Daily Baseball Update: Trade Deadline Preview

The July 31 Non-Waiver Trade Deadline is fast approaching. After this date, teams must stick with what they have (unless they make a complicated waiver trade) and battle for the final two months of the season. Contending teams, such as the Yankees or Rangers, will look to acquire help in exchange for prospects, while for teams wallowed at the bottom of their division, such as the Cubs or Rockies, while sell off top players to build for the future. Below is a team by team breakdown of what to expect.  Followed teams (see bottom of blog) will have deeper evaluation.

AL East

1. Yankees (52-33, .612 WPCT). The Yankees are leading the AL East by seven games, so they have a comfortable cushion. But, with the starting rotation in shambles due to injuries to C.C. Sabathia, Michael Pineda and Andy Pettitte, they should be looking for a starter at the deadline. The Astros' Wandy Rodriguez or the Cubs' Ryan Dempster could be options.

2. Orioles (45-40, .529).The second Wild Card as of now, Baltimore should be looking to be buyers. With an outfield that currently has Nick Markakis, Endy Chavez and Nolan Reimold on the DL, they could be looking for outfield help. Their starting pitching is also very top heavy and could use some help at the back end, like Randy Wolf or John Lannan.

3. Rays (45-41, .523). The Rays always find a way to pull it out with what they have, but still look for Tampa Bay to add at least a minor piece. They could add a catcher, as the four backstops to see action have combined to hit .187 with just four home runs and 25 RBI. With Evan Longoria out of an already shallow infield since April, they could add a utility man.

4. Red Sox (43-43, .500).The Red Sox have had a disappointing season, but don't look for them to give up yet. They are just 2.5 games out of a Wild Card spot, and hopefully with a healthy Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, Clay Buchholz and Andrew Bailey, they can turn around their ship. Look for Boston to add an outfielder to replace Carl Crawford, whose rehab has not gone smoothly. They have already added utility man Brent Lillibridge.

5. Blue Jays (43-43, .500). The Blue Jays may not be contenders this year, but don't expect a Toronto fire-sale. They will probably stay quiet at the deadline.

AL Central

1. White Sox (47-38, .553). Chicago is off to a surprising season, holding the spot that many expected the Tigers to end up in. With a bullpen full of rookies, they could be adding a reliever like Carlos Marmol or Huston Street.

2. Indians (44-41, .518). Just three games back, Cleveland could be buyers again this year. Don't expect a Ubaldo Jimenez type deal again, but a back-end starter could be right up their alley.

3. Tigers (44-42, .512). The Tigers have been off to a surprisingly slow start, mainly due to a lack of pitching. Other than Justin Verlander (9-5, 2.58 ERA), their rotation has faltered, with Doug Fister (2-6, 4.75), Max Scherzer (8-5, 4.72) and Rick Porcello (6-5, 4.47) failing to live up to expectations. Look for them to add a solid, middle of the rotation guy.

4. Royals (37-47, .440). Kansas City won't be contending this year, but don't look for them to sell off all of their top players. With eyes on contention in the next couple years, KC would be reluctant to trade many off their up and coming roster. Yuniesky Betancourt or Jonathan Broxton could be the only candidates.

5. Twins (36-49, .424). With the team in a downward spiral, the Twins could look to go into rebuilding. Matt Capps, Ryan Doumit or Scott Baker could be shipped off to contending teams.

AL West

1. Rangers (52-34, .605). With the MLB's second best record, look for Texas to be buyers. With a barrage of injuries to their rotation, the Rangers are in a very similar situation to the Yankees, and should be looking for pitching. They have already added Roy Oswalt.

2. Angels (48-38, .558). Since turning everything around earlier in the season, the Angels are barreling their way toward the Rangers and the playoffs. Holding a 6.5 game Wild Card lead over the second Wild Card Orioles and seven-game lead over the Rays, they should be buyers. With Chris Iannetta sitting out most of the first half to a wrist injury and a Bobby Wilson/John Hester combination not working out (combined 3 HR, 8 RBI, .209 AVG), Los Angeles should be looking for catching help.

3. A's (43-43, .500). Look for Oakland to keep quiet this deadline, as they are not contending, but look to contend within the next few seasons. They could possibly move Seth Smith or Jonny Gomes to a contending team, but otherwise look to stay quiet.

4. Mariners (36-51, .414). Far out of contention, the Mariners should look to be sellers. With many up and coming players such as Jose Montero, Tom Wilhelmsen and Lucas Luetge, they may let go of some minor players, but don't expect a Felix Hernandez for four players type deal.

NL East

1. Nationals (49-34, .590). The Nationals already spun a big deal for Gio Gonzalez this offseason, so the upper levels of the farm system need some time to re-gather themselves. Earlier in the season, it looked like Washington would need offensive help, but since mid-June the offense has come alive. Because chemistry is such a big part of the team, they shouldn't be looking at any big deals. Because they are deep in starting pitching, they could deal Chien-Ming Wang or John Lannan.

2. Braves (46-39, .541). In the middle of a tight Wild Card race, the Braves will have to make a deal if they want to stay with the Mets, Giants and Reds. They have already signed Ben Sheets to fill in the hole Brandon Beachy left after undergoing Tommy John surgery, so Atlanta may look to find a utility man or two, with Juan Francisco providing the only real production off the bench.

3. Mets (46-40, .535). The surprising Mets are contending, but with Mike Pelfrey and soon to be Dillon Gee on the DL, they may have to acquire a back-end starter like Randy Wolf.

4. Marlins (41-44, .482). Miami has two directions it can go. Five games out of a Wild Card spot, they can go all out and spin a huge deal in hoping for a comeback, or they can stay quiet and acquire close to the big leagues talent to build for next year. They already have acquired Carlos Lee from Houston.

5. Phillies (37-50, .425). Philadelphia has been arguably baseball's biggest disappointment, 14 games back in the East and 10 out of a Wild Card spot. Ruben Amaro Jr. can either ship off big-name talent like Cole Hamels or Shane Victorino, both of whom will be free agents this offseason, or sit quiet and see if a healthy Ryan Howard and Chase Utley will help them get back to the top next year.

NL Central

1. Pirates (48-37, .565). Andrew McCutchen and the Pittsburgh pitching staff have carried the Pirates so far, but last year, spinning deals for Derrek Lee and Ryan Ludwick didn't keep them from free falling in the second half. Look for them to deal for outfield help, like Oakland's Jonny Gomes or San Diego's Carlos Quentin.

2. Reds (47-38, .553). Cincinnati suffered a big blow when Ryan Madson underwent Tommy John surgery, but have stayed afloat in the Central, just a game behind the Pirates. They could look for outfield help.

3. Cardinals (46-40, .535). Still contending, St. Louis may have to make a deal if they want to leap into a Wild Card spot. After losing Kyle McLellan to injury, they could look to shore up their bullpen. Micah Owings is a possibility.

4. Brewers (40-45, .471). The Brewers have disappointed this season, and look to be in a similar situation to the Marlins. They could go all out on a big deal, or stay quiet and look to build for next year.

5. Cubs (33-52, .388). The Cubs should look to be sellers, maybe moving Ryan Dempster or Reed Johnson to contending teams.

6. Astros (33-53, .384). They may have baseball's worst record for the second straight season, but after dealing Lance Berkman, Roy Oswalt, Hunter Pence, Michael Bourn and Carlos Lee in the last couple of seasons, the last remaining candidates to be traded are Wandy Rodriguez and Brett Myers.

NL West

1. Dodgers (47-40, .540). Fizzling out since Matt Kemp's injury, the Dodgers will have to make a deal to keep the Giants off their heels. They have nine players currently on the DL, including Kemp, Andre Ethier, Dee Gordon and Ted Lilly. They should be looking for help anywhere they can get it.

2. Giants (46-40, .535). Just half a game behind the Dodgers, the Giants may look to make a deal. However, they have no glaring holes, so they may just look for middle infield help. Yuniesky Betancourt could be a possibility.

3. Diamondbacks (42-43, .494). Arizona should look to stay quiet, maybe making some minor deals. Rumors have Justin Upton on the trade market, but I can't see the Diamondbacks letting go of him.

4. Padres (34-53, .391). With 12 players in the DL, including Andrew Cashner, Jason Bartlett, Tim Stauffer and Corey Luebke, San Diego may be reluctant to send off too many players. Carlos Quentin or Huston Street could be traded.

5. Rockies (33-52, .388). The Rockies are having a very disappointing season, mainly due to injuries to Troy Tulowitzki and Juan Nicasio. They may be sellers, with Marco Scutaro possibly ending up on the trading block.

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Teams followed in this update: Boston Red Sox, Washington Nationals, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, Colorado Rockies

If your team is not included, please leave a comment.

HR: home runs. RBI: runs batted in. AVG: batting average. SB: stolen bases. ERA: earned run average. WHIP: walks/hits per innings pitched. K's: strikeouts. WPCT: winning percentage

Zack Silverman