Doug Melvin has already added CC Sabathia and Ray Durham to the fold, so his work is mostly done. That said, the Brewers could use additional middle relief, particularly from the right side.
Twins
It's not the Twins' historical nature to be buyers at the deadline, but they desperately need an upgrade at third base. This season, Minnesota third sackers have a cumulative batting line of .279 AVG/.312 OBP/.383 SLG, and that's just not acceptable for a corner defender in today's game. A great addition would be Adrian Beltre, who provides some pop and Gold Glove-caliber defense. Plus, he'd help the Twins against left-handed pitching, which has been another shortcoming.
Mets
The Mets need a corner outfielder in the worst way (actually, they need Barry Bonds in the worst way, but that's another topic). Met left fielders have been awful this season, and the in-house solutions are problematic. Do the Mets really want to bank on Fernando Tatis' dubious ability to continue hitting? Or on 19-year-old Fernando Martinez's ability to hit major-league pitching right now? Heck, even injured right fielder Ryan Church isn't a sure thing because of his post-concussion issues. On this front, Omar Minaya needs to make a splash, and that means nabbing someone like Giles, Dunn, Matt Holliday or Jason Bay.
Yankees
As the injuries mount, so does the wish list. Presently, the Yanks have Chien-ming Wang, Hideki Matsui, Jorge Posada and Ian Kennedy all on the DL. Matsui and Posada, in fact, could be lost for the balance of the season. As such, the Yankees certainly need another bat, and that's the case even after the return of Johnny Damon. The same names that figure to appeal to the Mets should appeal to the Yankees.
What's Hot:
- Kriegel: Shockey's lesson in ego
- Spencer: Best NASCAR Indy storylines
- LeBron hurts ankle in USA practice
- Phils rally, top Mets for NL East lead
- WNBA fight: Players, coach ejected
Top stories | Rumors | Video | Photos
Phillies
The Phils recently added Joe Blanton to the fold, but they could still use help at the back of the rotation. Brett Myers has been recalled from the minors, but obviously he's something less than a known quantity at this point. Failing the addition of a starter, a second lefty out of the pen makes sense. Like maybe Brian Fuentes or Damaso Marte.
Cardinals
Although the Cardinals could use an adequate offensive shortstop, the real need is pitching. Consider the problems ... Mark Mulder is back on the DL, Chris Carpenter is coming off a rough rehab outing, and Adam Wainwright won't be back until next month. Oh, and the St. Louis bullpen leads the majors in blown saves, and ranks sixth in the 16-team NL in relief pitches thrown. So effectiveness and perhaps fatigue are both concerns going forward. What the Cardinals really need is an elite, shutdown closer (Huston Street?), but those are hard to come by. If nothing else, they could use another right-handed arm in the pen.
Rays
Left fielder Carl Crawford this season is "hitting" .235 AVG/.272 OBP/.328 SLG against left-handed pitching, which simply won't do. So the Rays badly need a right-handed platoon partner for Crawford. Fortunately for them, it's not hard to find corner outfielders who crush lefties, and they've got plenty of minor-league depth from which to deal.
