NL East: Trades & Moves Needed Before 7/31 Deadline

The trade deadline is July 31st. Almost halfway through the season nobody is running away with the NL East. Even the Nationals who are more than 10 games back are not quite dead yet. This division has had several surprises both good and bad. The preseason National League favorite New York Mets have struggled to stay around .500 and the Florida Marlins have exceeded everyone's expectations with an extremely young and inexperienced team. The Mets, Phillies, Braves, and Marlins are all within 5 games of each other which should set up an exciting second half of baseball in this division. Each team needs a boost and to possibly lose some "deadweight" before the deadline. Here are the trades and moves needed by each team to win the NL East Division and to contend for a World Series title.

Atlanta Braves
Season Summary: The Braves are a few games out but still in the thick of it. The Mets and Phillies have not lived up to expectations so far this year. If the Braves can make a couple of small moves they should be able to contend down the stretch.
Needs: Two outfielders and a solid non-injury prone starting pitcher. Norton and Blanco in the outfield are not going to propel the Braves into the postseason. If Kotsay gets healthy then they may just need one rented outfielder for the remainder of the season.
Moves to Make: Re-sign Teixeira, he is the key to your success. To make the power hitting first baseman happy they need to offer him a multi-year contract this year. Look for a team with overpaid players and former all-stars that have everyday talent sitting on the bench. The Detroit Tigers have three players that may be available and fit with the Braves. Marcus Thames, Brandon Inge, and Ryan Raburn would all look good in a Braves uniform. As for a pitcher look at Bronson Arroyo. Not only can he provide you some solid innings he can hit a ball or two on offense and he should be decently cheap since the Reds have some future stars filling their rotation.

Florida Marlins
Season Summary: Florida was not expected to be anywhere near 40 wins before the All-Star break. The Marlins are over 40 wins even before the end of June making them one of the biggest surprises in the National League. The Marlins have a chance to steal a division title and need to take advantage of it.
Needs: They need OF Josh Willingham to get healthy more than anything. The Marlins have a good lineup but could use a veteran rental outfielder and a veteran starter.
Moves to Make: A .300 hitting center fielder is hard to come by, but is what the Marlins need right now. Ken Griffey Jr. would probably be too expensive unless the Marlins want to throw Andrew Miller or Cameron Maybin at the Reds. Derek Lowe of the Tigers' Kenny Rogers would make a great addition to a young rotation.

New York Mets
Season Summary: Well it can't get much worse can it? Manager Willie Randolph is gone and hopefully the Mets can escape the memories of their monumental collapse last year. The Mets are behind the Marlins and Phillies and nobody knows why. When you have the level of talent that New York has, anything less than a pennant is not acceptable.
Needs: Ryan Church to get healthy. He has been a beast on an amazing lineup. Without Church there is no reason to believe in the Mets (Sorry had to use that).
Moves to Make: With Pedro Martinez back and a solid pitching staff the Mets don't need to do anything at this point. With the panic high in New York nobody would be shocked by the Mets making some irrational moves. I am reminded of a clip from The Natural where losing is a disease. The Mets have all the pieces and just need to live up to their potential.

Philadelphia Phillies
Season Summary: The Phillies have a very good team and were underestimated in preseason banter due to the nostalgia behind the Mets. Chase Utley is out of this world, and may not come back to earth this year. Despite a recent losing skid the Phillies should still be leading the division going into the All-Star break.
Needs: Consistency. The Phillies will win 20-2 then the next day will lose 2-3 and shutout the next day. A solid starter should keep the Phillies on top as long as the rest of the NL East stays flat.
Moves to Make: Too bad the Phillies probably won't be able to get a pitcher for 10 bats. C.C. Sabathia would be an amazing pickup for the Phillies and could put them over the top. How they could get Sabathia is another story. Maybe throw Brett Myers and a couple of prospects at them and see what they say.

Washington Nationals
Season Summary: Over 15 games under .500 is probably what most expected. Besides their young talent the Nationals don't have much going for them this year. Unfortunately Washington needs to start looking towards next year already.
Needs: Pitching, talent, and a new team....well not quite, but it's bad. The good news for the Nationals is that Elijah Dukes, Lastings Milledge, Felipe Lopez, and Ryan Zimmerman are all fairly young and may be the center of a 'out of nowhere' year like the Tampa Bay Rays, but it may take a year or two.
Moves to Make: It's time to lighten a little luggage for the rebuilding Nationals. Dimitri Young, and Wily Mo Pena should be moved to a AL contender for a couple pitching prospects.