The 2015 trade deadline is in the rear-view mirror (well, minus the wacky August deals that sometimes happen), and the deadline buyers are feeling quite confident about the moves they’ve made. But then again, the teams that bought at the deadline last year also probably felt pretty good about what they did, but only the San Francisco Giants won baseball’s top prize at the end of the year. With that in mind, we’re going to look back at the deadline last year to see how well the biggest deals worked out – for both parties.
July 5th: Athletics acquire Jason Hammel and Jeff Samardzija from Cubs for Billy McKinney, Addison Russell, and Dan Straily.
Well, Oakland went all in with this deal, and Billy Beane probably regrets it now. Both Hammel and Samardzija departed the Athletics at the end of 2014, Hammel as a free agent and Samardzija as a trade chip to the White Sox. In 13 appearances with the A’s, Hammel had a 4.26 ERA, a lower strikeout rate, and a higher walk rate. In 16 startts with Oakland, Samardzija held up his end of the bargain, pitching to a 3.14 ERA while striking out 99 and walking just 12 in 111 2/3 innings.
The return benefited the Cubs quite well. Straily bombed out in Chicago, and was dealt to the Astros with Luis Valbuena for Dexter Fowler. McKinney has split the year between high-A and AA, but is hitting .293/.363/.435 with six homers on the season. And then there’s Russell, the Cubs every day second baseman at 21. He’s hitting just .235/.301/.362 for the year, but given his potential and the struggles of both Javier Baez and Starlin Castro this year, he’s penciled in as a long-time starter somewhere on the diamond for the Cubs. To top of this chaos, Hammel ended up re-signing with the Cubs this winter, and has a 3.13 ERA over 20 starts for them.
ARLINGTON, TX – JULY 05: Huston Street #16 of the Los Angeles Angels pitches against the Texas Rangers in the bottom of the ninth inning at Globe Life Park in Arlington on July 5, 2015 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
July 19th: Angels acquire Trevor Gott and Huston Street from Padres for RJ Alvarez, Taylor Lindsey, Elliot Morris, and Jose Rondon.
Street has done exactly what the Angels expected him to do since they acquired him a year ago. In 68 games with the club from 2014-15, he’s pitched to a 2.28 ERA, struck out 63 in 67 innings, and saved 43 games while blowing five. Of course, the Angels got swept out of the playoffs last year, but Street didn’t allow a run in the three innings he tossed. Gott has also pitched well for the ANgels this season, pitching to a 2.18 ERA in 20 2/3 innings.
The return hasn’t paid many dividends for the Padres yet. Alvarez allowed one run in eight innings last season, and was flipped to the A’s in the Derek Norris trade. Lindsey has flailed his way to a .209/.301/.316 line between AA and AAA this season. Morris has a 4.98 ERA, 71 strikeouts, and 44 walks over 97 2/3 innings with AA San Antonio. Rondon, considered the prize of the trade, has split the year between high-A and AA and is hitting .267/.320/.359 with three homers and 18 steals. It’s going to take another year or two before the Padres will start seeing contributions from their end of the deal.
BALTIMORE, MD – JUNE 14: Chase Headley #12 of the New York Yankees makes a play on a ball hit by Adam Jones #10 of the Baltimore Orioles (not pictured) in the seventh inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on June 14, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. The New York Yankees won, 5-3. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
July 22nd: Yankees acquire Chase Headley from Padres for Rafael De Paula and Yangervis Solarte.
Many, myself included, felt the Padres sold low on Headley by sending him to the Yankees in this trade. Headley played well with the team down the stretch last year, even though they missed the playoffs, and re-upped for four years this winter. In 159 games as a Yankee, he’s hit .271/.344/.397 with 15 homers. The Yankees missed the playoffs last year, but are leading the AL East this year, thanks in large part to Headley’s play, which has also allowed Alex Rodriguez to DH every day, stay healthy, and mash the crap out of the ball.
The return for the Padres was mediocre. De Paula had a 6.54 ERA in eight starts last year, and has a 5.08 ERA this year in high-A as a 24-year old. Solarte has gotten more playing time than expected with the Paders, and has held his own with a .268/.327/.392 line with 11 homers over 155 games with the team.
SEATTLE, WA – JULY 08: Closing pitcher Joakim Soria #38 of the Detroit Tigers reacts after defeating the Seattle Mariners 5-4 at Safeco Field on July 8, 2015 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
July 23rd: Tigers acquire Joakim Soria from Rangers for Corey Knebel and Jake Thompson.
None of the three players involved in this trade are with their new team. Over two half seasons in Detroit, Soria had a 3.29 ERA in 52 innings along with 42 strikeouts and 13 walks. He got absolutely hammered in the ALDS, allowing five runs in one inning of work over two games. This July, he was flipped to the Pirates for JaCoby Jones.
Knebel just threw 12 innings as a Ranger, pitching to a 3.75 ERA with AAA Round Rock. He was dealt to the Brewers this winter as part of the Yovani Gallardo trade. Thompson had more success in 2014 and 2015 as a Ranger, and struck out 78 while walking 30 in 87 2/3 innings with AA Frisco this season. He was part of the trade with the Phillies that brought Cole Hamels to Texas.
PHOENIX, AZ – JULY 18: Starting pitcher Jake Peavy #22 of the San Francisco Giants throws a pitch inbetween innings during the MLB game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on July 18, 2015 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Giants defeated the Diamondbacks 8-4. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
July 26th: Giants acquire Jake Peavy from Red Sox for Edwin Escobar and Heath Hembree.
The World Champs acquired a back-end pitcher for the stretch run, and the trade helped them in 2014…but hasn’t helped all that much this year. In 12 starts with San Francisco last year, Peavy pitched to a 2.17 ERA over 78 2/3 innings, striking out 58 and walking 17. But after throwing 5 2/3 scoreless in the NLDS against the Nationals, Peavy fell apart. He made one start in the NLCS against the Cardinals, and was done after allowing two runs in four innings. In the World Series, Peavy made two starts against the Royals and gave up nine runs over 6 1/3 innings. This season, he’s made just eight starts and has a 3.77 ERA. However, it appears he’s turned the corner after a rough first pair of starts that led to a DL stint.
Hembree has a 6.06 ERA as a Red Sox reliever to go along with nine strikeouts and seven walks in 16 1/3 innings. Escobar made two appearances for the Red Sox last season, but has an 8.69 ERA in 19 2/3 innings with AAA Pawtucket this season. Might be getting close to the time where we call this one a loss for Boston.
OAKLAND, CA – SEPTEMBER 19: Jon Lester #31 of the Oakland Athletics pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning of an interleague game at O.co Coliseum on September 19, 2014 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images)
July 31st: Athletics acquire Jonny Gomes and Jon Lester from Red Sox for Yoenis Cespedes.
Well…this was a disaster. Lester was great with the A’s, pitching to a 2.35 ERA over 76 2/3 innings, but allowed six runs in the Wild Card game that led to Oakland’s elimination at the hands of the Royals. He predictably left town as a free agent and signed with the Cubs. Gomes hit .234/.320/.250 in 34 games with the A’s down the stretch with one extra base hit, and signed with the Braves as a free agent this winter.
Cespedes didn’t succeed with the Red Sox. In 51 games, he hit .269/.296/.423 with five homers, a disappointing end to his 2014. Boston traded him to the Tigers in the winter for Rick Porcello, who was signed to a four-year extension before the year and has a 5.81 ERA in 114 2/3 innings. So….that worked out well for everyone!
July 31st: Cardinals acquire John Lackey and Corey Littrell from Red Sox for Allen Craig and Joe Kelly.
What a coup for St. Louis. Lackey had a 4.30 ERA in ten starts for the Cardinals last year, but in 2015 while playing for just $500,000, Lackey has a 2.85 ERA over 22 starts in 145 1/3 innings. His playoff performance was mixed – he allowed one run in seven innings in an NLDS win over the Dodgers, and gave up four runs in six innings in an NLCS loss to the Giants. Littrell has a 2.73 ERA over 95 2/3 innings at high-A with 74 strikeouts and 14 walks.
The two player return has been a disaster for the Red Sox. Craig is still owed $21 million through 2017, and has hit a pithy .130/.235/.192 with two homers in 53 games in Boston. He’s not even thriving in AAA, hitting .274/.379/.341 with just three homers in 69 games for Pawtucket this year. As for Kelly, he’s made 27 starts with the Red Sox over the past two seasons, and has a 5.29 ERA over 149 2/3 innings while striking out 115 and walking 65. Before the season, he thought he could win the AL Cy Young award. Whoops.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – JULY 9: David Price #14 of the Detroit Tigers delivers a pitch against the Minnesota Twins during the first inning of the game on July 9, 2015 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
July 31st: Tigers acquire David Price, Rays acquire Willy Adames, Nick Franklin, and Drew Smyly, Mariners acquire Austin Jackson.
A three-team trade where nothing goes according to plan? Imagine that. Price was a monster in 32 starts with Detroit, throwing 223 2/3 innings, striking out 220, walking 44, and pitching to a 2.90 ERA. He allowed two runs in eight innings in the ALDS against the Orioles, but was saddled with a loss in the decisive Game 3 after his offense didn’t show up. Price was moved again at the deadline this year, heading to the Blue Jays for Matt Boyd, Jairo Lebourt, and Daniel Norris.
Jackson has been a flop in Seattle. Over 139 games, he’s hit .243/.285/.318 with six homers and 23 stolen bases. Then again, that *is* a better line than Nick Franklin, who has hit just .160/.224/.283 in the majors with the Rays. At AAA this year, Franklin has performed much better over 34 games, hitting .259/.339/.473 with six homers. Smyly made just ten starts with the Rays before going down with a shoulder injury, pitching to a 1.96 ERA in 64 1/3 innings, striking out 65 and walking only 14. The 19-year old Adames looks like the real prize, hitting .268/.348/.401 with four homers and eight steals for high-A Charlotte as a 19-year old. Exciting stuff.
