Brian Cashman Aaaron Judge Yankees
Brian Cashman general manager of the New York Yankees, left, and Damon Oppenheimer amateur scouting director of the New York Yankees, center, present Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees with a crystal gavel before the Yankees final regular season baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium on Oct. 1, 2017 in the Bronx borough of New York City. Adam Hunger/Getty Images

Just about every contender is involved in at least one trade rumor ahead of MLB’s July 31 deadline, but a few teams seem to be more aggressive than others. The New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers, in particular, are among the most active organizations as they make a push toward the playoffs.

It makes sense that those organizations might have some sense of urgency. Both the Phillies and Brewers last made the playoffs in 2011. The Yankees reached the 2017 ALCS, but they haven’t won a championship in nine years, which counts for a significant title drought in the team’s illustrious history.

The Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox have all won the World Series in recent years. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Cleveland Indians have long championship droughts, though they’ve already made big trades after recently appearing in the World Series.

The Yankees have been in the news all week, trading for both Zach Britton and J.A. Happ. It’d be a mistake to count out New York from making another move, especially considering they haven’t traded one of their top prospects yet. General manager Brian Cashman indicated to The New York Post's Joel Sherman that the Yankees could add another hitter in the wake of Aaron Judge going on the disabled list, though it’s not likely New York would give up a lot for a big bat.

New York is likely on their way back to the playoffs, but they’ll find it difficult to avoid playing the one-game elimination Wild-Card Game. Despite owning MLB’s second-best record, the Yankees are 4.5 games behind the Red Sox in the AL East.

The Phillies seem to be involved in just about every trade rumor. They once looked like the favorites to land Machado and were interested in Happ and Cole Hamels before both pitchers were dealt. Philadelphia is trying to hold off the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals in the NL East one year before they were expected to compete for a title.

Philadelphia is MLB’s youngest team, and they are exploring adding at least one veteran. They’ve been linked to the likes of Adam Jones, Chris Archer, Asdrubal Cabrera and a handful of relievers.

The Brewers have the toughest road to the postseason of the three teams, considering the state of the NL Central. Only one of the division’s five teams is below .500, and Milwaukee trails the Chicago Cubs by 2.5 games. The Brewers have a 2.5-game lead over the Braves for the first NL Wild-Card berth.

Matt Harvey might be the most likely available player that ends up with Milwaukee. The Brewers have been discussing a deal with the Cincinnati Reds for the starter, according to MLB.com's Jon Morosi. Harvey’s had an up-and-down season, but he does have World Series experience. No one in Milwaukee’s rotation has ever made a playoff start.

Milwaukee has already upgraded their bullpen by trading for reliever Joakim Soria.

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