Kuzul

The Major League Baseball trading deadline arrives this Saturday, which leaves all 30 teams mere days to pull off a deal that is either going to help them in this year’s pennant chase or set them up for the future.

The hot stove is still flush with rumors with any number of players possibly going to any number of destinations, but which players remain atop each team’s list of most desired players?

Every team, especially every contending team, has that one player it wants more than anyone else.

Who is that player, and can the respective team pull off the deal? All those questions will be answered by Saturday, but previewed here first.

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The Seattle Mariners already pulled off the one big deal they had planned to make leading up to Major League Baseball’s trading deadline.  The Mariners traded away Cliff Lee for one of the best offensive prospects in the game in Justin Smoak (plus other prospects).

Yet, the Mariners are unlikely finished with their trading deadline work. Seattle is 39-60 and assuredly out of the buyer’s market. Yet there are deals within the current roster the Mariners should consider as they look to the future built around Smoak and Felix Hernandez.  The Mariners have the pieces, it’s a matter of finding the right buyer.

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The San Francisco Giants enter the last week before the Major League Baseball trade deadline three games behind the San Diego Padres in the National League West. The Giants have so far won on the heels of their tremendous starting rotation, but there are other pieces needed if the Giants are to return to the postseason. Those pieces? Bats.

The Giants are 10th in the National League in runs scored but still have won eight of their last 10. Now is the time for the Giants to get the big piece at the plate that will help them get over their offensive inconsistencies and put pressure on the front-running Padres.

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The Los Angeles Dodgers head into next week’s trade deadline looking to add a piece that will vault them back into serious contention in the National League West.

Entering Thursday’s action, the Dodgers find themselves six games back of the first place San Diego Padres having lost seven of their last 10 games.

That is a bad recipe for a team that entered the season with loftier expectations. However, the Dodgers are also in a tricky situation.

A heated divorce between owner Frank McCourt and his wife has left the team very much cash strapped without the ability to add a big money player. That leaves the Dodgers looking for good deals that will not incur much of a financial commitment.

But there are deals out there? Or will the Dodgers be forced to take on salary with the hope of making a charge over the last eight weeks of the season?

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The trading deadline is now just 12 days away. Teams are heating up the phone lines to make deals that will improve their clubs for the stretch run. 
Perhaps no team is in greater need of an impact trade than the Boston Red Sox.

The Red Sox enter Monday finding themselves 3.5 games behind the second-place Tampa Bay Rays and 6.5 games behind the first-place New York Yankees.  In a division that is almost assured to hold this year’s wild-card team, the Red Sox must make a move (or moves) to support their wounded roster and make a run at the AL East contenders.

Here is a look at 10 moves that could get Boston back on track and headed in the right direction in a vaunted division.

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The first significant trade of the season’s second half went down today.  The Atlanta Braves sent beleaguered shortstop Yunel Escobar to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for shortstop Alex Gonzalez.

The Braves also received left-hander Jo-Jo Reyes while the Blue Jays received two minor leaguers, shortstop Tyler Pastornicky and pitcher Tim Collins.

The trade spells the end of what was supposed to be a promising career for Escobar in Atlanta. Instead, the Braves used their homegrown product to land a veteran shortstop who is enjoying one of the best seasons of his career.  It was a significant upgrade for the Braves while the Blue Jays are left with what amounts to a reclamation project in a new organization and new city (and country).

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With the All-Star Game behind us, fans can wait in anticipation to see if their team makes and moves to bolster their teams before the July 31st trading deadline.

Contenders are looking for that final piece, other teams are looking for a piece to improve their chances at a second half run while others are simply sellers looking to unload valuable pieces in hopes of getting building their farm system.

All 30 big league teams are working on trading deadline action, but what is the one move that every team wishes it could make?

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George Steinbrenner suddenly died this morning at the age of 80 years, but his legacy will go down for one main idea: winning. Winning is what encompassed Steinbrenner’s 37 years at the helm of the Yankees. He saw his team win seven World Series, 11 American League pennants and over 3,000 games.

The Yankees won more division titles than any team in baseball since 1973. For those reasons, Steinbrenner will be remembered (at least to Yankee fans) above anything else. One hundred wins was no rare feat under Steinbrenner’s watch, but what 10 teams stand out as George’s best?

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News broke this morning that Yankees longtime owner and baseball icon George Steinbrenner has died. Steinbrenner, aptly nicknamed “The Boss,” reportedly suffered a massive heart attack this morning and died at 6:30 a.m. EST in a Tampa-area hospital.

Steinbrenner, 80, owned the Yankees from 1973 and re-energized the Yankees from a fallen franchise to the biggest sports entity in the world. It is a significant blow to Major League Baseball, which lost one of its giants.

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The news that the Yankees nearly acquired the biggest trade chip this summer is sending shockwaves around Major League Baseball. Not only because the best team in the league came close to acquiring one of the best pitchers, but because the trade of Cliff Lee will act as the catalyst.

Lee’s trade will likely kick start the frenzy before the July 31 trading deadline.

Numerous teams across the league need numerous pieces. However, there are 15 glaring holes that need to be filled if these teams are to contend or continue to contend as they have done to this part of the season.

Here is a look at the 15 most pressing needs in baseball on the Friday before the all-star break.

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