games behind; and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have remained within striking distance of the red-hot Texas Rangers.

So many teams have playoff aspirations, but only four of these nine teams will be playing October baseball. Which ones need an upgrade in order to?

Boston Red Sox

Boston is one of the few teams that could very well stand pat. And they should, for once. They have gone 13-2 since ace Jon Lester went down on July 5th, with Kyle Weiland and Andrew Miller predominately serving as their fourth and fifth starters. Lester pitched very well in his return on Monday, and if they can now get Clay Buchholz back on the mound and healthy Boston will have bolstered their rotation as well as any trade could.

Carl Crawford is back and hitting much better than he was the first few months of the season. His average is still below .250, but he is getting used to life as a Red Sox and finding his stride as a result. Josh Reddick has been swinging a tremendous bat all season long, and continued production from him will continue to bolster baseball’s top offense. It wouldn’t hurt to add a backup catcher, but acquiring one isn’t altogether necessary, as Jared Saltalamacchia and Jason Varitek have performed well.

New York Yankees

The Yankees have the offense to make the playoffs, but their pitching is suspect. All-Star snub CC Sabathia has pitched brilliantly, as he is 14-5 with a 2.62 ERA, but there are question marks behind him. The staff ERA is solid, at 3.69, but there is a reason the team has been linked to the Rockies’ Ubaldo Jimenez. A.J. Burnett is hot and cold, Phil Hughes just returned and struggled mightily in his third start back, and New York has to wonder how much longer Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia can be efficient.

Along with Jimenez, they have been linked to the Dodgers’ Hiroki Kuroda, as well as the Oakland Athletics’ Rich Harden and Gio Gonzalez. The latter two have not been made available, yet the Yankees have the prospects to make a bold move if General Manager Brian Cashman so chooses.

The Yankees are 6 1/2 games up on the next Wild Card contender, the Angels, but there is more than two months of baseball left, so anything can happen. Teams have lost that advantage in the season’s final two weeks before. It has been proven that pitching wins championships, and it’s hard to see New York’s rotation holding up, hypothetically, against the Phillies if they were to meet in the World Series.

Detroit Tigers

The Tigers are another team in need of starting pitching if they want to play in the postseason. Like the Yankees, they don’t need an ace, as Justin Verlander has been consistently befuddling the opposition. What they do need is depth. They are looking at a pair of Seattle Mariners, Doug Fister and Jason Vargas, as well as San Diego’s Aaron Harang. Each of these three would definitely help lower their team ERA of 4.02, which ranks 19th in the majors.

The team also needs relief pitching badly, as their 4.70 ERA is the majors’ second worst. Leo Nunez, the Florida Marlins closer, is on the market and would be a smart acquisition if General Manager Dave Dombrowski is willing to shrink the farm.

Cleveland Indians

The Indians have been one of baseball’s most surprising teams, but to keep pace the rest of the way and reach the playoffs they need an offensive spark. Acquiring B.J. Upton would suffice. He is hitting only .229, but he has 15 homers and 53 rbis and really needs to get out of Tampa Bay. He is on the chopping block while he still has value, and it is believed that the 26-year-old extremely athletic outfielder will end up either with the Atlanta Braves or San Francisco Giants. Both of those National League teams could use the production his talent is capable of providing, but the Indians should enter the mix if they haven’t already.

Their starting rotation has the ninth-worst ERA in the majors thus far, at 4.37, so adding a middle-of-the-rotation starter would benefit the staff greatly. It is easy to assume they would go after Vargas, Fister, Harang, or even Harden, given how slim the pickings are on the pitching market.

Chicago White Sox

This is the week that could decide the White Sox season. They are 49-51, and though only 4 1/2 games out of first General Manager Kenny Williams is reportedly willing to “turn over the entire roster.”

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“On one hand, you can look toward potentially adding (players),” said Williams, according to ESPN Chicago. “We’d have to add creatively because of the financial situation right now. And on the other hand, maybe this is the most opportune time to turn over the entire roster and get some young, exciting players in here and go that route.”

“We don’t really know where we stand. To a large degree over the next six days we’ll find out.”

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If a team isn’t sure which direction they want to go, going for the youth movement greatly trumps trading the farm and overpaying veterans. They are in a division with three other teams that will contend for years to come. Seeing what their young players are made of may transform into fielding a solid group of talent that is ready to compete far sooner than the term ‘youth movement’ suggests.

They have plenty of trade pieces if they want to pile up the prospects. Power-hitters Carlos Quentin and Paul Konerko would likely bring the most return.

Minnesota Twins

The Twins are 7 1/2 back, but they won’t be sellers at the deadline. Michael Cuddyer is their most prized asset and many teams are interested in him, but the team has said he will remain. Not only that, but they desire to re-sign him even if they fall out of contention. The .272 career hitter is batting .296, with 14 homers, 48 rbis, and a .371 On-Base Percentage.

Jose Mijares, their young catcher whose career is stunted by Mauer’s presence, center-fielder Denard Span, and starting pitcher Kevin Slowey also have their fair share of suitors. The Washington Nationals are particularly interested in Span.

Despite all of their potential trade pieces, the Twins are believed to be in “go-for-it mode”, according to CBS Sports’ Scott Miller. They know two months remain. Anything can happen.

To do what they hope to, they will need to add a bat and a reliever. There is no reason to believe they can’t.

Texas Rangers

The Rangers aren’t entirely satisfied with their position, though they lead their division. They are making a strong push to acquire Carlos Beltran, who is having a bounce-back season for the New York Mets and is seen as the top offensive trade asset. I would go after him if I were Jon Daniels, Texas’s General Manager.

His contract expires after this season, so they have no future commitment to him. Historically, many trade deadline acquisitions who are also rent-a-players have succeeded. Sabathia was unhittable during his 2008 stint with the Milwaukee Brewers, while Cliff Lee was similarly excellent with the Phillies in 2009.

The Rangers don’t have to make this big splash to win the division, but they want a left-fielder and another arm in the bullpen. They are interested in Padres’ closer Heath Bell, but by looking at players on the trade market’s second tier, they could find suitable players at affordable prices to bolster what is already a dangerous team.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

The Angels are trying to get on the Rangers level, but they will need to upgrade their offense in order to. Cuddyer being off the board thins the market, but Chicago Cubs’ third baseman Aramis Ramirez could be had. The Angels are fourth in the majors in team ERA, at 3.36, so adding offense should continue to be their main priority.

All of these teams have holes to fill, and most if not all will acquire pieces in hopes accomplishing their goal. Some will be successful, some won’t. The next few days will decide what is possible over the next two months. Divisions are up for grabs. Time will tell who comes out on top.