Deadline Breakdown: AL Central

AL Central – The AL Central is strictly a 3-team race. Kansas City has taken its regular place towards the bottom of the division and the Indians are just a shade above God-awful. However, any division with Ozzie Guillen and Joe Mauer is worth a close look.

1. Chicago White Sox – The South Siders are 1.5 games ahead of the Twins in first place and have just made a move that could possibly lead to them getting their man, Adam Dunn. Their acquisition of Edwin Jackson probably isn’t to bolster their rotation (c’mon, dude has a 5.16 ERA) but he does have upside if that’s what they chose to do with him. I think this trade is foreshadowing an interesting day to come at tomorrow’s deadline.
   Possible Players: OF Adam Dunn – Washington Nationals, 1B – Prince Fielder – Milwaukee Brewers.
   
   
2. Minnesota Twins – With Morneau still dealing with symptoms of a concussion he received just before the All-Star break, the Twins will likely need some help if they want to win the Central. They have already made a preemptive strike by trading for, closer, Matt Capps. Twins probably won’t pursue a bat in a trade; OF Delmon Young has ramped up his offensive effort since the break and is doing a great job of filling the void left by Morneau’s absence. I think giving up their top catching prospect for Capps is probably the last big splash coming out of the Twin Cities this season.
   Possible Players: possibly low level relievers like Ramon Ramirez of the Red Sox or Will Ohman from the Orioles, but nothing big. Capps was their blue chipper.
   
   
3. Detroit Tigers – After acquiring Jhonny Peralta from the Indians, it’s unlikely that Mike Lowell will wind up with the Tigers; however, anything is possible. Their focus now will probably turn to securing their rotation. I don’t know if they will be able to find a good deal for a starting pitcher between now and Saturday, but it would definitely help. I’m not sure if Verlander and Scherzer can shoulder the load alone.
   Possible Players: SP Paul Maholm – Pittsburgh Pirates, SP Kevin Millwood – Baltimore Orioles, SP – Jarrod Washburn – free agency.
   
   
4. Kansas City Royals – The Royals, again, are the go to team for deals at the deadline. A number of teams have been linked to David DeJesus; however, Kyle Farnsworth and Bruce Chen could also be finding new homes by the end of the weekend. The Red Sox and Yankees could make some sense for a Farnsworth deal – even though his 2.5 seasons in NY were very unsuccessful.
   Possible Players: They have a good, young pitcher in Greinke to build a team around; but the '09 Cy Young winner wont be enuogh. I could see them surprising everyone by dealing Alex Gordon as a part of a package deal - which would likely land them some serious talent - but I don’t know if the team is ready to give up on their golden boy.
   
   
5. Cleveland Indians – The Indians have already made one deal, getting rid of Jhonny Peralta, but there could be more to come. Travis Hafner, Rafael Perez and Jake Westbrook could be on their way out as well. This is purely based on speculation and my own personal opinion, but it could be true. Last year, they traded Victor Martinez to the Red Sox for righty Justin Masterson; it will be interesting to see if they part ways with “Pronk” (Hafner) as well.
   Possible Players: The Indians could use some help on their infield as well as in the bullpen. If Grady Sizemore can get healthy and Masterson can figure it out next year, this could be a team to watch in the Central in ’11.

Deadline Breakdown: NL Central

NL Central – The biggest division in baseball has only two viable contenders. Cincinnati and St. Louis are deadlocked atop the central division and it’s looking like the Reds are for real this season. All the other teams are sellers so this should prove to be one of the more active divisions in terms of both buying and selling this season.

1. St. Louis Cardinals – Their bats are fine in the outfield; however, with the exception of Pujols at first base, the Cards are very thin in the infield. Yadier Molina, Felipe Lopez, Skip Schumaker and Tyler Greene are all hitting below .270 and none of the other Cardinals hitters are buyable leadoff hitters (maybe Colby Rasmus but he’s better served further down the lineup or at the 2-spot). I look for them to back up their outstanding pitching staff with a reliable hitter for their middle infield who can possibly hit lead-off.
   Possible Players: SS/2B Julio Lugo (.255 avg. but he hit well for them last year), 2B Luis Castillo – New York Mets (a career .291 hitter with speed), INF Gordon Beckham – Chicago White Sox (price may be too high).
   
   
2. Cincinnati Reds – The Reds are in the opposite position of the Cardinals; their infield is hitting well, but they could use some help in the outfield. Jay Bruce and Johnny Gomes are solid, not great, in the outfield; however, Drew Stubbs is hitting only .235 with a .309 OBP. I could see them trying to find a replacement in the outfield, but I’m not sure that they will pursue a big name like Dunn or Corey Hart.
   Possible Players: OF David DeJesus – Kansas City Royals, OF Garrett Jones – Pittsburgh Pirates, OF Cody Ross – Florida Marlins.
   
   
3. Milwaukee Brewers – The Brewers are sellers this year (whether they want to believe it or not). There have been talks of trading Prince Fielder as well as Hart, and rebuilding the team around Yovanni Gallardo and Ryan Braun. I like the idea, and they should get a lot of major-league-ready prospects for them if/when they decide to go through with a trade.
   Possible Players: prospects, prospects, prospects. They are building for the future, not a playoff run this year; however, I do expect them to hold on to veteran 2B Rickie Weeks.
   
   
4. Chicago Cubs – Those poor Cubbies. This year will not be the end of their century-long World Series curse; however, they can dump some hefty contracts and retool for a run next year. I think they’ll keep Soriano, but I don’t know if any MLB team will bite on Carlos Zambrano. Big-Z just has too much baggage; but, if they could move him, it would definitely make their team better for next year.
   Possible Players: step one will be finding a buyer for Zambrano; the next step will be to try and find a manager to take over for Lou Piniella in 2011.
   
   
5. Houston Astros – Seems like the ‘Stros are going to send Roy Oswalt to the Phillies for J.A. Happ and 2 other prospects. That is a sign of more moves to come for a team in transition. I think they could be moving more guys – possibly Hunter Pence, Lance Berkman and/or Carlos Lee – by Saturday’s deadline.
   Possible Players: they’ve acquired Happ (if the aforementioned trade goes through) but that might be all their getting this year in terms of current big leaguers. I’m willing to bet the rest of their trades result in acquiring prospects from the minors for next year.
   
   
6. Pittsburgh Pirates – First off, I don’t know why they’re in the NL Central, Pennsylvania is on the east coast; but that’s an argument for another time. Pittsburgh has done a better job keeping its talent and building upon that each year. I don’t suspect many moves for them, other than trying to move Jones. It should be a relatively quiet deadline for the Bucs.
   Possible Players: whatever they can get for a middle-of-the-road player like Jones.

Deadline Breakdown: NL East

NL East – This division race isn’t as close as it has been in past years; however, that could change after this year’s trade deadline. With the Braves starting to falter atop the division, and the resurgence of the Phillies, Mets and Marlins in the second half, the only team that seems to be out of the pennant race is the Nationals.

1. Atlanta Braves – It’s no secret that the Braves are in dire need of another big bat in the outfield. Rookie sensation, Jason Heyward, has returned from the disable list on a tear, and their trade for SS Alex Gonzalez was a move in the right direction. They’re still going to need someone with a little speed to play some center field for them, because Nate McLouth has been a huge disappointment in ’10.
   Possible Players: OF – David DeJesus – Kansas City Royals, OF Michael Bourn or Hunter Pence – Houston Astros, OF Garrett Jones – Pittsburgh Pirates (although he’s more of a corner outfielder).
   
   
2. Philadelphia Phillies – The Phillies are in talks right now for starting pitching; specifically Roy Oswalt of the Houston Astros. Right now, Brad Lidge is a big concern for the Phils as he continues to get himself back to where he was two years ago – when the Phillies won the World Series. If the Phils can get back their key bat, Chase Utley, and continue to pitch as well as they have, they’ll be in good enough shape to make a run at the Braves without making a major splash this weekend.
   Possible Players: SP Roy Oswalt – Houston Astros, DeJesus, Jones, SP Ted Lilly – Chicago Cubs.
   
   
3. New York Mets – The Mets are a tough group to size-up. Currently, they’re still in the race for the NL East, so I’m going to assume that they’re trying to add to their roster. They need some hitting in the middle of their lineup, because they are ranked 20th or below in every major offensive category. Free agent signee, Jason Bay, has been a total disappointment thus far. If the Mets are sellers this weekend, look for them to deal guys like Carlos Beltran, Alex Cora or Pedro Feliciano. Beltran has a big contract and doesn’t seem likely to move, but Angel Pagan has played very well in his absence. I believe the Mets wouldn’t mind trying to get some value for the injury-prone outfielder.
   Possible Players: depends on whether they’re sellers or buyers but two guys that could really help their chances are 2B Kelly Johnson – Arizona Diamondbacks, or OF Corey Hart – Milwaukee Brewers (although the asking price might be too high for these guys).
   
   
4. Florida Marlins – The Marlins are looking like sellers this deadline; even though they are playing well and could possibly be one or two key players away from the postseason. I am looking for the Marlins to try and get a maximum return for players like Dan Uggla and reliever Leo Nuñez. They could also end up dealing lower level fill-ins like Jorge Cantu and Cody Ross to teams that need a short-term fix in a key spot.
   Possible Players: prospects from the Yankees, Red Sox, and/or any other team that is looking to trade with them at the deadline.
   
   
5. Washington Nationals – The Nats have a lot of young talent in their infield – Ryan Zimmerman and Ian Desmond – and especially in pitching – Strasburg and Drew Storen. They will likely be trying to add to their wealth of young talent at the deadline with teams asking for Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham. They could also end up dealing reliever Matt Capps, who is having a career year and would likely bring the Nationals at least one very good prospect.
   Possible Players: prospects from the Yankees, Giants, Braves, Rays, or Tigers.

Deadline Breakdown: AL East

With the July 31st trade deadline just a few days away, I figured I would break down each division and the needs of its teams. Starting with the AL East and and ending in the NL West.

AL East – This is probably the strongest division in baseball – with the exception of the Orioles – and also one of the most amorphous. The Red Sox and Yankees are changing every year and you’d be hard pressed to find one year where all of the teams stayed static at the deadline.

1. New York Yankees – As always, the Yankees are likely to be big spenders at the deadline. I’m not familiar with a lot of their prospects that will likely be dealt; however, I do know that they need an extra bat. Granderson has been disappointing in his first season in pinstripes and they could also use a bat in the DH spot so that Posada can assume his regular catching duties.
   Possible Players: 1B/DH/OF Adam Dunn - Washington Nationals, OF - David DeJesus - Kansas City Royals, 3B/1B/DH Mike Lowell - Boston Red Sox (yea right, like we'd help them).
   
   
2. Tampa Bay Rays – Maddon and his club are not known for doing major deals at the deadline; but, as the Sox get healthy, the Rays are going to need a power, left-handed bat in the middle of the order to secure the Wild Card spot. I’m not sure how much longer they can survive with a .200 hitter – Carlos Peña – hitting cleanup.
   Possible Players: Dunn, Lowell, 1B/DH Prince Fielder - Milwaukee Brewers.
   
   
3. Boston Red Sox – How’s this for a deal at the deadline, an all-star and former MVP/Rookie of the Year at second base, a .300 lead-off hitter who stole 70 bases last year and a strong young 23-year-old reliever. By late August the Sox should be getting Pedroia and Ellsbury back from injury. Also, it’d a much better move for Theo Epstein to retain his young talent and call up young right-hander Michael Bowden to replace the ineffective, Hideki Okajima. I don’t foresee any big deals for the Sox this year.
   Possible Players: RHP Leo Nunez - Florida Marlins, LHP Scott Downs - Toronto Blue Jays, DeJesus.
   
   
4. Toronto Blue Jays – If their GM is smart, he’ll know that there’s no possible way that Bautista repeats his ridiculous numbers next year in Toronto. They already made a huge splash landing a much younger Yunel Escobar and some prospects for Alex Gonzalez; if he could pull off a deal for more young talent – preferably starting pitching – then they’d be in a much better position to win next year.
   Possible Players: It's hard to tell, right now, what the market is for Bautista; but, his last 2-HR game puts him at 30 for the year so they should get something good.
   
   
5. Baltimore Orioles – Sorry @kylegrantham, but you guys just need a solid hiding spot or something. It’s hard to establish team needs on the field, when you don’t know who’s going to be managing the team next season. Hire Buch Showalter, then we’ll talk trades.
   Possible Players: I hear they're holding tryouts (not really, but they should...go for it Kyle)