The day after the All Star break has proved to be a hot bed day for trading players. This year however has not been the case. The biggest names that are looking to be moved have not made their splash yet but the time is slowly creeping up on us. You would think that most teams are looking for that one bat that can fill the hole in the otherwise good lineup, while other teams are looking for starting pitching. Surprisingly enough the main position that teams are looking for is bullpen help. As you know, you can never have enough reliable arms in your team's bullpen.
The National League is no different than the American League as both will be looking to fill in some spots with some arms. Although not all teams are looking for hitters, some are looking for a big bat. Below is a list of contending teams that are looking to buy.
Los Angeles Dodgers
If you thought that the Dodgers were not in playoff contention you were dead wrong. The Dodgers are playing great baseball of late and are only 1.5 games behind those pesky Diamondbacks. With the explosion of Yasiel Puig, this offense has sparked and they are playing great baseball. The one position that the Dodgers will be looking for is starting pitching. A move was already made by the Dodgers as they traded away some minor leaguers for Ricky Nolasco. Look for the Dodgers to make one more move to make the final push towards October. If this ball club did want to go after another pitcher you could potentially see Edinson Volquez make the move. At this point it looks like the only other position the Dodgers would need is relief pitching.
Atlanta Braves
The Braves have been a beat up team this season. Justin Upton was hurt for the last game of the first half, while Freddie Freeman, Jason Heyward and B.J. Upton are all also nicked up. The main blow came to their bullpen when Jonny Venters and Eric O’Flaherty both went down for the season. This has proved to be costly as Venters and O’Flaherty were the seventh and eighth innings guys and were reliable at that. The Braves are not in need of any bats but look for them to make a small trade to get a relief pitcher to help this bruised up 'pen.
Arizona Diamondbacks
A lot of people did not think that the D’backs would be in this position come All Star break but they are here and they mean business. Paul Goldschmidt has proved to be the best player on this team and received his first All Star nod as well. Look for them to go after a starting pitcher, potentially Yovani Gallardo of the Brewers who is having a rough season. But who knows, moving teams could prove to be the best thing that could happen to this guy. This team also wouldn’t be upset if they got another bat to go in the middle of this lineup as Martin Prado hasn’t looked the good ol’ Prado he did in Atlanta.
As for the Cardinals, Reds and Pirates things seem to be in a bit of a gray area. Some days the Reds look like the best team in baseball, while other days they don’t seem to click at all. They have a decent bullpen and some big name bats in the middle of their order. As for the Cardinals you could see them go after another pitcher but if they do not go after one they should be fine. The NL Central has looked amazing this year and it will be interesting to see who makes the first big move, than watch the dominos fall.