The standings at the All-Star break usually determine the buyers and sellers as the trade deadline nears at the end of the month.
AL East:
Yankees turned a slow start into a 52-33 record and a 7 game lead on Baltimore. The Rays are 7.5 games behind and the Red Sox are 9.5 games behind. Unless the Red Sox get on a post break hot streak, they may be Sellers like the Blue Jays. The Yankees need a starting pitcher or two to balance their strong offense. The Orioles are just happy to be near the top, but may not have the financial footing to make any big moves.
AL Central:
The White Sox used a squad of unheralded rookie pitchers to shore up their rotation and bullpen to grind out a 47-38 record and a 3 game lead on Cleveland. The favored Tigers are 3.5 games behind and the Royals and Twins are far off the pace. Cleveland is looking for a serious bat for their weak line up. The Tigers are scouting pitching and infield help. The White Sox deal for Youklis has had outstanding returns (14 RBI in 13 games and good defense at third). The Royals may be sellers for the right price and the Twins have a high priced core of underperforming stars so it hard to say if the Twins will do anything except stand pat and try again next season with the same cast.
AL West:
The Rangers have been the dominate team, from the pre-season moves to the present. At 52-34, Texas has a 4 game lead on the Pujols-Wilson big free agent payroll Angels. Oakland and Seattle are not in contention and could be major "blow up the roster" trade partners for prospects. The Rangers appear to only want to tweak their roster with upgrades in the bullpen or bench role players. The Angels have promoted from within with rookie Mike Trout as a potential superstar in the making so they may not have to make deals.
NL East:
The Nationals had been so bad for so long their high draft picks are finally panning out in a big way. The Nats are in first with a 49-34 record, 4 games ahead of Atlanta. The Nationals overstocked on starting pitching and may have a nice trade piece in Lannan (LHP) for a line-up changer. The Braves pitching has been inconsistent and their line up has been re-tooled to be better defensively. The Braves could make a move for another starter or may think ahead to replace the retiring Chipper Jones at third. The Mets are 3.5 games behind and are on the fence. They could use help in the line up, especially in power numbers, and on the pitching staff. The Marlins are 9 games out and potentially the biggest pre-season bust in the league after spending lavishly in the off season. However, that title may go to the Phils, who are mired 14 games behind Washington with little hope for a turnaround. The Phillies are actively seeking to trade FA Cole Hamels, which could lead to a fire sale of their other veterans like Victorino.
NL Central:
This division was always slated to be the weakest in the majors. The Pirates are in rarified air, in first, with a 48-37 record, one game up on Cincinnati. The Pirates have been looking to upgrade hitting in the infield and are always looking for another starter. Pittsburgh does not have the money to add a big money contract to the payroll which should limit their trade options. The Reds have a pretty solid line up, so pitching upgrades are a possibility. The Cardinals have been racked with injuries, but only 2.5 games out means they could trade for a veteran starter and hope for a Pittsburgh fade. The Brewers are on the fence at 8 games out. The team could ship Greinke for high level prospects in the right deal, or try to extend Greinke and trade Marcum to the pitching starved AL. The Cubs and the Astros are out of it, but the Cubs have the most trade bait (Dempster, Garza, Soriano, LaHair, Soto, DeJesus, etc. - - - everyone except Rizzo and Castro.) The Cubs should be the most active trade partner this year.
NL West:
In a traditional close boxing match most pundits predicted, the Giants and the Dodgers are battling it out for first. The Dodgers have a slim half game lead over their rivals. The Dodgers have been scouting Cubs starter Dempster for weeks. The Dodgers could also use a first base bat (LaHair?) and bullpen help. The Giants starting pitching has been less than expected (Lincecum has the worst ERA in the league) but San Francisco is always in need of a bat or two. The Diamondbacks are another team on the fence; 4 games behind the leader but as a small market team may pursue neutral small deals to ride out the season. The Padres and the Rockies are out of contention and should be aggressive sellers. The Padres have had much interest in Headley and Quentin so one would expect new ownership to allow management to pull the trigger on such deals.
