Five Most Glaring Needs for American League Contenders Before the Trade Deadline

The 2025 MLB season has rounded the All-Star break turn and is headed for the home stretch. There is a glut of teams still in contention for playoff spots, which means the July 31 trade deadline could get hectic.

There are contending teams with glaring holes that must be plugged over the next couple of weeks. Here's a look at the biggest needs among the leaders in the American League—we’ll follow up with the National League on Friday.

New York Yankees: Third base

The Yankees moved Jazz Chisholm Jr. to second base and released DJ LeMahieu. It was a dramatic shift for a team battling for first place in the AL East. The third base job is now open and there is no good fit at the position currently in the Bronx. It may be the most obvious hole a contender has. Oswald Peraza isn't the solution.

General manager Brian Cashman is almost certain to go all-in this season after his team fell three games short of a championship in 2024. There should be several options available to to fill the spot before the deadline, and first among them is Diamondbacks slugger Eugenio Suárez. The veteran third baseman is in the final year of his contract and has 31 home runs and 78 RBIs. But there are several guys who could fill that role if the Yankees look elsewhere.

Detroit Tigers: High-leverage relief pitcher

The Tigers entered the All-Star break with the best record in baseball but they're not a finished product. Detroit's offense is fantastic and doesn't need help, other than maybe a bench bat. The front office's focus over the next few weeks should be finding help for the relief corps. The Tigers' bullpen carries an ERA of 4.13, which ranks 21st in the league, and has the third-lowest strikeout rate (19.6%). Other than Will Vest (2.30 ERA) the team's bullpen arms have all been shaky at times.

Detroit should attempt to find at least one big-time relief pitcher, and perhaps another arm for depth. Chatter around the league is that the price for pitching will be exorbitant this season, so the Tigers will have to pick their targets well.

Toronto Blue Jays — Starting pitching

The Blue Jays enter the second half one game ahead of the Yankees in the AL East. While José Berríos, Chris Bassitt and Kevin Gausman have been solid, Toronto needs another starter for the stretch run. As a group, the team's starters have a 4.60 ERA, which ranks 25th in baseball. The Blue Jays simply don't have the depth to compete down the stretch as the season wears on, and another top tier guy could push them from a nice, surprising story to a true contender.

Even if Toronto isn't willing to give up what it takes for a top-of-the-rotation guy, it must find at least one starter to lengthen the rotation. Again, prices will be high, but it could be worth it.

Houston Astros — Starting pitching

Yes, another team in need of pitching (maybe you're starting to understand why prices will be so high). It will be an extreme seller's market this year. Houston's starters have been pretty good this season, as they rank 11th in MLB in ERA (3.80) but they don't have the depth they'll need in October. Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez have been elite this year, but Spencer Arrighetti and Cristian Javier have both dealt with injuries, while Ronel Blanco and Hayden Wesneski are out for the year.

Getting another starter they’re confident turning to in October to add to Brown and Valdez could make the AL West-leading Astros a favorite in the AL.

Seattle Mariners — Corner infielder

The Mariners enter the second half holding on to the final wild-card spot, but with Cal Raleigh having a potentially record-breaking season, rumors suggest they'll be aggressive. If that's the case, upgrading the corners is what they need to do. Ben Williamson (79 wRC+) isn't good enough at third base, and Luke Raley (0.7 fWAR) could be improved upon at first. One of those spots has to be upgraded.

Like the Yankees, Suárez makes sense for the Mariners, as does Diamondbacks first baseman Josh Naylor.