American League Buyers And Sellers – AL East

With only days remaining before the August 2^nd trade deadline, Major League Baseball clubs must avail themselves of their last opportunity to add players to plug holes and improve their chances at making the postseason or to sell and get young prospects from contenders for those on expiring contracts.

The number of sellers may not be as plentiful as in previous years with the new expanded playoff format, but teams on the bubble may not be willing to expend a large chunk of their prospect base on a longshot chance of making the postseason.

Here is what clubs in the AL East may be looking to do before next Tuesday’s deadline:

New York Yankees – Buyer

Needs – Outfielder, Pitching (Starter, Relief)

The Yankees have the best record in the American League at 66-31, but have been hit by the injury bug and have been .500 going into and coming out of the All-Star break. New York has been tied to trade rumors regarding Washington outfielder Juan Soto (due in part to his potential as a replacement for Aaron Judge if he leaves as a free agent), but the conventional wisdom is that GM Brian Cashman will not want to expend the capital necessary to acquire the 23-year-old slugger, even though he would be retainable through 2024.

The ineffectiveness of Joey Gallo (who will likely be dealt before the deadline) and the injury history of Aaron Hicks have Cashman looking for help in the outfield, and a left-handed bat like former Red Sox Andrew Benintendi would seem to be a good fit.

Injuries to starter Luis Severino and reliever Michael King will have New York looking to add an arm or two (Cincinnati’s Luis Castillo, Oakland’s Frankie Montas, and former Met Noah Syndergaard have been mentioned) and in spite of getting Zach Britton back, more help in the bullpen is likely on the agenda (such as former Yankee David Robertson).

Toronto Blue Jays – Buyer

Needs – Pitching (Starter, Relief)

The Jays also have been rumored to be in the Soto sweepstakes, but that would seem to be a misappropriation of their resources. Toronto’s powerhouse offense led by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is second-best behind New York, but their pitching has been more than disappointing with starter Kevin Gausman at .500, Yusei Kikuchi, and Hyun-Jin Ryu injured, and Jose Berrios with a 5+ ERA. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported earlier this month that GM Ross Atkins continues to target Castillo, but the Jays must add to a bullpen that does not have much depth past closer Jordan Romano.

Around Full Press Coverage

NFL OPINION: Arians: Why Bucs’ Ring of Honor Means “More to Me’ Than Canton

NFL: What’s Next For Chiefs And Orlando Brown Jr.?

NFL: NFL Rumors: Ndamukong Suh, Sean Payton, Sunday Ticket

FULL PRESS BETS: Early 2022 NFL MVP Odds: Bills’ Josh Allen Favored

NHL: Flyers’ Free-Agency Moves Further Alienate A Disgruntled Fanbase

PODCAST: Full Press NFL Podcast Ep 42: Deebo Samuel Requests Trade; Possible Landing Spots

Tampa Bay Rays – Limited Buyer

Needs – Catcher, Outfield

The Rays always find a way of piecing together a pitching staff and have a rotation led by Cy Young contender Shane McClanahan, but have a below-average offense further weakened by season-ending injuries to starting catcher Mike Zunino and outfielder Kevin Kiermaier, and a trip to the IL for outfielder Manuel Margot.

Currently, in the mix for a wild card spot, Tampa has been rumored to be in the mix for Cubs catcher Willson Contreras or Oakland’s Sean Murphy, while Arizona’s Christian Walker or former Ray Tommy Pham could be candidates to fill their outfield hole.

Boston Red Sox – Seller

Shopping – J.D. Martinez, Nathan Eovaldi, Xander Bogaerts

The Red Sox are currently one game over .500 (49-48) and three games behind Seattle for the final wildcard spot, but they continue to be plagued by injuries to their pitching staff (Chris Sale, Rich Hill, Michael Wacha, Garrett Whitlock) and key offensive producers (Trevor Story, Rafael Devers). It is totally against the nature of Boston to sell at the deadline, but the expiring contracts of Martinez, Eovaldi, and Bogaerts (who has a player opt-out after 2022) would attract a good return.

Baltimore Orioles – Seller

Shopping – Trey Mancini, Rougned Odor, Robinson Chirinos, Jordan Lyles

The O’s have had a surprisingly stubborn this season with young players Ryan Mountcastle, Cedric Mullins, and rookie Adley Rutschman as promising building blocks and are in the AL wildcard race at 48-48, but that will likely not deter GM Mike Elias from selling off players if the return is good. SNY’s Andy Martino reported on Monday that the New York Mets are very interested in DH Mancini (who played under manager Buck Showalter in Baltimore).

Veteran infielder Odor, catcher Chirinos, and innings-eating starter Lyles are all on expiring contracts and could also be moved.