Baseball's trade deadline has come and gone. Contenders, of course, still have another month to improve their teams for the postseason (last year Houston got Verlander at literally the last second), but we still saw plenty of movement. There wasn't that big late splash, mainly because Machado got traded so early. But contending teams were definitely aggressive in adding pieces, while teams that are out of it were just as aggressive in selling off parts.
One of the things that did surprise me was the amount of interdivision trades. You almost never see that, but the Angels traded catcher Martin Maldonado to Houston, Asdrubal Cabrera went from the Mets to the Phillies, the Yankees got pitchers from both the Orioles and the Blue Jays, and Tampa Bay made a deal with Boston. (The Rays also successfully rid themselves of all remaining actual starting pitchers on their roster, giving them the opportunity to do their stupid "opener" thing every game.)
The teams that were expected to be sellers basically gutted their rosters. Baltimore and Toronto are out of it and they know it, so they both traded pretty much anyone and everyone you can think of from their respective teams. The Twins, Rangers and Rays all did a good bit of unloading, too. But, seeing as the AL playoff teams have been essentially locked up since May (Oakland's recent surge notwithstanding), it made sense that most of the the available guys came from the AL. Although, we also saw the St. Louis Cardinals as sellers, an incredibly unusual position for them.
But which of the buyers helped themselves out the most? And who's still gonna be looking to add a piece in August? Well, let's take a look:
Red Sox: Getting Nathan Eovaldi was smart. For a team that plays in Fenway Park, it makes absolutely no sense that 80 percent of their starting rotation was left-handed. They didn't totally need a starter, but a right-hander of Eovaldi's quality was a worthwhile pickup. Especially since they just put Sale on the DL. Ian Kinsler, meanwhile, helps their depth. Beyond their starting lineup, Boston's not a very deep team. The addition of the veteran second baseman will help that, as Nunez and Holt move back into bench roles. He's right-handed, though, and one thing the Red Sox could've used is a left-handed bat to balance out all those righties. They didn't really address their bullpen, either.
Yankees: Everyone knew all season that the Yankees would be in the market for a starting pitcher. They didn't just get one. They got two. Are J.A. Happ and Lance Lynn going to win you a World Series? Probably not. But are they better alternatives than Domingo German and Luis Cessa? Absolutely. And they further strengthened what was already the best part of the team by adding Zach Britton to the bullpen. That created a situation of having too many relievers, so Chasen Shreve and Adam Warren were both traded. The thing I like most about the Yankees' trades, though, are the position players they traded away. Brandon Drury and Tyler Austin are Major League players who were blocked in New York and will now get an opportunity to play every day elsewhere.
Indians: Cleveland had the luxury of not having to worry about winning the division. The Indians were able to make moves strictly based on what will help them in October. Like adding Brad Hand, probably the best reliever who was gonna be available. And by striking early, they kept him away from Boston and Houston. They also added outfield depth by getting Leonys Martin from Detroit. That move is very similar to when they got Rajai Davis in 2016. And that move sure worked out for them.
Astros: Last year they needed a starter. This year they had three starters that were All*Stars. Rather, it was the bullpen that was the biggest need. So, they went out and swapped closers with Toronto, sending the demoted Ken Giles to the Blue Jays for Roberto Osuna. What's interesting about that is the fact that Osuna is currently serving a 75-game domestic violence suspension. Baseball-wise, it's a good move. But you have to wonder what kind of a message that sends. I'd also imagine there'll be some offseason talk about a team being able to trade a guy who's suspended. Houston also picked up Maldonado, which was good for them. Because Brian McCann is injured and Evan Gattis is a DH. Not a catcher.
Mariners: Seattle is desperate to end its 17-year playoff drought. Their biggest weakness was their bullpen, which is definitely improved with the additions of Adam Warren and Zach Duke. They also picked up Cameron Maybin, who won't start with Gamel, Span and Haniger in the outfield, but they can definitely use him in the same role the Astros did last season. Don't forget they're getting Robinson Cano back in August, too. Although, Cano has missed half the season and is ineligible for the postseason, so we'll see how he figures into the Mariners' plans moving forward.
Athletics: Yes, I'm surprised I'm including Oakland on this list. But the A's are only two games behind Seattle and were buyers at the deadline as a result. Granted, their only significant trade was getting Jeurys Familia (who, for some reason, was the only major guy the Mets moved). But they're in the conversation and they know it. They know they're fighting Seattle for one spot, so the A's essentially are just trying to pass the Mariners. I'm not sure just getting Familia was enough to do that. But I didn't expect Oakland to be in this position in the first place, either.
Phillies: I'll give them credit. They're going for it. Nobody expected the Phillies to be in the mix this year, so it makes sense for them to take a shot. Did they do enough? Probably not. I think the Braves improved more than the Phillies did. But they did make a couple nice acquisitions in Wilson Ramos (who knows the NL East from his days with the Nationals) and Asdrubal Cabrera. They also added lefty Aaron Loup to the bullpen. I expect them to be active in August, too.
Braves: Man, the Braves were busy. In Baltimore, Kevin Gausman was the de facto "ace" and pitching against No. 1 starters (which in the AL East means Chris Sale and Luis Severino). In Atlanta, he'll be the No. 4. Perfect spot in the rotation for both him and the Braves. Darren O'Day and Brad Brach are great pieces to add to that bullpen, while lefty Jonny Venters returns to Atlanta. (If you're keeping track, that's three Orioles pitchers going to Atlanta.) I'm not completely sure how Adam Duvall fits in that outfield, but that guy can flat out hit. On paper, I've gotta make Atlanta the NL East favorites.
Cubs: The Yu Darvish signing simply hasn't worked, so the Cubs needed another starter to pair with Jon Lester in October. Enter Cole Hamels, who a lot of people (including this guy) just assumed was headed to the Yankees. When the Yankees went with Happ instead, I thought a Hamels/Phillies reunion might be in order. Instead he went to the Cubs. Fun fact about Hamels and Wrigley Field, too: in his last start for the Phillies, he threw a no-hitter there. The also got a pair of relievers, Jesse Chavez from Texas and Brandon Kintzler from Washington. And, let's face it, they didn't have to do much.
Brewers: Milwaukee needed a starting pitcher. They didn't get one. Instead, since they evidently plan on outscoring everybody, they created an absolutely ridiculous lineup. They acquired two big bats in Mike Moustakas and Jonathan Schoop. I'm not sure how they plan on playing both of them and Travis Shaw (although I guess Shaw could play the outfield), but that's a nice problem to have. They still need a starter, though. They did add one pitcher, Joakim Soria, but their bullpen didn't need help. Their rotation did.
Dodgers: As soon as the ink dried on the Machado deal, the Dodgers became the favorites to repeat as NL pennant winners. It's unfair how loaded this team is. Then they go and make themselves even more loaded by getting Brian Dozier to be their leadoff hitter. Oh, and they picked up John Axford, too. Because, well, they can. It's seriously ridiculous how good some of the players this team has on the bench is (a bench that will only get deeper if/when Justin Turner comes back). And if they decide they need a starting pitcher in August, don't be surprised to see them go out and make a waiver claim on someone.
Diamondbacks: There wasn't gonna be a J.D. Martinez available for them this year. Instead they had to settle for Eduardo Escobar, who was having quite a season in Minnesota. He fits beautifully into the Diamondbacks' lineup, giving them another power guy to provide Goldschmidt with some protection. Arizona really addressed its pitching staff, too. Their Tampa Bay Rays' reunion continued with the addition of Matt Andriese, and they also picked up relievers Jake Diekman and Brad Ziegler. That's a lot of relievers. All of this, and Arizona is still staring at the Wild Card at best, though.
Rockies: Colorado usually lets the trade deadline just pass them by without doing anything. But this year the Rockies did make a minor move by adding Toronto's Seunghwan Oh to the bullpen. Granted, their lineup doesn't need much help. But I would've loved to see them make a move on a starter. A reunion with Matt Holliday (who still hasn't touched the plate in the 2007 Wild Card Game, BTW) may be on the way, but that's not nearly enough. The Dodgers and Diamondbacks both got better. The Rockies didn't.
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