How all 30 teams can upgrade at Trade Deadline

Whether it’s a contender hunting for the final piece of a championship puzzle, a bubble team trying to stay in the race or a rebuilding club looking to stock up for the future, every team has its share of needs to address prior to the Trade Deadline.

No matter the approach, the goal is the same for every team: Come out of the Deadline in a better position than they went in.

With the help of MLB.com's beat reporters, here’s a look at one area each club should be looking to upgrade by the Trade Deadline on Aug. 3.

The following numbers are entering Sunday's games.

Jump to: AL East | AL Central | AL West | NL East | NL Central | NL West

AL EAST

Blue Jays: Their No. 5 starter
Even if the group has been imperfect at times, the Blue Jays are set with a top four of Dylan Cease, Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage and Shane Bieber. The No. 5 spot is where the opportunity lies in this rotation, which has been plagued by injuries and is without José Berríos and Cody Ponce for the rest of the season. Patrick Corbin has struggled over the past month and Max Scherzer is on the IL with another injury (back), so this feels like the Blue Jays’ easiest pathway to upgrading their team and saving a gassed bullpen. -- Keegan Matheson

Orioles: Bullpen help
With right-hander Ryan Helsley (right elbow discomfort) and left-hander Keegan Akin (left elbow discomfort) both on the injured list and potentially out for significant periods of time, the O’s are without their closer and a top lefty option. That has left Baltimore closing by committee -- with Tyler Wells earning a save on Friday -- and with only one southpaw in its bullpen (Grant Wolfram). The Orioles could use at least one more impact reliever, if not two. And it would be best if they could land a left-handed arm. -- Jake Rill

Rays: Another bat
It’s a little odd that the Rays have spent so much of this season as the AL’s best team while having so many areas to address before the Trade Deadline. They could use another starter to fill out the rotation. Another high-leverage reliever wouldn’t hurt. They’re running near the bottom of the league in OPS at second base, shortstop and the outfield as a whole. While they don’t want to diminish their defense up the middle, it would certainly help to add a hitter who can lengthen the lineup behind the big three of Yandy Díaz, Jonathan Aranda and Junior Caminero. -- Adam Berry

Red Sox: Right-handed bat
For most of the season, scoring runs has been an issue for the Red Sox. Considering how effective the starting rotation has been, the lack of firepower has been particularly glaring. A right-handed hitter who could take advantage of Fenway Park and play the middle infield would be an ideal fit. -- Ian Browne

Yankees: Starting catcher
Austin Wells’ recent stint on the injured list doubled as a reset for his swing, which has shown few indications of the power the Yankees expected him to provide. Wells’ game-calling and framing have remained constant, but the Yankees need more thump. The Twins’ Ryan Jeffers could be a prime target; limited to 37 games so far this season, he has a pre-existing relationship with Yanks catching coach Tanner Swanson. -- Bryan Hoch

AL CENTRAL

Guardians: Right-handed bat
The Guardians entered Sunday tied for the second fewest runs per game (4.0) of any MLB team. José Ramírez (left hamate fracture) and Angel Martínez (non-displaced left foot fracture) will provide a boost when they return from the injured list in the coming weeks, but acquiring a hitter could augment things further -- including if they bat right-handed. Gabriel Arias, David Fry, Austin Hedges and Rhys Hoskins are the only players on the Guardians’ active roster who exclusively bat from that side. Ramírez, Martínez, Patrick Bailey and Brayan Rocchio are switch-hitters. -- Tim Stebbins

Royals: Offense
With one of the worst records in the AL, the Royals are looking more like sellers if they do anything at the Deadline this year. They’ll be looking for Major League-ready talent to help them next year and beyond, and at the top of that list has to be better offensive depth, both in the infield and outfield. With the injuries to their pitching staff that will trickle into next year as well, the Royals will also always be looking for more depth arms in the rotation and bullpen. -- Anne Rogers

Tigers: Right-handed bat
The Tigers made back-to-back Wild Card berths and postseason runs on the strength of manager A.J. Hinch leveraging matchups with effective pinch-hitters and role players who crush lefties. It hasn’t worked out this season; they’re batting about 40 points lower against lefties than last year with about an 80-point plunge in OPS, and the dropoff is even greater among right-handed hitters off lefties. Jahmai Jones has yet to find last year’s form as a platoon specialist, and Matt Vierling’s production off lefties is the lowest of his career. A righty-hitting outfielder would be a big help, or the Tigers could give a shot to infield prospect Max Anderson, who’s crushing southpaws at Triple-A Toledo. -- Jason Beck

Twins: Bullpen, bullpen, bullpen
Yes, they could probably use some starting depth. But the bullpen was already a need even before Anthony Banda suffered a lat injury that will cost him months, not weeks. The Twins could use relief help from both the right and left sides to bolster a corps that has a couple of reliable late-inning options but nowhere near enough depth. -- Matthew Leach

White Sox: Pitching of any kind
Starting pitching makes sense for the White Sox, who have some talented arms presently in place gradually moving toward unchartered single-season innings territory. But every contending team and non-contending team will be looking for pitching, and general manager Chris Getz won’t tear down what his group has meticulously built simply to bump up their playoff contention in 2026. The arms acquired would have to make sense beyond ‘26. Relievers could help the White Sox as well, although they do have internal candidates such as a rehabbing Tanner McDougal. -- Scott Merkin

AL WEST

Angels: Controllable position players
The Angels made a major change with former longtime Cardinals executive John Mozeliak brought in as interim general manager and it’ll be interesting to see what his strategy will be at the deadline. The Angels are expected to sell but it’s unclear if they’ll be willing to move starting pitchers such as José Soriano or Reid Detmers or even shortstop Zach Neto or right fielder Jo Adell. But if they do, they could use some bats, as their farm system is heavy on pitching prospects but lighter on position players. -- Rhett Bollinger

Astros: Left-handed-hitting outfielder
Astros outfielders had a .667 OPS entering Sunday, which ranked 27th among all 30 teams. And that included the 14 starts that American League Most Valuable Player frontrunner Yordan Alvarez had made in left field. Cam Smith (.673 OPS) and his elite defense are entrenched in right, but the Astros will be looking for an upgrade -- preferably left-handed -- to play left and/or center field. Brice Matthews (.564 OPS) and Joey Loperfido (.647 OPS) haven’t exactly torn the cover off the baseball. -- Brian McTaggart

Athletics: Pitching
The A’s have an offense, albeit banged up as of late, plenty capable of scoring with the best of them. Pitching, however, has been an issue. Entering Sunday, the A’s 5.10 team ERA was the second highest in the Majors, while their 136 homers allowed were tied for the most. Whether it’s adding a starter or late-inning reliever, perhaps both, the A’s will need a boost in that department to reach their playoff goals. -- Martín Gallegos

Mariners: A power reliever (or two)
With Seattle's bullpen already operating one arm short due to the club carrying six starters, Matt Brash's swing-and-miss stuff has loomed even larger while the setup man recovers from a right lat strain. He's not expected back until mid-August, and even so, the Mariners will want to add insurance to their relief corps to supplement Andrés Muñoz, Eduard Bazardo, Jose A. Ferrer and Gabe Speier. They were at the finish line for some of the top available relievers at last year's Trade Deadline but fell short due to the sky-high asking prices. -- Daniel Kramer

Rangers: Another high-leverage arm
The Rangers hopefully have rotation reinforcements incoming with Jordan Montgomery nearing a return and Cody Bradford not far behind. And while Jacob Latz has stepped up big in the closer role -- even earning his first career All-Star bid -- and Jakob Junis has been just as good in a set-up role, another high-leverage arm could take them far down the stretch. -- Kennedi Landry

NL EAST

Braves: Starting pitcher
Chris Sale currently stands as the only member of Atlanta’s rotation who looks like a capable playoff starter. There’s a need to add at least one and possibly two starting pitchers before the Trade Deadline. Hurston Waldrep recently returned from the injured list and Reynaldo López has shifted back to the rotation. Their success combined with Bryce Elder’s attempt to turn things around will determine how many starters the Braves need to add. They have the financial flexibility and prospect capital necessary to make a run for any available starter. -- Mark Bowman

Marlins: Third base
Marlins third basemen have MLB’s second lowest OPS (.576), and there aren't any naturals at the position on the horizon. Connor Norby and Graham Pauley entered spring battling for the job, but both can be found at Triple-A. Bench options Javier Sanoja and Leo Jiménez have been splitting time there in their absence. For a left-handed-heavy roster, Miami could use a potent righty bat to balance things out – and here would be the spot. -- Christina De Nicola

Mets: Controllable starting pitching
Them and everyone else, right? Most likely, the Mets will head into the offseason with Nolan McLean and Christian Scott as surefire 2027 rotation options. Beyond those two, it’s anyone’s guess, partly dependent on what happens at the Deadline. If the Mets can turn their tradeable assets into a pitcher to help the 2027 starting five, that would be a boon for a team that’s suffered through one of the worst rotation seasons in recent franchise history. -- Anthony DiComo

Nationals: Lefty late-inning reliever
In spite of being the second-highest scoring team in baseball, the Nationals' bullpen ranks 26th in ERA in the National League. They have been filling the closer role by committee; ten different relievers have earned at least one save this season. Manager Blake Butera likes to pitch to matchups. But lefty relievers Mitchell Parker (UCL sprain) and Richard Lovelady (left triceps strain) were both sidelined last week, leaving PJ Poulin and Carson Palmquist as the only left-handers in the bullpen. -- Jessica Camerato

Phillies: A high-leverage reliever
If you think the Phillies need a right-handed-hitting outfielder or a No. 5-type starter rather than a reliever, you’re not wrong. It’s just that the Phillies need all three, and there is a strong argument for acquiring another reliever. If you think back to the past few postseasons for the Phillies, you might remember a few late-inning meltdowns. In fact, the Phillies’ bullpen blew eight save opportunities in the past three postseasons. Has the offense faltered? Sure. But the bullpen might have been more to blame. -- Todd Zolecki

NL CENTRAL

Brewers: More high-leverage bullpen arms
The Brewers have three reliable relievers at the moment in closer Trevor Megill, Abner Uribe and Aaron Ashby. But they can’t pitch every day, so manager Pat Murphy needs more dependable options for leverage spots. Converted starter Chad Patrick has been that guy in the recent past, but he’s been fighting a funk in recent weeks. Left-hander Jared Koenig has also been that guy, but he just returned from more than two months on the injured list. The Brewers must decide whether they can count on those internal options, or whether to seek outside help. -- Adam McCalvy

Cardinals: Consistent bullpen
Even though they have been a pleasant surprise this season, the Cardinals are still in the rebuilding phase. It’s hard to believe they would trade their best prospects for Mason Miller or Aroldis Chapman. St. Louis needs late-inning relievers with swing-and-miss stuff. Right-hander Riley O'Brien, for example, is not one of them. He leads the team in saves but it can be an adventure whenever he is on the mound. The Cardinals may have to live with what they have. -- Bill Ladson

Cubs: Late-inning reliever
Chicago’s need for rotation help is clear, but the front office shouldn’t overlook the bullpen at the Deadline. Knee issues have cost Phil Maton’s ability so far to be the kind of leverage arm the Cubs need. Daniel Palencia has had multiple trips to the IL. Other injuries have riddled the group all year. While some pitchers are on the comeback trail, the Cubs really could benefit from a more reliable stopper to help anchor manager Craig Counsell’s bullpen. -- Jordan Bastian

Pirates: High-leverage reliever
Pittsburgh’s prolific offense looks to be more than a fluke, becoming one of the best in all of baseball. The Pirates have lost multiple games due to their lack of reliable relief pitching, though, securing only 17-of-34 save opportunities. Pittsburgh’s 4.41 bullpen ERA is ninth worst through July 4. Gregory Soto is the high-leverage lefty, so the Pirates would be wise to add a righty to match. -- Aiden Stepansky

Reds: High-leverage reliever
Mired in last place, the Reds have multiple areas that need a boost but none more than help for a shorthanded bullpen. While closer Emilio Pagán just returned after missing nearly two months with a left hamstring strain, set-up men Tony Santillan (left oblique) and Graham Ashcraft (right UCL sprain) are on the IL for an extended period. Cincinnati needs to bolster the bridge between the starting pitcher and Pagán. -- Mark Sheldon

NL WEST

D-backs: First base
The offseason free agent signing of Carlos Santana has proven to be a bust and after having a hot April by NL Player of the Month Ildemaro Vargas, the Diamondbacks are struggling to get production out of the position. Pavin Smith was hurt and has struggled to find himself at the plate since returning and prospects Jose Fernandez and Gino Groover haven’t seized the job, leaving GM Mike Hazen with a big hole to fill. -- Steve Gilbert

Dodgers: The rotation
Starting pitching has been an unquestioned strength for the Dodgers, but lately, they haven't known exactly what they're getting out of both Emmet Sheehan and Roki Sasaki, which has been costly at times. L.A. is due to get some internal reinforcements, as Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow are both expected back at some point after the All-Star break. That doesn't mean that the Dodgers won't explore the trade market, especially with a three-peat bid on the line. -- Sonja Chen

Giants: Bullpen
The Giants didn’t invest heavily in their bullpen over the offseason, leaving them without a ton of dependable options who can hold late-inning leads this year. They named Caleb Kilian as their closer last month, but they could use more back-end depth for 2026 and beyond, which should make acquiring more young pitching options a priority leading up to the Trade Deadline. -- Maria Guardado

Padres: A starter (or two … or three)
The Padres are hoping for the best with Joe Musgrove and Nick Pivetta, who are both rehabbing major elbow injuries. But elbow injuries are tricky, and neither is expected back until after the Trade Deadline. So the Padres need to plan for any contingency. Not to mention that, even if both are healthy, they could still use some rotation help. -- AJ Cassavell

Rockies: Get No. 65 MLB Pipeline prospect Charlie Condon to the Majors
Condon was revealed last week as an invitee to the Futures Game during All-Star Weekend, but he is hitting like someone whose future simply can't wait. Every day at Triple-A Albuquerque has multi-homer potential, and his hit streak is prolonged. While the Rockies are at it, they could check into clearing a spot for former first-rounder Zac Veen, who looked rushed when called up last season but has kept up with Condon in the power department. Making trades off an improved Major League roster could clear space. -- Thomas Harding