Houston Astros: Which AL Contenders Most Improved Team?

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Houston Astros: Which AL Contenders Most Improved Team?

Apr 25, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller presents left fielder Justin Upton (10) with the Silver Slugger Award prior to a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

While the last day of the trade deadline was disappointing compared to last years moves, some of the major contenders made their moves before the last day. Most of the contenders around baseball kept A.J. Preller on speed dial because of the belief that the Padres would be sellers. The following players were perceived up for grabs including Tyson Ross, James Shields, Andrew Cashner, Justin Upton, Craig Kimbrel, and many others. The Houston Astros were in on most of the players that the Padres had on the block.

However, after juggling many trade offers and hours of research time were wasted, because Preller did not make any trades. He decided to stand pat, which in turn affected the teams who are in contention for not giving them that extra talent that could have helped them for 2015. Did Preller make the right decision? Most of the players available were multi-year controllable players, so he will look at making some changes in the offseason to build his team to win for next year.