The trade deadline comes around every year, and every year it has a way of making people crazy. Deadlines provoke a certain sense of urgency, of need, and so everyone wonders what teams can do to make themselves more perfect. The solutions must be out there. The ideal players must be out there. Hype spirals out of control, even though the majority of teams neglect to make a splash. Good teams are already good.
That being said, the deadline isn't irrelevant. Teams can make themselves better, and sometimes the improvements are massive. Sometimes the acquisitions fit perfectly. Who could forget how much Andrew Miller meant to the 2016 Indians? Remember how Ben Zobrist clicked with the 2015 Royals? Every single trade is a risk, but next week, some teams will be better off and some contenders will have given themselves a boost to break away from the pack.
What I'd like to do now is run down a list. I know, I know, it's another internet list, but this one is deadline-specific. Following are the 10 trade-market players who I think could conceivably make the biggest differences from here on out. There are no guarantees, and I'm trying to look at players yet to be moved. So, no dice, Jose Quintana. No further mention of J.D. Martinez or Sean Doolittle or Tommy Kahnle. These are potential high-impact gets for 2017. They're not the only ones, but they're my favorites. And, why write any more of the introduction? Let's begin.
10. LHP Justin Wilson, Detroit Tigers: You'll notice this list includes three hitters and seven pitchers. This is because pitchers can have their playing time expanded more than hitters can, relatively speaking, in the playoffs. They become more important in October's short series, and as far as Wilson goes, just about every single contender in the league would be open to adding a power lefty reliever. Out of all the lefty relievers this year with at least 10 innings pitched against lefties, Wilson owns the highest strikeout rate. Out of all lefty relievers with at least 10 innings against righties, Wilson owns the second-highest strikeout rate, behind only Miller. So Wilson isn't just a specialist, and that's enough to make him greatly appealing.