What Team is a trade away from a Title Run?
With the regular season of Major League Baseball coming closer to the end many teams are gearing up to make a push for the playoffs. Many teams are either running away with the division or are in a tight race. With the July 31st deadline approaching rapidly it seems that teams are slowly making the moves but are trying to find the right pieces to make that deep run. Two teams have been a huge surprise this season thus far, and they are Houston Astros from the American League, and the New York Mets in the National League. They both haven't been successful organizations these past couple of years, but this year with a lot of their young talent up in the majors they have been very competitive. If they want to continue playing hard they will need to add a few bats to help even out with what their pitching staffs have done so far.
The New York Mets have been aggressive so far in trading for two very good utility players in acquiring Juan Uribe, and Kelly Johnson from the Atlanta Braves. They also boosted their bullpen in getting Tyler Clippard from the Oakland Athletics this can help with back end of the bullpen. Now they need to get a big name, or mid level player in helping out in the lineup. The Mets are struggling to score runs in winning games this year. With the type of starting rotation they have in Matt Harvey , Jacob DeGrom, Noah Syndergard, Bartolo Colon, and Stephen Matz they can go up against any team in the National League. Harvey, DeGrom, Matz, and Syndergard could be number one starters in any other teams in the league. They have a chance this year to get back into the playoffs it would be the first time since 2006. This weekends upcoming series against the division leader Washington Nationals will be a big one. If they add the right pieces by acquiring at least two big bats to help the run producing improve this will be a team to watch out for.
The Houston Astros are in a very tough race with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim they are separated by one game. The Astros have been one of the worst teams in the league for quite sometime with all the first round picks they have had they are finally showing the talent they have. Jose Altuve and Carlos Correra are the young talent that has the buzz surrounding this team. This offseason I think helped big when they brought in the veteran presence of Colby Rasmus, and Evan Gattis these two players have been on winning ball clubs throughout their career. Dallas Keuchel has been very impressive for the Astros but he cant carry the pitching staff. I think by them acquiring Scott Kazmir from the Athletics is a big step in the right direction for needing a veteran pitcher. It is good to see a struggling organization finally be competitive again.
The other teams that I think need to add some pieces that are in the chase are the Yankees, Blue Jays, Cubs, and Angels. These teams don't need to much in trying to help their team get better just maybe one or two trades will make a difference if they do make the playoffs. The Blue Jays have enough offense that will be a problem for many teams but they need big help in their starting rotation along with their bullpen. They need starters who can take them deep into games, and not have pitchers only last a few innings. The Blue Jays each year compete all first half of the year then as soon as it gets to late in the year they begin to fall apart. The fans of the Blue Jays are getting tired of the losing, and want the team back in the playoffs.
The Yankees also are a big surprise this season with how successful they are so far this season. They need to maybe add some help in the bullpen, and maybe add a starting pitcher along with a bat that can even make this lineup deeper than what it already is. They are in playing like they are a very young team who is enjoying the game every day. The concern that I think that everyone has is the age of this team. They are running on a high note with all the veterans stepping up. The Yankees need to find help in making their bench alittle more deeper than what it is. The pitching needs to be fixed because they can not rely on Tanaka and Pineada. If they can take the pressure off these two pitchers by acquiring a strong pitcher it can make a huge difference. This teams chemistry is a big thing because this team is playing for one another.
The Cubs and Angels I believe both have the same issues in them needing to make a run into getting to the playoffs and making a deep run. Both teams have a lot of offensive power along with young and veteran talent on the team. They are in need of starting pitching because of the weak starting rotations they have. With the number one starters on both teams Jon Lester and C.J. Wilson they don't have nothing much behind these players. If they can add a third or fourth type of starter maybe it can give them a late push. It will be interesting to see what exactly these two teams due over the next couple of days.
I think these are the teams that will need to make a difference if they want to compete late in the season along with in making the playoffs. These teams are lined up to be very tough to beat but their are some areas of weakness that needs to be addressed. This is one of the most exciting times in baseball because of the possible trades that could possibly be made. If they are trying to be successful they cant wait for the future the fans want things to happen now. I think these teams can dethrone the Champions of the divisions who are the Kansas City Royals of the American League Division and the San Francisco Giants of the National League. It will be an interesting second half of the year along with going into the playoffs.
