This was the first year baseball had a single trade deadline, which led to a lot of speculation about how many teams would actually be sellers and how early the buyers would strike. As it turned out, the trade deadline was nearly as uneventful as the entire free agency period. That is until the last minute, when a flurry of deals did take place. And they accomplished one of the goals of the single deadline. Because there were a lot more July trades this season than in years past.
And, as usual, the trade deadline produced some winners and some losers. There were also plenty of moves that left us scratching our heads, players who we thought would be on the move that stayed put, and, most surprisingly, teams that were thought to be buyers and ended up doing absolutely nothing.
How will it all play out? Well, there's still two months left in the season, so a lot can still happen. And, as we all know, only one team can ultimately win the World Series. A few teams greatly improved their chances of reaching that goal, though.
Houston doubled down on starting pitching, adding Zack Greinke (in the middle of a game that he started for the Diamondbacks!). Now the Astros have a postseason rotation of Verlander, Greinke, Cole and Miley. It's not the Maddux-Glavine-Smoltz Braves, but it's better than what any other team in the American League has to offer. They didn't stop there, though. They also got Aaron Sanchez and Joe Biagini from Toronto and brought back last year's catcher Martin Maldonado. And they didn't give up much of anything other than some prospects. The Astros were the biggest winners at the deadline, and they're now the World Series favorites out of the AL.
Despite his team's glaring need for starting pitching, Yankees GM Brian Cashman stood pat at the deadline, which might be the most shocking development with any team. It was a big vote of confidence in his team. He also thought that the pitchers available on the market didn't meet the asking price, especially since it would be for a rental. The Yankees also expect to get some reinforcements from within when all the injured guys return. But, right now, it's looking like the ALCS will feature seven innings from the Astros starter against six innings of the Yankees bullpen. And, frankly, that's advantage Houston.
The Yankees weren't the only team that was quiet. Defending champion Boston didn't address its biggest weakness--the bullpen. The Red Sox won it all last year with no bullpen, but this year is different. They've got the starting pitching and the lineup to do some damage in the postseason, but they have to get their first. And that would require winning the Wild Card Game. Which they might not even make, seeing as the three teams above them in the wild card race all improved.
When Trevor Bauer threw the ball over the center field wall in Kansas City on Sunday, you pretty much knew he was going to get traded. Then word came out that Cleveland sent him to Cincinnati and everyone was like "Huh?" Then we found out who the Indians got in return, and it turns out it was a pretty smart deal. Cleveland has needed an outfielder all season, and Yasiel Puig wasn't just the best outfielder available, he's the absolutel perfect fit. That was actually a three-team trade that also yielded another outfielder, Franmil Reyes from San Diego. And they have more than enough pitching to absorb losing Bauer. They could even give the Twins a run for the division.
I don't recall Tampa Bay ever being this aggressive at the trade deadline. But the Rays are going for it. Jesus Aguliar is the right-handed power bat they've been missing in the middle of their lineup. The Rays didn't stop there, though. They made a bunch of pitching moves that completely reshaped their 10-man bullpen (although, I'm not sure how they plan on continuing their stupid "opener" thing with Ryne Stanek sent down I-75 to Miami). Is it enough to pass the Yankees? Probably not. But it should be enough to hold off the Red Sox and guarantee Tampa Bay a spot in the Wild Card Game.
Oakland is the other team in the AL wild card mix. The A's made only one move of consequence, but it was an important one. They got starting pitcher Tanner Roark from the Nationals. Last year, they used an "opener" in the Wild Card Game. Liam Hendriks gave up a two-run homer to Aaron Judge in the first inning, and that was that. Should they make it back to the Wild Card Game this year, they'll have a legitimate starter in Roark and actually have a realistic chance of advancing to the Division Series. (This after starting trade deadline season by getting Homer Bailey from the Royals two weeks ago.) They know they're not going to catch the Astros, so thinking about how to win the Wild Card Game was smart.
Over in the National League, the Dodgers are still the overwhelming favorites. They didn't do much, but they didn't need to. Their biggest acquisition was Jedd Gyorko, who wasn't playing in St. Louis and perfectly fits the mold of that versatile bat off the bench that they can put pretty much anywhere on the field. They also needed bullpen help and addressed that with the addition of Adam Kolarek (who can evidently also play first base if they're in a pinch!). He's not Felipe Vazquez, the guy they really wanted, but he's still a lefty reliever. And the Dodgers' starters are so good that they could just have Kershaw, Ryu and Buehler go seven before turning it over to Jansen for two.
If someone is going to push LA for the NL pennant, it might be Atlanta. The Braves had rotation concerns that became less of an issue after the signing of Dallas Keuchel. The bullpen remained a mess, though, so they took care of that at the deadline. They added a pair of setup guys in Chris Martin and Mark Melancon, and they also snagged one of the biggest bullpen prizes available in Tigers All-Star closer Shane Greene.
Meanwhile, Greene's former teammate in Detroit, Nicholas Castellanos might've helped turn the Cubs into the NL Central favorites. The Cubs needed a right-handed-hitting outfielder badly. Now they have one. And he's got power, too. They also got a utility guy in Houston's Tony Kemp, which was the return in the Maldonado trade, and improved their bullpen with former Marlin David Phelps. The NL Central's going to be a dogfight. The Cubs already had the most talent in the division. They just added to it.
Don't count Milwaukee out, though. Even after giving up a big bat in Aguilar, who was splitting time with Eric Thames anyway, the Brewers are still in a strong position. They strengthened an already good bullpen by adding Ray Black from the Giants in a trade that also brought them Drew Pomeranz. Pomeranz had recently been demoted to the bullpen in San Francisco, but he was a great deadline pickup by the Red Sox a few years ago as a starter, and I can easily see him sliding into that Milwaukee rotation.
San Francisco is an interesting case. The Giants have absolutely no chance of catching the Dodgers. They know this. But a recent good stretch thrust them into the wild card race, which led to them keeping Madison Bumgarner and Will Smith. They still moved some pieces, though (Melancon, Sam Dyson), but also picked one up in former Red second baseman Scooter Gennett. I'm not sure exactly what that all means.
Another team who's trade deadline strategy I fail to understand is the Mets. Although incredibly overrated and overvalued, Marcus Stroman was the biggest starting pitching name available. He was expected to go to a contender. Instead he went to the Mets, which led to people thinking either Noah Syndergaard or Zack Wheeler (or both) would be moved out. Yet they both stayed. The only Met starter traded was Jason Vargas, who they kept in the division and sent to the Phillies (I'll never understand intradivision trades). Which now has delusional Mets fans thinking they're actually capable of making a wild card run.
In order for them to make that run, though, they'll have to pass both the Phillies and Nationals, two teams that got better at the deadline. Philadelphia picked up outfielder Corey Dickerson from the Pirates, while Washington picked up three relievers. With Scherzer currently out, I'm not sure the Nationals can continue their recent hot streak, but their bullpen is no longer the major issue it was a few days ago. Is it enough to get them into the playoffs? Maybe, maybe not. But the National League wild card race is so crazy, that it just might.
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