Coming into this MLB season, there were four teams most figured would be the best in the National League: the St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Washington Nationals and Pittsburgh Pirates. It turns out those predictions were pretty spot-on as St. Louis, Los Angeles and Washington all lead their divisions, while the Pirates hold a big lead in the first Wild Card spot.

A few years ago, that would have been it. Those four teams would likely make the playoffs and everyone else would be left home. However, with the second Wild Card spot in baseball, there are now three extra teams that can compete for the chance to play in October.

Those teams are the Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants and New York Mets. Chicago holds the slight lead on the second Wild Card spot at the All-Star Break, leading the Mets by a single game and the Giants by two games.

Of course, there are other teams in the mix, but for the sake of argument, this second Wild Card spot has become a three-team race. With the trade deadline looming, here is how each team can make themselves the favorite to win the second wild card spot.

Cubs – Acquire a Middle-of-the-Order Bat

This would require a break from course by the Cubs front office, which has said the team won’t be ultra aggressive this trade deadline, but a move of this magnitude might be necessary for them to reach the playoffs. The team ranks in the bottom 10 in the league in both runs scored and batting average and needs an offensive boost. If they were able to acquire a bat like Justin Upton or Carlos Gonzalez, it would make them the favorites to win the race.

Giants – Keep Jake Peavy and Matt Cain Healthy

For the Giants, who have been in this situation before, it comes down to something pretty simple: staying healthy. They recently got pitchers Jake Peavy and Matt Cain back, and they can’t afford to lose either one of them again. With those two in the rotation, San Fran seems set on the mound. Sure, they could make a small move to improve their offensive production at third base, but making sure Peavy and Cain are in the rotation down the stretch is most important for this team.

Mets – Trade for a Shortstop

If New York is serious about competing this season, (which they should be given the hot seat their manager and front office are on) they will make a serious move for a shortstop this deadline. It is their biggest position of need and the market for one figures to be relatively solid. Some available bats could include Troy Tulowitzki, Jean Segura and even Starlin Castro. Since the Mets have such strong starting pitching, they just need more offense. An offensive-minded shortstop would give them a better chance of playing in October where they could be pretty dangerous given their starting pitching.

If all of these teams do what is recommended, this could be a very interesting Wild Card race. If only one of the teams is able to succeed in completing these recommendations, they could be the ones playing in a one-game playoff this October.