The MLB Trade deadline for 2014 is about 24 hours away on Thursday and this year there are some major names being talked about, including Giancarlo Stanton, Troy Tulowitzki, Alex Rios, Josh Willingham, Marlon Byrd, David Price and Jon Lester and while some of those names will stay put, teams like the Seattle Mariners, NY Yankees, Boston Red Sox, LA Dodgers, Baltimore Orioles and Oakland A's could be interested in dealing.
Thursday, July 31 marks the non-waiver trade deadline and teams now have to weigh whether to go all in and try and make the playoffs, or hold back and see how things play out. According to Hardball Talk, the Rays have gone from easy sellers at the deadline to buyers, as they have had an amazing run and now are in the playoff conversation in the wild card and their division. Stanton is not going anywhere and the speculation about Tulo probably will lead into the offseason when Derek Jeter retires and the Rockies will likely stay put at the deadline with their superstar SS.
The Mariners are a team to watch, as they have had a terrible offense and now could be looking for a bat. The team has been linked to everyone and right now Drew Stubbs and Josh Willingham are the names to keep an eye on, while the team also has spoken with the Phillies about Marlon Byrd. The Mariners offense has been dreadful and that is one of the main reasons why the team is looking at bats over arms. The Orioles and the Blue Jays are also looking at some of those players and Byrd is one that could move, as the Phillies have been terrible this season.
The Phillies have made Cole Hamels available, but they want to get the moon for him, while Byrd is the most likely to move for the team. The Orioles are looking to make moves and the Oakland Athletics may not be done either after making the first massive move of the season with Jason Hammel and Jeff Samardzija.
The Cardinals made a move by acquiring Justin Masterson from the Indians and now they are looking to make a run to the playoffs in the second half. The team was mentioned as options for the David Price and Jon Lester deals, but instead they went after Masterson, giving up a top 10 prospect to get the deal done.
The Yankees are looking at making moves as well and they have already made some smaller trades, including with Brandon McCarthy and Chase Headley. The team has been mentioned in Josh Willingham rumors and so far Brian Cashman has said that if the Yankees make a move, they likely will go after a bat. The Yankees have not been able to score consistently this season and that is the main area where they want to make additions.
The deadline doesn't mean trades are over, as waivers can come into play through August, but this is when the big deals get done and now there's only one day left for teams to do it.
