Five Trade Deadline Moves That Need to Happen

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5. Jay Bruce

The Reds' lefthanded outfielder leads the National League with 80 RBIs, in addition to 25 home runs in an All-Star season seeing marked improvement from the last two seasons. Acquiring him has the possibility to not be just a one-year rental either; his contract has a team option for $13 million next season. That amount is favorable compared to other productive outfielders like Carlos Gonzalez ($17 million next season), Matt Holliday ($17 million), Matt Kemp ($21 million), and Yoenis Cespedes ($27.5 million). The Dodgers have been in talks for a three-team trade involving Bruce. The Mariners, Mets and Rays have all also been in contact regarding Bruce.

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4. Yasiel Puig

Speaking of the Dodgers, they are actively pursuing trades that could help them unload their explosive outfielder. While his game features flash and excitement in the outfield and on the basepaths, the production at the plate that propelled Puig to superstar status at the start of his L.A. career has recently dwindled to underwhelming depths. In 79 games this season, Puig is hitting .255, has an OBP of .316, and is slugging just .376. His 7 home runs and 32 RBIs are woeful totals for a corner outfielder with his talent and athletic ability. A change of scenery to a more hitter-friendly park could be the spark that reignites him.

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3. Jonathan Lucroy

The Brewers' All-Star catcher has multiple suitors seeking his stellar production for an everyday player behind the plate. He leads all National League catchers in games played, and is tied with San Francisco's Buster Posey in at-bats. Among NL catchers with at least 200 at-bats, he is third in batting average (.300), and second in OBP (.360) and slugging percentage (.484). His 13 home runs rank third, and his 50 runs batted in and 48 runs are both second-most. The Indians, Rangers and Mets are all showing strong interest in acquiring Lucroy, who has the ability to block teams he could be traded to. On that list are the Indians (which could just provide more leverage for him regarding contract talks), Tigers, Angels, Twins, A's, Padres, Mariners and Nationals.

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2. Rangers Starting Pitcher

Despite having the best record in the American League, the Rangers have the fourth-worst staff ERA (4.40) and WHIP (1.39), and fifth-worst opponents' batting average (.264). To keep pace with some of the other top teams in the league (Cleveland, Houston, Toronto), Texas will have to bolster their rotation. The current absences of Colby Lewis and Derek Holland (disabled list) combined with earlier time missed (Yu Darvish) has limited the capabilities of the Rangers' starting pitching. They are looking closely at Chris Sale of the White Sox (14-4, 3.17 ERA, .218 opponents' BA) and Chris Archer of the Tampa Bay Rays (career 3.54 ERA, leads the league in strikeouts while averaging more than 10 per 9 innings).

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1. Nationals Bullpen

While the clubhouse seems to have recovered from last year's choking incident involving league-MVP Bryce Harper, Jonathan Papelbon's production is not helping his case for sticking around much longer. He is allowing more baserunners (9.6 hits per 9 innings pitched, 3.6 walks, 1.469 WHIP) and runs scored (4.41 ERA) than he has for the majority of his career. The Nationals missed out on the Aroldis Chapman sweepstakes, so they will be looking to add somebody like Arodys Vizcaino of the Braves or Fernando Abad of the Twins to fill that role.