An area to upgrade at the Deadline for each team

A few days ago, we detailed the buy-or-sell status of MLB’s 30 clubs, and while there are far more buyers than sellers, every front office has an objective leading up to Tuesday’s 6 p.m. ET Trade Deadline.

That could mean strengthening the pitching staff or a specific area of the lineup for the stretch run, or simply bolstering an area of the farm system as they look to 2024.

With that in mind, here’s a look at one possible area that each club should be looking to upgrade by Tuesday.

American League East

Blue Jays: Right-handed bat
The starting rotation received a lift with the return of Alek Manoah, while Hyun-Jin Ryu is due back from the IL soon, making that a less urgent area of need for Toronto. The lineup has fared well against lefties for the most part -- Bo Bichette, Matt Chapman and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. all have an OPS of .800 or better against southpaws -- but adding a power bat from the right side to fortify the bench would help the Blue Jays in their pursuit of a postseason berth.

Orioles: Relief pitching
Baltimore’s bullpen ranks fifth in the American League with a 3.73 ERA, and while the first-half performances of All-Stars Félix Bautista and Yennier Cano have been key to the team’s success, Cano has shown some cracks in July (4.50 ERA, .927 OPS against). Adding another veteran late-inning arm would go a long way as the Orioles try to hold off the rest of the AL East.

Rays: Starting pitching
The Rays lineup has been among the worst in the Majors this month, dropping them out of the top spot in the AL East, but the rotation remains their biggest area of need. No. 4 starter Taj Bradley has had an uneven season, while the No. 5 spot has been a rotating door. Add in Zach Eflin’s health issues -- he left his start Wednesday with left-knee discomfort -- and Tampa Bay is in need of at least one starter if not two.

Red Sox: Starting pitching
Boston is in need of at least one reliever to fortify the bullpen, but a starting pitcher is a more urgent need for the Red Sox. Chris Sale and Tanner Houck are projected to return sometime next month, but Boston needs an arm or two to insert behind James Paxton, Brayan Bello and Kutter Crawford that will help them stay in the Wild Card race until they get healthy.

Yankees: Catcher
The Yankees have a number of areas in which they could use an upgrade, but none stand out as much as their catching now that Jose Trevino is done for the season. Kyle Higashioka and Ben Rortvedt are the current combo behind the plate, so adding a veteran backstop will be important as the Yankees try to chase down a postseason berth while avoiding their first losing season since 1992.

American League Central

Guardians: Outfielder
Even after acquiring Noah Syndergaard for Amed Rosario, Cleveland could use an upgrade in the starting rotation, as three rookies -- Logan Allen, Tanner Bibee and Gavin Williams -- currently make up 60 percent of the group. But the offense is the biggest need, specifically in the outfield, where the overall production has been among the worst in the Majors.

Royals: Young hitter
The Royals are one of the sure-fire sellers this week, so Kansas City will be looking for a young hitter who is close to being Major League-ready. Two of the club’s top hitting prospects -- outfielder Gavin Cross and third baseman Cayden Wallace -- are still in Single-A, so adding a young bat that can make an impact as early as 2024 is key.

Tigers: Infield prospect
Detroit has a pair of top infield prospects in Colt Keith and Jace Jung, but there are some questions about Keith’s long-term position. Justyn-Henry Malloy was recently moved from third base to left field, so adding another advanced-level infielder would make sense for the Tigers.

Twins: Right-handed hitter
The Twins’ .660 OPS against lefties is the lowest mark in the Majors, illustrating the need for a right-handed hitter who can slot into the middle of the lineup against southpaws. Alex Kirilloff, Max Kepler, Byron Buxton and Willi Castro are among the Twins with an OPS under .650 against lefties this season.

White Sox: Young pitching
With Lucas Giolito already traded and Lance Lynn seemingly headed out the door, the rotation for 2024 looks thin beyond Dylan Cease and Michael Kopech -- assuming neither of them are dealt, too. Chicago’s lone Top 100 pitching prospect is 19-year-old lefty Noah Schultz, the club’s No. 3 prospect and No. 99 in MLB Pipeline’s overall rankings.

American League West

Angels: Relief pitching
General manager Perry Minasian removed any doubt about the Angels’ intentions on Wednesday, trading two of his top three prospects to the White Sox for Giolito and Reynaldo López. With the will-they-or-won’t-they question about trading Shohei Ohtani now off the table, the Angels will look to fortify their bullpen by the Trade Deadline.

Astros: Starting pitching
The Astros would like to add a left-handed bat and a reliever or two before the Trade Deadline, but upgrading the rotation is the bigger priority for first-year GM Dana Brown. With three starters -- Lance McCullers Jr., Luis Garcia and José Urquidy -- going down to injury, the Astros need to make sure they can cover the necessary innings over the final two months of the season.

Athletics: Young pitching
Oakland has used 33 pitchers this season, and after Mason Miller and Freddy Tarnok reached the Majors this season, the club’s next four top pitching prospects are all still at the lowest levels of the Minors. Should the A’s deal away any veterans this week, getting young arms in return should be the goal.

Mariners: Young hitter
The Top 10 of Seattle’s prospects list is loaded with position players, including MLB Pipeline Top 100 entrants Harry Ford, Cole Young and Gabriel Gonzalez, but the top six are still in A-ball. Although the system has had great success developing pitchers such as Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryce Miller and Bryan Woo, adding position players closer to the Majors is a need.

Rangers: Relief pitching
This could be amended to simply say “pitching,” as the Rangers are looking to add in both the rotation and bullpen. But based on their recent talks with other clubs, it seems the bullpen is the bigger need, even after adding Aroldis Chapman last month.

National League East

Braves: Starting pitching
Atlanta's top three starters in Spencer Strider, Bryce Elder and Charlie Morton have been solid, but Elder has never thrown more than 137 2/3 innings in a season and is already at 114 2/3, so workload could become an issue down the stretch. Max Fried is due back from the IL, and Mike Soroka could get another shot, but adding a veteran back-end starter would make sense for the Braves.

Marlins: Corner infield
The production at the corner-infield spots has been spotty all year, with Jean Segura, Garrett Cooper and Yuli Gurriel all posting inconsistent seasons. Adding a lefty-hitting corner infielder would help improve one of those spots while balancing out the lineup.

Mets: Controllable relief pitching
The Mets are one of the most interesting bubble teams in the league, as GM Billy Eppler could decide to become a buyer or seller in the coming days. Either way, the bullpen will need some help in 2024 (David Robertson was dealt to the Marlins on Thursday night and Trevor Gott is a free agent, while Brooks Raley has a $6.25 million club option), so adding a controllable bullpen piece or two would address that need while also strengthening the unit for the stretch run.

Phillies: Left field
Now that Bryce Harper has made the move to first base, the DH spot is open for Kyle Schwarber, whose defensive play in left field left much to be desired. With several serviceable options on the market -- Cody Bellinger, Randal Grichuk and Dylan Carlson, just to name a few -- the opportunity to upgrade the position should be there.

Nationals: Controllable relief pitching
The Nationals bullpen has been ravaged by injuries to Hunter Harvey, Carl Edwards Jr. and Thaddeus Ward, dooming Washington’s relief corps to an NL-worst 5.43 ERA. Adding controllable relievers to help the unit moving forward should be a focus for GM Mike Rizzo.

National League Central

Brewers: Third base/DH
Brian Anderson is due back from the IL soon, but he slowed down considerably after a hot start, posting a .626 OPS in 55 games since May 5. The Brewers have also not found much success at the DH spot, posting a cumulative .621 OPS at the position. Milwaukee ranks at the bottom of the NL in OPS and is jockeying with the Marlins and Pirates for the basement in runs scored, so even after acquiring first baseman Carlos Santana, adding a bat somewhere is crucial as they try to hold off the Reds.

Cardinals: Controllable starting pitching
With both Jordan Montgomery and Jack Flaherty heading for free agency and Adam Wainwright headed for retirement, the Cardinals rotation is in a state of flux for 2024. It’s possible that Flaherty could work out an extension to stay in St. Louis, but adding at least one controllable starter should be in the cards for the club.

Cubs: Controllable starting pitching
If the Cubs opt to sell, they should be able to get a good return for Marcus Stroman and/or Cody Bellinger. The rotation figures to be a focus given Stroman’s likely trade or opt out, and the uncertainty surrounding Kyle Hendricks, who has a $16 million club option for 2024. Drew Smyly is also only signed through 2024 with a $10 million mutual option that is unlikely to be exercised.

Pirates: Controllable pitching
We won’t get too specific here, because the Pirates could use help in both the rotation and bullpen going forward. Pittsburgh doesn’t have a ton of assets to move this week unless they go big with trades of Mitch Keller and/or David Bednar, but it’s going to take a huge offer to pry either of the controllable All-Star pitchers from the Pirates.

Reds: Starting pitching
The Reds are in prime position to make a charge at a postseason spot, but upgrading a rotation that ranks 14th in the NL with a 5.30 ERA is a must. Cincinnati boasts one of the strongest farm systems in the game and has a glut of young infielders, so GM Nick Krall has plenty of prospect capital to use to add an arm (or two).

National League West

D-backs: Relief pitching
Arizona’s 4.57 bullpen ERA ranks 13th in the NL, so while the D-backs will likely look to add an arm to the rotation, the relief corps is a more pressing concern. There are also far more bullpen arms to be had than starters, so GM Mike Hazen could look to acquire multiple relievers to help take the burden off the rotation.

Dodgers: Starting pitching
Los Angeles sits in first place in the NL West despite a 4.71 rotation ERA that ranks 11th in the NL, and given the injuries they have dealt with all season -- including the uncertainty surrounding Clayton Kershaw’s return date from left shoulder soreness -- the need for rotation help is obvious. Giolito was a name on their radar, but the Angels swooped in and dealt for him on Wednesday.

Giants: Middle infield
Injuries to Thairo Estrada and Brandon Crawford have left the Giants thin up the middle, and even with the recent promotion of No. 2 prospect Marco Luciano, San Francisco needs more infield help. A player such as Paul DeJong, Tommy Edman or Nicky Lopez would fit the bill, or the Giants could try to get Tim Anderson from the White Sox and hope a change of scenery re-energizes him.

Padres: Designated hitter
Neither Nelson Cruz nor Matt Carpenter have been able to provide the production the Padres were hoping for, evidenced by the club’s .654 OPS at the DH spot, which ranks next-to-last in the NL. The good thing about pursuing help at DH is that the options are endless: any position player can do the trick.

Rockies: Controllable pitching
Colorado’s pitching has been a mess this season, especially the rotation, which ranks last in the NL with a 6.15 ERA. The bullpen hasn’t been much better, posting a 4.77 ERA that ranks 14th in the NL, and with the likelihood that both Brent Suter and Brad Hand get moved, the Rockies will try to add arms to get a head start on 2024 and beyond.