Teams making deals in the run up to the July 31 non-waiver trading deadline typically have one of two goals. Either the team in question is a contender looking to get that one extra piece that is going to put it over the top and into the posteason, or it is a rebuilding club looking to turn a player who won’t be a part of its next contending squad into young talent that will. Focusing purely on their performance down the stretch, here are the five players who did the most to accomplish the first goal for the contending clubs that acquired them in advance of the July 31 non-wavier deadline during the wild card era (1995 to present). One interesting thing to note: none of the top five, and very few of the honorable mentions below, made it all the way to the World Series, and fewer still won it. That’s evidence of the fact that, while one player might be able to make the difference between first and second place in the regular season, his opportunities to impact a short postseason series are limited. So, while a division or two might be decided by a big trade over the next few days, the pennants will still be decided in October.
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