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Five teams with biggest needs at the Deadline
- Updated: July 30, 2016
In the lead-up to Monday’s 4 p.m. ET non-waiver Trade Deadline, teams can upgrade any number of ways. It doesn’t have to be as ridiculously obvious as the Cubs taking their need for lefty relief help and turning it into Aroldis Chapman.
Sometimes there’s something to be said for turning a strength into an even bigger strength, as the Blue Jays did when they added Melvin Upton Jr. to their position-player group, or making a deal that affects you in multiple areas, a la the Giants adding the versatile Eduardo Nunez.
But with precious few hours remaining, some needs are direct and non-negotiable. These are the five biggest:
1. Nationals: Bullpen help In this case, “bullpen help” might, in fact, mean a new closer. Jonathan Papelbon was once one of the best in that particular business, but a loss of velocity, a drop in strikeout rate, a rise in walk rate and a jump in hard contact have all conspired to make him untrustworthy — a point hammered home by the seven earned runs he allowed in appearances Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday.
The Nats tried to reunite Dusty Baker with Chapman, and now they’re forced to consider depleting the upper echelon of their farm system in an effort to correct what has become a troubling late-inning trend.
2. Indians: Bullpen help Nailing down the American League Central is going to require a better arrangement to nail down leads. Cody Allen remains an underrated asset in the ninth (11.4 K/9, 1.06 WHIP, .185 AVG against), but the setup situation has been marred by some rough patches from the oft-used Bryan Shaw and the lack of a reliable lefty presence (lefties have provided just 25 2/3 innings out of the ‘pen for the Tribe this year).
So a lefty is a must (Boone Logan, Jake McGee, Fernando Abad and Will Smith are some of the options in the non-Andrew Miller market), and the Indians could also add another right-hander to further improve the setup spot. Allen has even indicated a willingness to move out of the closer role if Cleveland makes an impact acquisition there, but that market was made challenging …
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