MLB Trade Deadline Possibilities: What to Expect From the American League, National League

Three things one man thinks he can do better than anyone else: grill meat, drive a car, and manage a baseball team.

So when you hear Mike from Marietta or Sammy from Schaumburg complaining about the moves their Braves or Cubs made or didn’t make as the calendar moves toward the end of July, you know it’s the trade deadline.

It’s hard to remember a trade deadline that’s ever seen so many contenders, legitimate or not. The National League continues to race for the wild cards with seven teams six games behind the New York Mets for the final spot. The American League isn’t as wild, but should still have plenty of suspense through September.

There are only five sure sellers – maybe six if/when Toronto admits it’s not their year – and that will mean chaos on a grand scale. also lead to little action as salespeople try to squeeze every conceivable perspective out of a candidate to find the one who might make the difference.

So who needs to take action and who can probably stand their ground? Let’s take a look.

AMERICAN LEAGUE COMMERCIAL OBJECTIVES

The Yankees are going to make changes because general manager Brian Cashman is going to get trashed by the media if he doesn’t. Plus, you can’t throw away the best years of Juan Soto and Aaron Judge’s careers by hitting the snooze button on July 31.

Seattle could use a bat in the worst way possible. Its 10-game lead has shrunk to 3 1/2 games, and Houston is quickly closing in on itself. The Mariners need to show some drive and talent if they want to see October.

Kansas City will be an interesting club to watch. This is their first time in a long time, but how much will they add to their payroll? And where will they add the most: a lineup that could use another at-bat or a bullpen that could benefit from another reliable late-inning arm?

Cleveland enters the final 67 games with the best record in the league But there is also a dire need for starting pitchers. A dynamic bullpen has done a lot, but they could use a few more players who can reach the sixth or seventh inning.

The worst team in baseball might have a say in who makes the playoffs magic happen. The Chicago White Sox are 44 games under .500, but they have one of the best starters this year in Garrett Crochet. Add him to someone’s rotation and, for the right set of prospects, your team might just fly a flag.

And as a great philosopher once said, flags fly forever.

TRADE OPPORTUNITIES IN THE NATIONAL LEAGUE

By sweeping the Los Angeles Dodgers last week, Philadelphia established itself as the team to beat. It has the best pitching and some of the best hitters. On paper, it has the fewest holes, but it also won’t hesitate to pull the trigger to strengthen.

Los Angeles will play in October, but the question of who will pitch for this team is becoming increasingly worrisome. The team has nearly its entire pitching staff on the injured list and isn’t going anywhere in its current configuration. But it has the money and the prospects to fix any problem it wants.

Atlanta will find an outfielder or two somewhere. If Alex Anthopoulos replicates his 2021 magic, which he isI’m already trying to deal with Eddie Rosario’s returndon’t bet against the Braves with their starting pitcher.

After those three, it’s a coin flip to see who can make the moves. Most of the wild-card contenders could use more arms. You’ll see teams like the New York Mets, San Diego and Chicago Cubs perhaps overpaying for their pitchers.

Pittsburgh managed to get within 1 1/2 games at the end of the break, but reports suggest owner Bob Nutting isn’t going to open the checkbook. General manager Ben Cherington needs more offensive power to go along with some quality young starting pitchers.

Additionally, Washington could easily go into seller mode and bring in veterans like Jesse Winker, as well as reliable bullpen players, to bolster its already deep farm system.