This Sunday 31 July 27, 2011, is the deadline to sign in all trade deals. Find out what are the most essential needs for the AL and the NL.
In the side of the AL Central there are four teams that require an urgent assistance, and maybe do some necessary changes. First are the Twins and the White Sox that are still deciding if they will sell or buy. Then we have the Tigers, which are having an intense search for a starting pitching. The Indians are looking for outfield assistance for the dog days of summer.
Having such a talented team, the Rays must deal with the dilemma of becoming sellers; rumors say that Upton and Farnsworth may be included in a trade list, and the Yankees and the Red Sox could be serious buyers. At the AL West, the Angels and the Rangers usually are tight competitors with Angels trying to catch up the Rangers, so it's a possibility that they will look to get the same players for their own.
So, in a brief count, these are what the AL contenders are looking for:
The Red Sox are in need of a right hander or a switch-hitting outfielder, especially with the injured J.D. Drew. This may don't be necessary but they could use a good reliever.The Yankees require a top-notch starting pitcher but for some reason they cannot afford the ones they want. They are strongly interested in Ubaldo Jimenez and James Shields, but they don't want to pay the price for Jimenez and the Rays are not open to trade Shields inside the division.
The Rangers are looking for a reliever, or that is what the Manager Ron Washington suggested. They need a powerful right handed and Washington mentioned it's a top priority. Apparently they want Beltran, but he may not waive his trade clause to moving at the AL.
The Tigers need a starting pitcher with urgency; they haven't seen another dependable starter pitcher, so if any club has an arm available is quite possible that the Tigers already preyed on him.
With the absence of Shin-Soo Choo and Grady Sizemore, The Indians require an outfield and offensive assistance. Josh Willingham, Coco Crisp, Ryan Ludwick and the already mentioned Upton are part of the candidates in a list topped by Michael Brantley.
The Twins are in need of a reliever, maybe two. This isn't going to fill the gap between Joe Nathan and Matt Capps in any case, but the Twins could use some stability.
Cardinals Outfielder Colby Rasmus is one of the options the White Sox is aiming. The left handed has made 14 more runs than any of the three White Sox outfielders combined, so this addition could be a very productive upgrade.
The Rays got records that could have put them at the top, however their playoff hopes seems like they won't reach the light. So they probably will become sellers. They haven't said anything but the other clubs are hungry for Upton and Shield.
Angels... they need a relief help, they usually look for powerful third base hitters, but it seems this wont be the case this time, also they only have Mike Trout, but he is off limits and the rest of the prospects are unlikely ready to contribute.