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The Los Angeles Angels weren’t going to wait for the calendar to flip to July before making a move, trading their own disappointing closer, Ernesto Frieri, to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for another disappointing closer, Jason Grilli, toward the end of June.

But the Angels still have some holes to fill if they hope to remain in contention for both the American League West and one of the two available wild-card spots, with the bullpen remaining a work in progress that could be altered at any time.

While the club doesn’t have the high-end prospects needed to land a front-line starting pitcher like Tampa Bay‘s David Price or Chicago’s Jeff Samardzija, it does have an owner with deep pockets in Arte Moreno and a penchant for disregarding salary if it means improving his team’s chances of winning (see the Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton free-agent signings for proof).

Bleacher Report will be bringing you the most up-to-the-minute rumblings about the Angels, along with analysis and everything else that comes with it. While the post date on this tracker will always show up as July 1, simply click to the next slide to see the latest from the rumor mill as the Halos look to bolster their roster for the stretch run.

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While things haven’t exactly gone as anyone associated with the Minnesota Twins would have liked in 2014, things aren’t all doom and gloom.

The club has a farm system full of impressive young talent, including the currently injured Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano, and some young players on the major league roster—second baseman Brian Dozier, starting pitchers Kyle Gibson and Phil Hughes and catcher Josmil Pinto—that look like long-term building blocks.

Along with one of the best bullpens in baseball, the once-proud franchise may not be as far away from returning to the land of contenders as some believe.

Not expected to be buyers at the deadline, Minnesota has a handful of veteran pieces that could be attractive to contending clubs, though how much of a return it’ll be able to extract remains to be seen.

Keep it here for the most up-to-the-minute rumblings about the Twins, along with analysis and everything else that comes with it. While the post date will always show as July 1, simply click to the next slide to see the latest from the rumor mill as Minnesota tries to add additional pieces for the future.

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Despite the loss of All-Star catcher Matt Wieters and a starting rotation full of underachievers, Baltimore finds itself in the thick of the American League playoff picture, sitting within a game of first place in the AL East and 1.5 back of the two available wild-card berths as of June 31.

The rotation, second base and catcher are all areas that the Orioles could look to strengthen between now and the non-waiver trade deadline on July 31. 

Keep it here for the most up-to-the-minute rumblings about the Orioles, along with analysis and everything else that comes with it. While the post date will always show as July 1, simply click to the next slide to see the latest from the rumor mill as the O’s look to bolster the roster for the stretch run.

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Those expecting the New York Yankees to sit back and wait for the nearly $500 million that they spent in free-agent additions over the winter to begin paying off simply haven’t been paying attention to how things work in the Bronx.

When anything less than a World Series victory is considered a failure from season to season, the Bronx Bombers are going to aggressively look to upgrade their roster, as general manager Brian Cashman recently explained to Zach Schonbrun of The New York Times:

I’m looking to make some additions if I can. I’d like to try to do a few things before those guys (starting pitchers Michael Pineda and CC Sabathia) get back, if possible. But I’ve already been trying. There’s a reason we haven’t done anything; it’s not because of a lack of phone calls. We’ll see.

Aside from the starting rotation, second base and third base remain areas where the team could look to land upgrades.

It’s going to be a busy month in the Bronx, and staying on top of all the action can be as difficult as navigating your way down the Cross Bronx Expressway in rush hour. That’s where Bleacher Report comes in.

Keep it here for the most up-to-the-minute rumblings about the Yankees, along with analysis and everything else that comes with it. While the post date will always show as July 1, simply click to the next slide to see the latest from the rumor mill as the Yankees look to add reinforcements for the stretch run.

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Less than five weeks remain until the MLB July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.

What happens during this time can turn a moribund franchise around or take a contending team from the brink of greatness and put it over the top. Now is when general managers can set their franchise back or forever cement their legacy as the architect of greatness.

Here are three MLB trade scenarios based on actual need and published rumors from the week ending Sunday, June 29. 

As a standard note, the following proposals are nothing more than postulation. The point here is to build a trade based on someone else’s written or spoken word.

They are balanced deals that are fair for each team, though, and take into consideration each franchise’s strengths and weaknesses. 

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When you’ve got (arguably) the best team in baseball, the best manager in baseball and the best general manager in baseball, the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline would seem to be a rather irrelevant date on the calendar.

But if there’s one thing that we’ve learned about the Oakland A’s under the stewardship of GM Billy Beane, it’s that the team rarely passes up an opportunity to improve, regardless of their place in the standings.

Yet it can be difficult to keep track of all the rumors surrounding the team, especially if you’re hanging out at O.co Coliseum, where dodging puddles of raw sewage is sure to demand the bulk of your attention.

That’s where Bleacher Report comes in.

Keep it here for the most up-to-the-minute rumblings about the A’s, along with analysis and everything else that comes with it. While the post date will always show as July 1, simply click to the next slide to see the latest from the rumor mill as the A’s look to clinch their third consecutive AL West crown.

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It’s been difficult to get a grasp on the Seattle Mariners in 2014, given that the club hasn’t been at full strength much of the season.

They only recently got prospect Taijuan Walker back into the rotation, while fellow youngster James Paxton remains sidelined by injury, robbing the rotation of two of its most talented and important pieces.

Offensively, while Robinson Cano, the team’s biggest offseason addition, has remained a fixture in the lineup, fellow newcomers Logan Morrison and Corey Hart have been limited by injury and have provided mediocre production when they are in the lineup.

Still, the Mariners remain in the playoff hunt.

General manager Jack Zduriencik has some work to do before his club can rest easy, with adding another potent bat to the lineup and perhaps another starter to the rotation the biggest tasks before him.

While a recent guest on 1090 The Fan’s Steve Sandmeyer Show, Zduriencik said that he has some payroll flexibility and would be shocked if he wasn’t able to swing at least one deal between now and the non-waiver trade deadline on July 31, according to co-host Jason Churchill.

Keeping up with things over the next month can prove to be a difficult task, even for the most ardent Mariners fan.

That’s where Bleacher Report comes in, as this tracker will be where you can find the most up-to-the-minute rumblings about the Mariners, along with analysis and everything else that comes with it.

While the post date will always show as July 1, simply click to the next slide to see the latest from the rumor mill in the Emerald City.

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The 2014 All-Star Game is still a few weeks away, but don’t let that distort your vision of the 2014 season. By the start of play on June 30, almost every team in baseball will have reached its midway point. With 81 games in the books, ample time has been provided to determine buyers and sellers in the upcoming trade market.

In theory, at least.

Due to factors such as the second wild card, revenue sharing, cable television dollars and regional sports networks, more teams are in the race than ever before. The days of only five or six teams truly having a chance to win the World Series are long over. With that, market factors shift.

Over the next five weeks, don’t expect more than a handful of true buyers and true sellers to emerge and complete deals. With teams like the Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins teetering on the edge of contention or acceptance of lost seasons, the landscape could shift quickly.

At this moment, only 10 teams are operating with clear goals in mind. With five buyers and five sellers clearly emerging, here are the teams to watch. 

Unless otherwise noted, statistics are courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs and are accurate entering play on June 27. 

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The MLB July 31 non-waiver trade deadline is less than six weeks away, and the rhetoric is quickly reaching a crescendo.

The quagmire in the standings is slowing, giving way to an established set of clubs that have legitimate chances of reaching the MLB postseason. As such, the number of rumors over the past seven days grew considerably from the week prior.

Here are three MLB trade scenarios based on actual need and published rumors from the week ending Sunday, June 22. 

As a standard note, the following proposals are nothing more than postulation. The point here is to build a trade based on someone else’s written or spoken word.

They are balanced deals that are fair for each team, though, and take into consideration each franchise’s strengths and weaknesses. 

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Slowly but surely, MLB trade rumors are swirling faster by the day.

The deadline is now just over a month away. The rumors mill began quiet, but noise will continue to pick up as teams’ desperation rises for one last piece of their championship-push puzzles.

Here’s the latest trade buzz from around the league.

LHP David Price, Tampa Bay Rays

The talent that has Tampa Bay at the bottom of the AL East has hurt some of Price’s numbers this season. But it hasn’t stopped him from leading the MLB in strikeouts with 133 in 16 starts.

He’s the biggest name on the trade block by far.

According to ESPN’s Jason Stark, the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants and Atlanta Braves are the favorites to acquire Price. Stark also reported that the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays are impossibilities because they play within the Rays’ division.

This is after ESPN’s Buster Olney (subscription needed) reported last week a high-ranked executive told him, “It’s inevitable that [Price] will wind up with the Dodgers, isn’t it?”

And then there’s this from Friday night:

The Rays need to trade him. They can’t be left empty-handed after his contract expires after next season. Trading Price for the right price can greatly quicken their rebuilding process.

OF Matt Kemp, Los Angeles Dodgers

Speaking of the Dodgers, they aren’t looking up at everyone in their division like Tampa Bay, but one of their biggest names could also be on the move. Kemp is third on the team in batting average and fourth in home runs and RBIs.

However, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reported not his bat but a “tempestuous” relationship with superiors could have him on a plane out of Los Angeles.

Rosenthal did clarify that’s he’ll most likely be dealt in the offseason. But considering how aggressively the Dodgers are expected to work the phone at this year’s deadline, if Kemp’s name comes up, he seems far from untouchable.

Bleacher Report’s Scott Miller doesn’t think they should wait until the offseason to trade him, claiming, in fact, that moving Kemp could save their season as they sit four games behind the Giants at 40-34.

ESPN’s Jim Bowden (subscription required) also reported earlier this week that another Los Angeles outfielder has started to draw interest, Scott Van Slyke.

New York Yankees

The New York Post’s Ken Davidoff reported that Yankees general manager Brian Cashman plans on buying at the deadline.

For who is the question. If not Price, rumors suggest they’ll exclusively pursue starting pitching. Bowden (subscription required) reported that New York will indeed acquire a starter this season, and Gary Sanchez will likely what it deals in return.

John Ryan Murphy is another Yankee who could be traded, if they share the interest of the teams calling according to CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman. 

In 63 at-bats for them this season, Murphy hit .286.

David Daniels is a columnist at Bleacher Report. He tweets, too.

Follow @TheRealDDaniels

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