The trade deadline offers teams a prime chance to add talent to their rosters as the dog days of summer begin in August and with a number of division leaders and wild card contenders looking towards the World Series, some players that could be on the move include names like Justin Morneau, Chase Utley, Michael Morse, Elvis Andrus, Jake Peavy, Cliff Lee, Carlos Ruiz, Jacoby Ellsbury and Kendrys Morales as well as Justin Morneau, David DeJesus, Bud Norris.
The Mariners are one team that looks like they will be sellers at the deadline despite playing better this past week and some other teams that may join in include the Chicago Cubs, Minnesota Twins, Miami Marlins and the Philadelphia Phillies. Some teams that will be looking to acquire talent at the deadline includes the Giants, Yankees, Red Sox, Pirates, Athletics, Rangers and numerous other teams that feel they are in contention. Things have already started to heat up with the trades of Scott Feldman, Scott Hairston and Ricky Nolasco and the next couple weeks could see similar deals. (some stats are out of date later in article).
The Phillies have a few players that they could decide to move at the deadline, including Michael Young, Carlos Ruiz and Chase Utley, as they all have significant contracts and Philadelphia so far has not been able to turn it around this season. The team is chasing the top of the NL East and if they don't get on some type of streak soon, any chance of contention could be over. Ruiz has turned into a power hitting catcher and he is coming off an All Star season that saw him hit .325 with 16 home runs and the chance to play in a new situation could be good, as he was suspended earlier for using a banned stimulant. Utley has been a Phillie for his entire career, but his $15 million salary may be too much for the team to keep on and he could be very tempting now, as he is batting over .320 since coming back from an oblique injury.
Justin Morneau could be a prime candidate to get dealt, as he is making $14 million for a Twins team that is going nowhere fast. While the former MVP has fallen off a bit over the past couple of years, his bat could be extremely valuable for teams heading into the playoffs and especially for the Yankees, as they have been decimated by injuries and could use another strong player in their lineup. Morneau would be a perfect fit for the Stadium, as he has seven more runs over his past 60 at-bats at the stadium and he has hit nearly .460 over that time. The Pirates also could go after him, but that depends on how much money they are willing to take on.
Mariners shortstop Brendan Ryan is no offensive threat, but he could be a very valuable trade option for teams looking for solid defense at the position, as he might be the best player with a glove that is available at the deadline. The Mariners don't need him anymore after Brad Miller was called up and his defense has been fantastic over the past few years and that could be a nice fit for the Cardinals or another team that is down a shortstop. The Mariners will likely be sellers at the deadline.