Whether it's been scribbled down on a scrap of paper that is hiding in the corner of a cluttered desk or has been neatly typed out on a smartphone, each general manager of MLB's 30 teams has a trade shopping list at the midseason mark.
Not all deadline to-do lists are created equally, though. For division front-runners like the Houston Astros and the Kansas City Royals, the top bullet point is to bring in a front-line starter like Johnny Cueto. But with 26 teams within seven games or less of a playoff spot, tons of clubs don't fit into the traditional "buyer" or "seller" roles.
As a result, creativity will be necessary between now and July 31. After all, teams will want to cash in on valuable trade chips like pending free agents, but they also won't want to punt on the season when a sliver of hope remains.
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