Just as in the NL, the AL has a large number of teams in contention and very few sellers. While the trade deadline cometh, these teams may still trade after–though it is much more difficult. It involves a process of passing the players to be traded through waivers. If they are not claimed, they can be traded. If they are claimed, the team passing the player through waivers may negotiate with the claiming team, or just release the player to team that claimed him. Lots of risk all around, which is why you may see a lot of activity right before the deadline.
Standing pat
Boston Red Sox. Wow, who saw this coming? Why would you mess with this?
Tampa Bay Rays. They had pitching issues at the beginning of the year that they have more or less ironed out. They have no glaring weaknesses; playing together is the best thing this team can do right now.
Detroit Tigers. They had some issues with their older talent getting going, but they seem on the right track for now with no glaring weaknesses.
Buyers
Oakland A’s. A decent hitting outfielder for a good young pitcher? Anyone? Giancarlo Stanton, we know a good real estate agent…
Baltimore Orioles. Best offense in baseball with some of the worst pitching. They need starters in the worst way- perhaps a call to the Phillies? A trade for Lee and Holliday may make sense.
New York Yankees. Good pitching; can’t score. Devoid of prospects but may be able to trade a major league starter for a good hitting infielder.
Cleveland Indians. Great offense; can’t pitch. But a decent starting pitcher might vault them into contention. They have young guys to trade…
Kansas City Royals. Sub .500 but pitching well and no one is running away with the division yet. Could a trade for some position players be in the offing? Do they have anything left to trade?
Texas Rangers. They could use another bat and another starting pitcher, but it might be tough to get both. If they focus on the bat, there are a few out there that could be difference makers.
Sellers
Toronto Blue Jays. Remember when they were coming back? Whoops. One of the worst pitching staffs in the majors means the Jays should sell their former Marlins and start anew with young guys.
LA Angels. Sure, they are not so far out of first, only 9 games. But they are old and have one of the worst pitching staffs in the league. They can sell some old, marginally productive guys with big names- Albert Pujols?- and get the pieces they need to build around Mike Trout.
Seattle Mariners. Pitching not good. Hitting not good. Does this team have a direction? Time to sell some pieces and build from scratch.
Minnesota Twins. Joe Mauer, can we refer you to Giancarlo Stanton’s real estate agent? You may be the next savior on a contending team.
Chicago White Sox. They have some promising young talent but it needs to grow. They should trade their veteran pitching and restock the farm system.
Houston Astros. There is no piece on this team that could not be had for the right price. None.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.