One position for each AL East team to upgrade at the trade deadline

The MLB trade deadline is Tuesday at 6 p.m. EST. All five AL East teams figure to be significant players. The Baltimore Orioles, Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays all currently hold playoff spots. The Boston Red Sox (1.5 games out of the final wild-card spot) and the New York Yankees (2.5 games out of the last wild-card spot) are just outside.

Each AL East team figures to be a buyer before Tuesday's deadline. Here is one position of need for each to upgrade.

Baltimore Orioles: Starting pitcher

The Orioles hold the AL's best record (62-40) despite their mediocre starting pitching. Baltimore's pitching staff ranks 17th in the MLB in starter ERA (4.52).

Kyle Gibson, Dean Kremer, Kyle Bradish, Tyler Wells and Grayson Rodriguez have each made at least 12 starts this season, but Gibson is the only one who has pitched in the postseason. 

Kremer, Bradish, Wells and Rodriguez are all 26 years old or younger and have either surpassed or are closing in on career highs in innings pitched.

Tampa Bay Rays: Starting pitcher

The Rays starting staff leads the MLB in ERA (3.67), but Tampa Bay still needs more starting pitching. Tampa has built a super-rotation, but has been struck been the injury bug. Drew Rasmussen and Jeffery Springs opened the season in the rotation but have since undergone season-ending surgeries.

Tyler Glasnow has been oft-injured in his career, while Zach Eflin left Wednesday's loss to the Miami Marlins with left knee discomfort and was placed on the injured list.

Rookie Taj Bradley has helped to fill the void of the injured starters, but has a 5.30 ERA. 

Toronto Blue Jays: Right-handed bat

The Blue Jays have had one of the best pitching staffs in baseball in 2023, but could use a little help offensively, especially from the right side of the plate. Toronto has the ninth-best OPS in baseball (.752) against right-handed pitching, but just the 17th (.741) against left-handed pitching.

Santiago Espinal is Toronto's only true right-handed bench bat. Espinal is slashing just .230/.305/.302 with one home run. 

Toronto is destined to play October baseball. In October, teams empty the bench and use every player available. Toronto must add a bat to exploit the opponent's left-handed relievers.

Boston Red Sox: Starting pitcher

No team has been more ravaged been starting-pitching injuries than the Red Sox. Four of Boston's Opening Day rotation members – Chris Sale, Garrett Whitlock, Tanner Houck and Corey Kluber – are currently on the injured list.

Boston's starting staff ranks 26th in the majors in ERA (4.79). 24-year old Bryan Bello has developed into a star for Boston, but the rotation offers very little outside of him.

Boston's bullpen ranks 4th in the MLB in ERA (3.68). If Boston can get five or six solid innings per night out of their starters, they will play October baseball.

New York Yankees: Left field

The left-field position in the Bronx has been a disaster. Oswaldo Cabrera, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Billy McKinney and Jake Bauers have split the reps in left field. To put it frankly, none of those guys should be starting on a postseason team.

None of those players should even be on a postseason roster. The Yankees' left fielders have combined for a brutal .308 on-base percentage, tied for 23rd in MLB with the Oakland A's, one of the worst teams in the history of baseball.

The Yankees will get Aaron Judge back from the injured list shortly. An outfield featuring Judge in right, Harrison Bader in left and an above average hitter and defender like Dylan Carlson in left is October-caliber.