This year’s trade market is going to be a bit strange.

The first place to look for potential midseason trade acquisitions is at the list of potential after-the-season free agents. Well, that list is pretty bare. Front offices will have to get creative. But the needs are still going to be there. Teams have playoff pushes to make. We thought we’d take a quick look at five of the teams we know will be buyers as this year’s deadline (it’s Aug. 1 this year, because July 31 falls on a Sunday).

They won’t be the only five teams, of course.

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Red Sox

Their situation: The Red Sox have the best record in the AL, and own a three-game lead on the Orioles in the AL East heading into action Wednesday.

What they need: The Red Sox have the biggest division lead of any AL team, and they’ve outscored opponents by 80 runs on the season. But their starters have compiled an ERA of 4.57, which ranks just 21st in the majors. That’s not good enough to win a World Series, which is always the goal for that franchise. It’s a safe bet that David Price, who has a 5.11 ERA so far this season, will allow fewer runs going forward (and his 3.10 FIP says he’s not been as bad as his ERA says he has been). But they’ve dropped Clay Buchholz from the rotation and Joe Kelly was rocked in his most recent start. Are guys like Eduardo Rodriguez and Sean O’Sullivan really long-term answers?

Potential targets: A reunion with Rich Hill makes sense; Hill jumpstarted his most recent MLB journey in Boston last year, and he’s been really good for Oakland this season. Free-agents-to-be Jeremy Hellickson or Scott Feldman could be available, but would they really be an upgrade? San Diego’s James Shields has an opt-out option in his deal after this season, and it might make sense that the Padres would make him available, considering they’ve had to slide back into rebuilding mode.

(Getty Images) https://images.daznservices.com/di/library/sporting_news/b3/b4/rich-hill-041816-getty-ftrjpg_1w05kjg7gk94o1h667jtwgqhku.jpg?t=746904188&w=500&quality=80 Blue Jays

Their situation: The Blue Jays, who haven’t been more than three games on either side of .500 yet this season, are in third place in the AL East, five games behind Boston.

What they need: Mostly, they need the guys who are supposed to be their stars to get healthy and/or just produce closer to career norms. Russell Martin’s hitting .197. Marcus Stroman has a 4.46 ERA. Troy Tulowitzki is on the DL with a .204 average. Kevin Pillar is hitting .246. Ryan Goins is hitting .165. But to the point of this piece, the Jays need better bullpen production. Despite a 1.13 ERA from closer Roberto Osuna and a 0.75 ERA from Joe Biagini, Toronto’s overall bullpen ERA is 3.75, which is ninth in the AL. They really need Drew Storen — who has allowed at least one hit in each of his past 10 appearances — to pitch like the closer he was for the Nationals the past couple of seasons (pre-Papelbon trade, of course).

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Potential targets: The Jays have started the bullpen-rebuilding process, making a trade with Atlanta on Tuesday for veteran Jason Grilli. He hasn’t exactly been great this year (5.29 ERA, 13 walks in 17 innings), but he is striking out batters (12.2 per nine), so maybe he can help. At some point, Rockies closer Jake McGee, who is eligible for free agency after the 2017 season, is going to become a hot name on the trade market. The question as it relates to Toronto, though, is do the Jays have enough, prospect-wise, to land McGee? Colorado isn’t going to trade him just because.

White Sox

Their situation: After a stellar start to the season, the sky is falling on the south side of Chicago. The White Sox were 23-10 and owned a six-game lead in the AL Central on the morning of May 10; they enter play Wednesday only three games over .500 and two games behind the Royals in their division.

UPDATE: Sox acquire RHP James Shields from Padres for two prospects and cash considerations.

What they need: So many things, but we’ll focus on this for now: Bullpen help, pronto. In April, White Sox relievers produced a 1.69 ERA, which was easily the best in baseball. In May, White Sox relievers produced a 4.72 ERA, which was 24th in baseball. During the free-fall (May 10 through Tuesday), the bullpen has a 5.54 ERA, with almost as many runs allowed (33) as strikeouts (38). Yikes.

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Potential targets: If the free-fall continues, it’s fair to wonder if the White Sox will actually be buyers. But keep this in mind: They haven’t made the playoffs since 2008, and this is a team that was aggressive in the offseason (trading for Todd Frazier and Brett Lawrie in separate deals, signing Jimmy Rollins, etc). They’re not going to sit quietly on the side and let another season slip away. Do they make the pitch for Jake McGee in Colorado? How about Fernando Rodney? The Padres picked Rodney up on the cheap after an awful 2015 with Seattle, but he’s yet to allow an earned run in 19 innings as San Diego’s closer (he’s converted all 10 opportunities this year).

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Their situation: After a slow start, the reigning World Series champs are back atop the AL Central standings, a couple games above the White Sox and Indians.

What they need: They need their All-Stars to quit landing on the disabled list, for starters. Mike Moustakas is out for the year with a torn ACL, and Alex Gordon is out with a broken wrist. Right now, they’re getting good production from youngsters like Whit Merrifield, Paulo Orlando and Cheslor Cuthbert. But is that a long-term solution? The good thing is the Royals have moveable pieces on the big-league roster, so they can get creative.

Potential targets: The Royals have long been loosely connected to Reds outfielder Jay Bruce, even before the injuries hit. A guy like Aaron Hill could make sense. He’s Milwaukee’s primary third baseman, which means he could fill the Moustakas (or take over at second for a still-struggling Omar Infante), and after an awful April, Hill hit .357 with five homers and 13 RBIs in May. And he wouldn’t cost a ton in terms of prospects or salary for the rest of the season.

Mariners

Their situation: The Mariners are a half-game behind Texas in the AL West.

What they need: They need to get into the playoffs this season; they haven’t been in the postseason since 2001, which is the longest playoff drought in baseball at the moment. After a couple disappointing finishes, this season is finally trending in the right direction, and it’s incredibly unlikely new GM Jerry DiPoto will be passive when it comes to improving his team. At the moment, both shortstop Ketel Marte and center fielder Leonys Martin are on the disabled list, but they’re both expected back with their 15 days are up, or soon after. Really, the Mariners don’t have a huge glaring weakness, though they could probably use another thumper in the outfield.

Potential targets: Jay Bruce, who has 10 homers and an .872 OPS for the Reds, fits that role.