The trade market this year is a little like grocery store shelves just before a major snowstorm: mostly empty, with buyers frantically grabbing something that looks good rather than leaving empty-handed. There are very few teams unloading players, and even some of the available ones, executives say, are complicated by injury history.
Some of the biggest needs have been satiated with the first wave of trades on Thursday and Friday. The Seattle Mariners got a hitter in outfielder Randy Arozarena. The Baltimore Orioles pulled in a starting pitcher, Zach Eflin, who can help them this year and next. And the Boston Red Sox reacquired someone they know well, lefty James Paxton, as well as catcher Danny Jansen to add some thump.
But lots of desperation remains. Who are the most desperate teams to bring in fresh blood?
Brian Cashman, the Yankees' general manager, was reminded this weekend about his most desperate need: On Friday night, Aaron Boone's bullpen melted down, surrendering a three-run lead in the last three innings; Aaron Judge's three-run, 470-foot homer wasn't enough. The Yankees have typically built strong, deep bullpens in recent years, but that has not been the case in 2024. The Yankees could use a high-end reliever, but really, they need two bullpen arms (they could really use a left-hander; they were in the conversations for the Marlins' A.J. Puk before that lefty was swapped to Arizona).
But the Yankees' needs don't stop there. The ex-Yankee Luis Severino noted that lately, the team's offense has been largely reliant on Juan Soto and Judge, and even with better swings from the likes of Austin Wells and Anthony Volpe on Friday, the depth issue persists. The Yankees could use a third baseman, or first baseman -- Jazz Chisholm could help here, depending on how they use him, or maybe someone like Isaac Paredes or Yandy Diaz, given that the Tampa Bay Rays are apparently OK with trading within their own division as they continue to manage their payroll out of necessity.
Cashman has a history of making deals in the last 48 to 72 hours before the deadline in his 26 prior seasons, and he'll need to do so again.
2. Seattle Mariners
Maybe even before his arrival, the addition of Arozarena inspired the Mariners' hitters, who scored 10 runs on Friday. Or maybe they just feasted on the downtrodden Chicago White Sox. But Seattle needs more help, especially with Julio Rodriguez and J.P. Crawford out of the lineup, and market sources indicate that Mariners executive Jerry Dipoto continues to look for a hitter to help jump start an offense that has been shockingly poor. Since June 19, the Mariners have scored just 104 runs in 30 games, batting .203, the lowest average for any team.
A week ago, James Paxton looked good against the Red Sox, with even Clayton Kershaw telling the "Sunday Night Baseball" crew that Paxton was showing a boost in velocity. Within 24 hours, the Dodgers DFA'd Paxton, suggesting that they might have a rotation surplus now that Tyler Glasnow and Kershaw have returned from the injured list.
But the Dodgers aren't sure what Yoshinobu Yamamoto will give them for the rest of the season -- shoulder injuries are tricky, and Yamamoto is in the first year of his 10-year, $325 million deal. L.A. needs to weigh his long-term health.
So their need for a starting pitcher persists, although it remains to be seen whether Garrett Crochet's new stance about wanting a contract extension as incentive to pitch in the postseason will dampen their enthusiasm for the White Sox left-hander, in the way that it has for other teams. On Friday, rival officials continued to be very skeptical that the Tigers will move Tarik Skubal. Jack Flaherty, an L.A.-area product, might be the best starter available who is not insisting on a new contract.
4. Boston Red Sox
As Boston pulled out its comeback win Friday night, the injured Chris Martin watched from the Red Sox bullpen as a series of young relievers tried to do the job he had done so well this season. Craig Breslow, the head of baseball operations, addressed his team's most pressing need by adding a starting pitcher on Friday, but more bullpen help around Kenley Jansen is needed for a relief corps that got pounded on its recent road trip through Los Angeles and Colorado.
Cleveland's bullpen is the best in baseball, with an ERA almost a half a run better than the next closest team's and including baseball's most dominant closer, Emmanuel Clase. But this group has also been one of the most taxed: Among all relievers, five of the top 22 in appearances are members of the Guardians' bullpen. In an effort to alleviate this, the Guardians need a starting pitcher -- maybe not someone from the top of the market since Cleveland is usually very reluctant to part with its best prospects. However, the Guardians could use someone who can provide innings and stabilize the back end of the rotation.
Among Texas' injury problems this year, maybe the most frustrating has been the persistent back issue for Evan Carter, whose performance late last season was crucial to the team's run through the postseason. It's left the Rangers searching for a hitter who can effectively make up for some of the offense they might've gotten from Carter. The return of Josh Jung will help, assuming that he's not compromised by his in-season surgery, but the Rangers have had talks with the Rays -- a one-stop shop for contenders -- about Isaac Paredes and Yandy Diaz.
As their injury list has grown, so has their list of needs, and they are floundering, drifting backward into the NL wild-card morass. In the aftermath of Ronald Acuna Jr.'s injury in 2021, Alex Anthopoulos moved swiftly to add players, wanting to send a message to the clubhouse that the front office was still trying to win. The Braves actually have a better record now than they did when Anthopoulos started with his flurry of moves three years ago, and Anthopoulos could act in a similar fashion over the next few days -- make some deals to improve the roster, but also to back a group that has been retreating.
Their win Friday was their 57th -- one more than they had in all of 2023. They've already added bullpen help, with their swap for Hunter Harvey, but they could use a boost of offense among their outfielders. Rival execs expect K.C. to add at least one masher to a group that has struggled this year.