MLB Wild Card Contender Biggest Trade Needs: Where can the Yankees, Padres and Others Improve Most?

Yesterday, I looked at the biggest trade need for each of the eight teams in or right near division-leader position. Those teams, like the Dodgers and Tigers, don't generally need a lot of upgrades; there's a reason they are in pristine playoff position.

When looking at teams in the wild card race, though, we're usually talking more about the groups in the muddled middle who need every win they can get to move on to October. Before Monday's games, eight teams in both the American League and National League were within six games of a wild card spot (not counting the division leaders).

Let's look at 14 more teams who are also in the playoff hunt outside of those eight top division contenders (which were the Blue Jays, Tigers, Astros, Mets, Phillies, Cubs, Brewers, and Dodgers). I'm choosing the position they need most based on WAR rankings from Baseball-Reference.

Stats and standings are correct before Monday's games (July 28). Most stats are from MLB.com.

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Starting Pitching

St. Louis Cardinals

Catcher and right field also stand out, but St. Louis has the fifth-worst SP WAR among all teams and just sent off veteran Erick Fedde to the Braves after designating him for assignment. Sonny Gray qualifies as a top-of-rotation arm, but everyone else is a mid-to-back-of-rotation pitcher more suited for eating innings than leading a playoff rotation.

Arizona starters Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly have been two of the guys mentioned most among available starters, and Luis Severino (Athletics), Mitch Keller (Pirates), and Shane Bieber (Guardians) are three others who could make sense depending on what the Cardinals are looking for.

Bullpen Help

New York Yankees

The Yanks could also use help at catcher and shortstop, but they are probably beholden to Austin Wells and Anthony Volpe at those spots, for better and worse. The bullpen is the other place that stands out as needing help, as New York ranks 22nd in WAR among relief pitchers.

Closer Devin Williams is having by far his worst season after coming over from Milwaukee in the offseason and could be bumped out of that role. Setup man Luke Weaver has been good enough to take that spot. The most likely outcome is probably Williams and Weaver staying in their roles while the Yankees look for a few other late-inning arms who can pitch in high-leverage spots come playoff time, when the bullpen has become increasingly more important.

Catcher

San Diego Padres

San Francisco Giants

These two teams are perfect to group together. Aside from the similar names, they are both in the hunt for both the NL West and the wild card behind the strength of their pitching staffs while harboring bottom-10 offenses (or close to it). They also rank as the bottom two in catcher WAR and are the only two with negative marks in that area.

San Diego has been splitting time between veterans Elias Diaz and Martin Maldonado: they are both batting under .200 with a combined nine home runs, 12 doubles, 26 walks, and 115 strikeouts. There's more to catcher success than just hitting, but this spot has been an automatic out all season.

Patrick Bailey has handled most of the work for the Giants, putting together a .204 average with just two home runs and 13 doubles. His 86 strikeouts to just 20 walks don't leave much room to add anything offensively.

Atlanta's Sean Murphy might be the best option available, as rookie Drake Baldwin has come out and played as well as Murphy at six years younger. Murphy is also signed through 2028 and could be a longer-term option, though the Braves might have to pay down some of his salary to send him to San Diego.

Second Base

Boston Red Sox

Boston has the future of this position figured out with guys like rookies Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell in tow, but neither has excelled to the point of locking it down for a contender in 2025, leaving the Red Sox as the perfect candidate to add a veteran rental for the final two months. And those reinforcements are necessary, as Boston ranks 27th in second-base WAR.

Minnesota's Willi Castro is a pending free agent, and the Twins just sent pitcher Chris Paddack to the division-rival Tigers, so they look ready to be sellers at the deadline (more on that below). Castro is hitting .254 with 10 homers and 15 doubles, not a world beater but good enough to help improve the outlook for Boston at the position.

Third Base

Los Angeles Angels

The Angels could join the “Sellers” group at the bottom of the page, but their recent operations since the Shohei Ohtani debacle show that they want to make the playoffs rather than load up for another run next season. LA also needs help at second base and in the outfield and bullpen, but we can't fix everything here. They rank last in third-base WAR, making it an obvious point to focus on.

The big name is Arizona's Eugenio Suarez. It would cost the Angels a prime prospect or two, but it would also add another big bat into the middle of a lineup that ranks in the top five in home runs and would allow the team to try powering their way to the playoffs. LA's starting pitchers rank seventh in WAR, so an improved offense would give them a puncher's chance, even if it's unlikely.

Outfield

Seattle Mariners

Tampa Bay Rays

Julio Rodriguez and Randy Arozarena have two outfield spots locked down, but the Mariners are just 22nd in WAR from their right fielders, a group mostly led by Dominic Canzone, Leody Taveras, and Luke Raley. Taveras and Raley haven't hit much at all, and while Canzone is batting .286, that's only in 119 at-bats. The team could use another bopper in the outfield.

The Rays are in the top 20 in WAR at all positions, so there's not an urgent need, but they are at their lowest in left field and the bullpen and could make a smaller addition to either spot. Tampa isn't going to pay up, either in terms of money or prospects, so they would likely be looking just at veteran rentals.

Pittsburgh's Tommy Pham is having his best season since at least 2021 and would be very low cost. Minnesota's Harrison Bader and Arizona's Lourdes Gurriel Jr. are other guys who could be of interest to different degrees, though the Diamondbacks might have to pay down some of Gurriel's salary for either Seattle or Tampa.

Designated Hitter

Texas Rangers

Here's my favorite team to make a deadline move to add a big hitter. Texas has a top-five pitching staff but a bottom-10 offense, and while some of that can be chalked up to their home ballpark being among the most pitcher-friendly in baseball, the Rangers could still use an upgrade or two in the lineup.

First base and third base also play a part here, where the Rangers rank in the bottom 10 in WAR. Josh Jung, Josh Smith, and Jake Burger have been handling most of the at-bats at those spots, and they have been uneven, showing some power but not much average (aside from Smith, who deserves a spot). The DH spot has mostly been filled by Joc Pederson, who missed a few months with injury and has been unplayable when in the lineup.

Baltimore's Ryan O'Hearn is the perfect addition here. He has been splitting his time between first base and DH and would allow Smith to play more third while filling in at first when O'Hearn slots in at DH. O'Hearn might be having his best season, batting .282 with 14 doubles and 12 homers.

Arizona's Suarez would add pop, but O'Hearn might cost less in terms of prospects and could fit better with Texas depending on what they want to do with the incumbents.

Anywhere Offensively

Cincinnati Reds

I don't quite know what to pinpoint here: Cincinnati ranks in the bottom 10 in WAR at first base, second base, third base, right field, and left field (along with pinch hitter). Anybody mentioned above could fit, as could any other available piece who could raise Cincinnati's floor.

The Reds might not feel like contenders, but they are only a game back in the wild card and have a real shot at the playoffs. On a team with so many weak spots, several small upgrades could make the difference between fighting for October and falling out of the race before the final week.

Possible Sellers

Arizona Diamondbacks

Cleveland Guardians

Kansas City Royals

Miami Marlins

Minnesota Twins

These teams fit into one of three categories (or maybe all three): they are too far from being real contenders, they need help at too many spots, or they run small payrolls and would do better to load up for 2026 rather than chase a low-percentage chance to win big.

Arizona already traded first baseman Josh Naylor, signaling that they will be selling off pieces. Pending free agents Suarez, Kelly, Gallen, and more could also be on the move, especially with Arizona dealing with injuries (Corbin Burnes being the big one).

Miami runs one of the lowest payrolls in baseball on a yearly basis, so adding short-term rentals to a flawed roster probably isn't their Plan A. They rank 19th or worse in WAR at starting pitcher, catcher, first base, third base, and DH. They could make a low-cost addition or two of a masher to help with the first/third/DH spots, but I doubt we will see them really make a splash, like acquiring Suarez or O'Hearn.

The three AL Central teams are extra incentivized to sell because they all run low-to-modest payrolls and are each eight games or more behind the Tigers for the division lead. Even though Detroit has been struggling hard recently, they still have 61 wins (second most in the AL) and look primed to cruise to the playoffs. With the wild card the only path and at least five teams in front of them in that race, Cleveland, Kansas City, and Minnesota could all decide it's better to load up for next year's run.

All three also rank in the bottom 10 in at least five different positions in WAR, so it's not like they can make an easy move or two to fix their woes. It would probably take more than these teams are willing to spend, in terms of both money and prospects, and the most likely outcome is each team either standing pat or selling off pending free agents.