MLB: Five Teams That Should Be Sellers
By Matt Weyrich
With the MLB season approaching the halfway mark, which teams need to accept their fate and be sellers at the trade deadline?
As the month of June begins to draw to a close, teams across Major League Baseball are evaluating their rosters in preparation for the August 1 non-waiver trade deadline. Good teams are searching the market looking to fill a weak spot in their lineup or add some depth in their starting rotation. Less fortunate clubs are tasked with weighing offers on their best players, desperately trying to create a better future.
Some teams, however, are caught in the middle. Hanging around the .500 mark, these ballclubs could be on the verge of a second half playoff run… or they could just collapse altogether. The fans and players never want to throw in the towel, but sometimes there isn’t really an option. GMs for these teams are forced to make a difficult choice: buy or sell?
The trade deadline can often make or break a team’s playoff chances. Just ask last year’s New York Mets, who’s deadline acquisition of Detroit Tigers left fielder Yoenis Cespedes fueled their run all the way into the World Series. The same could be said for the Washington Nationals, who squandered their October chances by trading for Jonathan Papelbon and throwing their bullpen into disarray.
So which teams need to be sellers? Some of these clubs may be in denial about the talent level of their current roster, but as the deadline draws closer and closer, their GMs will have no choice but to entertain a few offers. These are the top five teams who must be sellers come August.
Next: Trouble in the Bronx