With non-waiver trading deadline approaching, a look at possible buyers and sellers

The July 31 non-waiver trading deadline is approaching and speculation is flying about players moving to contenders. Soon it will be out of control. The Nationals might be looking for an outfield bat off the bench - how about Boston's Shane Victorino or Philadelphia's Jeff Francoeur? - and bullpen help to boost the bridge from rotation to closer. The Orioles could be looking for a corner outfielder. The Dodgers need starting pitching. The Mets need another bat and are shopping for a third baseman. It's the same old story in Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay: Each needs offense to support sterling pitching. Who would have thought that that Houston and Minnesota would be buying players at this time of year? So where do teams shop? Check out the bottom of the divisions. We're not breaking any news here when we say that the Reds, Phillies and Brewers are all teams that would be looking to trade players. The Phillies have pitcher Cole Hamels and his $81 million contract through 2018, but a less expensive option might be Johnny Cueto or Mike Leake, Reds pitchers heading for free agency after the season. Or how about Miami's Dan Haren or Mat Latos? Oakland, with the worst record in the American League, could shop pitcher Scott Kazmir, infielder Ben Zobrist and closer Tyler Clippard, who would fit nicely into the Nationals bullpen. Colorado would love to trade shortstop Troy Tulowitzki. Teams such as San Diego and the Chicago White Sox aren't sure whether to buy or sell. The Padres could keep their pitching and trade potential free agent Justin Upton. The underachieving White Sox could make Jeff Samardzija available. Seattle has already added a power bat in Mark Trumbo. Now the Mariners are banking that Hisashi Iwakuma, coming off the disabled list, can boost the rotation. Manager Lloyd McClendon jokes that he wants Iwakuma to win each of his remaining 14 starts. The possibilities for trade speculation are endless. Here's a primer: BALTIMORE: Orioles manager Buck Showalter is waiting for someone to take over the left field job, but no one has. The Orioles rotation has the potential to and the bullpen is fine. If the rotation bounces back - and Chris Tillman looked good in Detroit - the Orioles will move up in the American League East. CHICAGO CUBS: The Cubs are ahead of schedule and have a surplus of young players and money. So it makes sense that they could go after Hamels, thinking more long than short-term. The Cubs' best chance to make the postseason this year is the wild card. They'd like to trade shortstop Starlin Castro and move Addison Russell from second to short. DETROIT: For the first time, the Tigers have a rotation issue. They haven't been able to replace Max Scherzer, Rick Porcello or Drew Smyly. And Justin Verlander has made only five starts. The bullpen is leaky, too. Maybe the Tigers will trade David Price, a potential free agent after the season. Price could end up in Atlanta. HOUSTON: The Astros farm system is deep, so they might make a run at Cole Hamels, even with Scott Feldman back from the disabled list. Their top prospects - Carlos Correa, Vince Velasquez and Lance McCullers Jr. - are already playing key roles, so the Astros would have to cut into their next level of prospects. KANSAS CITY: The Royals are the best team in the AL, but is it wise for them to go into the playoffs with Yordano Ventura and Danny Duffy leading the rotation? Will Chris Young continue to pitch well? And should the Royals be hoping for success on Kris Medlen's return from two Tommy John surgeries? The Royals can't afford Cole Hamels, but any less expensive options would work. LOS ANGELES ANGELS: The Angels have taken over first place in the AL West, thanks to a strong rotation and an offense led by Mike Trout and Albert Pujols. But the Angels need production in left field, which leads to the speculation that they will acquire Cincinnati's Jay Bruce or San Diego's Justin Upton. LOS ANGELES DODGERS: The Dodgers have Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke at the top of their rotation, but after that, it falls off significantly. Hyun-Jin Ryu and Brandon McCarthy are out for the season with injuries, leaving Brett Anderson, Mike Bolsinger and Brandon Beachy at the back of the rotation. Beachy is trying to come back from his second Tommy John surgery. MINNESOTA: The Twins are a surprise contender, but if they are going to keep it going, they need a stronger bullpen. Closer Glen Perkins was an All-Star, but getting to him is the problem. Mike Pelfrey has cooled off in the rotation, so the Twins might go after a starter. Ervin Santana's return from a PED suspension is a plus. The Twins aren't as good as the Royals, so their best chance at the postseason is via the wild card route. That could determine how aggressive they will be with a developing roster. NEW YORK METS: The Mets can pitch, but they can't hit. That's why they are in the market for Ben Zobrist of Oakland, Aramis Ramirez of Milwaukee and Adrian Beltre of Texas. NEW YORK YANKEES: The Yankees seldom make blockbuster trades at midseason, but if they did, they would need, in this order, a starting pitcher and a second baseman. PITTSBURGH: With Gerrit Cole, A.J. Burnett and Francisco Liriano leading the way, the Pirates have enough pitching. But, they could use a right-handed bat to platoon with Pedro Alvarez at first base. ST. LOUIS: The Cardinals have a list of injuries, but are still in command in the National League Central, even though there were leaks going into the break. With Matt Adams out for the season, the Cardinals are looking for a first baseman. And even though their rotation has been one of the strongest in the league, they might add pitching depth given that Michael Wacha is coming back from injury and Carlos Martinez is a rookie. SAN FRANCISCO: The Giants, up and down all season, need a third baseman, a stronger bullpen and more reliable starters. Matt Cain and Jake Peavy are back from the disabled list, so the Giants are in a wait-and-see mode with those two. Tim Hudson and Tim Lincecum are on the disabled list and Ryan Vogelsong is average. Madison Bumgarner dominates, but he can't do it all, even though he did it all as the World Series MVP last season. TORONTO: The Blue Jays have a dangerous offense and need a starter and reliever, not easy to do without tearing the farm system down to a bare minimum. If Drew Hutchinson can shake off his disappointing first half, and rookie Aaron Sanchez pitches well, the Jays rotation would be improved. WASHINGTON: The Nationals could be back to full health in the next couple of weeks, but the question is whether another outfielder is needed given that Jayson Werth (wrist) and Denard Span (back) might need more time off than usual. David Carpenter is on the disabled list, so do the Nationals have enough setup guys in the bullpen in Casey Janssen, Matt Thornton and Blake Treinen?