Major League Baseball's 2022 trade deadline is now less than three weeks away, with August 2 is fast approaching.
There are already nine teams—the Diamondbacks, Cubs, Reds, Rockies, Tigers, Royals, A's, Pirates and Nationals—so hopelessly out of the playoff picture that they are guaranteed to be sellers ahead of the deadline. There are also a few dominoes hovering around .500 who have a tough decision to make within the next 20 days.
But, eventually, every team will become either a buyer or a seller, and we've put together a list of the one logical move each team should make.
Some of our suggestions are as precise as trading for a specific player. Others are as vague as "enjoy the fire sale." The 30 teams are presented in alphabetical order by location.
Statistics are current through the start of play on Tuesday, July 12.
Arizona Diamondbacks: Send David Peralta to a Contender
Ideally, the Diamondbacks will find a trade partner willing to take Madison Bumgarner off their hands. He's pitching well enough (3.65 ERA) to provide value to a contender in need of a starter, but not well enough for Arizona to be thrilled about owing him $23 million next season, $14 million in 2024 and $5 million per year in deferred money from 2025-27.
Getting that contract off the books would be huge.
But the more realistic move is parting with longtime Diamondback David Peralta.
Peralta turns 35 in August and is in the final season of the three-year, $22 million deal he signed in January 2020. While he's no longer the Silver Slugger who hit 30 home runs in 2018 nor the defensive star who won a Gold Glove in 2019, he would still be a welcome addition for a team like the Braves, Guardians or Yankees.
Atlanta Braves: Acquire Andrew Benintendi and/or David Peralta
After more than two months on the injured list following eye surgery, Eddie Rosario returned to action on July 4 and hit his first home run of the season two days later. He was batting .068 in 15 games played before the surgery, but if he can rediscover his 2021 second-half form, that would solve Atlanta's outfield problem.
However, that's a mighty big "if," so the Braves figure to be on the hunt for someone to play alongside Ronald Acuna Jr. and Michael Harris II.
And for any team interested in an outfield upgrade at this year's deadline, there are two names that are going to pop up in rumors over and over again: Arizona's David Peralta and Kansas City's Andrew Benintendi. There will surely be other outfielders on the move, too, but those impending free agents on teams going nowhere fast are the two big ones.
Perhaps the reigning champs will even try to get both of them? After all, bringing in all of Rosario, Joc Pederson, Adam Duvall and Jorge Soler before last year's deadline worked out pretty swell.