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Every MLB Contender's Blueprint to an 'A' Grade at the 2016 Trade Deadline

Better buckle up. Major League Baseball's August 1 trade deadline is fast approaching, and the market appears to be flooded with buyers.

Let's take that as our cue to get into how every team can make out well.

Ahead are blueprints for what it would take for the 18 contenders (defined here as any team at or above .500 at the start of play Thursday) to earn "A" grades for the 2016 trade deadline. This involves taking a look at each team's biggest needs and available assets and determining how (or in one case, if) it should use the latter to fill the former.

To clarify, this is not a road map for all trade-deadline activity. These are individual assessments for each team, so one player can be a fit for multiple teams. And we're not going to let our imaginations run too wild. We'll stick to realistic targets and only consider realistic trades. It would be cool to see the Baltimore Orioles trade for Jose Fernandez, but that's not happening.

The contenders are ordered from worst record to best record. This is where the fun begins.

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Poll

Best of the American League
Tampa Bay
19%
Boston
19%
Chicago
7%
Minnesota
10%
Los Angeles
17%
Texas
27%
Total votes: 270

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