The opening salvo of the last week of trading season has been fired… and by the Washington Nationals, who sit 15 games back of the Phillies for the NL East race and nine games back of the Braves for the NL Wild Card. The Nationals pulled the trigger on a deal with the Cincinnati Reds acquiring left fielder Jonny Gomes for minor league pitcher Chris Manno and outfielder Bill Rhinehart.

Wait, what?

The impetus of this deal for the Reds is simple. Chris Heisey has been an above average hitter and has earned time in the left field hole for Cincinnati. With Gomes’s usefulness limited to his performance against left-handed pitching, Heisey has made him redundant. The movement of Gomes makes room for Yonder Alonso to come up and add another left-handed bat to the outfield mix and to the bench.

The thought process for the Nationals, however, is not so clear. The reward for the Nationals appears to be a right-handed platoon partner for Laynce Nix. Gomes does crush left-handers to the tune of a .382 wOBA for his career and a whopping .426 wOBA so far this season. He’s effectively worthless against righties — a .319 wOBA career and .296 this year — and in the field, where he carries a -38 career UZR in about four seasons’ worth of plate appearances in the corner outfield positions.

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Teams approach the trade deadline in different fashions based on their financial outlook and position in the playoff picture. Based on the varying degrees of needs for both buyers and sellers I ranked all of the major league teams on how important it is for them to act before the July 31 trade deadline. Some teams need to add a significant piece, while others need to extract value from their major league assets. For serious contenders, success in the postseason was considered on top of the likelihood they make the playoffs.

Yesterday, we looked at the ten teams with the least pressing need to make a move. From #30-#21, the order went: Red Sox, Phillies, Rockies, Blue Jays, Dodgers, Mariners, Marlins, Yankees, Nationals, Braves. Today’s group starts with teams that may benefit from a move but who don’t absolutely need to be active this week, to those who should be on the phone rather frequently.

#20 – Minnesota Twins
Though they have rebounded quite a bit from a dreadful start, making up seven games in the AL Central over two months will be difficult. Their biggest trade chips are Jason Kubel, Michael Cuddyer, Jim Thome, Denard Span and Scott Baker, but only Span has been mentioned in recent rumors.

He is also probably considered the bronze trophy to teams that miss out on Michael Bourn and BJ Upton. Kubel will be a free agent at the end of the year and the Twins could probably get a better return on compensatory picks. The Twins would have to pay virtually all of Cuddyer’s remaining money to get anything of value in return, and despite a losing season, Jim Thome’s quest for 600 HR will likely keep him in Minneapolis until the waiver wire period. They have some interesting pieces that may have been valued more in trades earlier in the season, but not so much right now.

Then again, given the thin nature of the starting pitchers on the market, Scott Baker would vault toward the top of that list if made available.

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The trade deadline will pass at 4:00 PM EST on Sunday July 31, giving teams a week to make deals before having to resort to the waiver wire.

Clubs approach the deadline differently based on goals relative to their current position in the playoff picture and their financial outlook. Playoff locks will look to improve a minor roster deficiency, while teams on the fringe will try to plug a major hole to shed their quasi-contender status. Some teams might try to unload a bad contract, even if they have to pay a large portion of the remaining salary. Teams clearly out of the race may look to trade away their valuable major league assets for prospects in the hope of contending in the future.

Despite the varying approaches, each team has a certain level of need to get things done. To that end, I decided to rank the teams in order of their levels of necessity as a makeshift primer of what can be expected as the deadline draws nearer.

The rankings are based on the goals mentioned above but don’t follow a specific formula. Not every team at the top is a fringe contender in a tight race, and the bottom third isn’t dominated by teams out of the playoff picture. The cellar-dwelling Astros, for instance, have as pressing a need to make moves this week as the Cardinals, who are tied in their division. Their respective spots in the rankings reflect the similar needs.

For the serious contenders, success in the playoffs did come into play to an extent, though it was definitely balanced with the likelihood they make the playoffs to begin with. The list is presented in order from least pressing to most pressing need to make moves this week, and our first group features as many contenders as non-contenders.

#30 – Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox are way too strong to miss the playoffs. In fact, they might be the one contender capable of dealing away pieces based on their depth. If Jed Lowrie were healthy, the Sox could deal Marco Scutaro to a team like the Diamondbacks, who desperately need a shortstop. Scutaro is unlikely to be moved, but if any team could unload an everyday position player and not miss a beat, it’s the Red Sox. Word is they might be looking to acquire a backup outfielder and a 5th starter, but their odds of making the playoffs and winning the world series don’t hinge on either move.

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