The trade deadline is over and done. Some teams made some very positive things, other teams did some very questionable things, wihle others….we’re on the fence about. How does four for each category sound? Here we go
Winners
Braves. Atlanta needed a center fielder and leadoff hitter. They got both in the same player after trading for Michael Bourn of the Astros. After the package that Houston got for Hunter Pence, Braves fans were wincing at the package it would take to get Bourn. Imagine our surprise when the Braves were able to pick him up for a fourth outfielder, two mid to back end starters, and a reliever. The team could have used a reliever at the deadline as well, but that would just be getting greedy at this point.
Blue Jays. Toronto traded a reliever and a handful of middling pitching prospects, and picked up the best outfielder that was on the market (that we didn’t know was on the market) in Colby Rasmus. Toronto also picked up some mid to low range relievers from the Cardinals in the deal, and managed to keep his team competitive without subtracting anyone of consequence from the major league roster. Any time you can add a franchise building block like Rasmus in exchange for spare parts, you have to do it.
Rangers. Texas’ major fault this season was their bullpen. So what did GM Jon Daniels do? He acquired two of the best relievers on the market in Mike Adams and Koji Uehara. The Uehara deal was a borderline robbery, as all he dealt were a pair of guys in Chris Davis and Tommy Hunter who didn’t figure into the Rangers’ future plans. He dealt away a couple of nice prospect in Robbie Erlin and Joe Wieland for Adams, but considering he was able to keep top prospects Martin Perez and Jurickson Profar in the system, I’d say he did pretty well in this one.
Rockies. Colorado didn’t really need to trade Ubaldo Jimenez. He had an affordable contract that kept him under team control for three more seasons. But when Cleveland offered them two fantastic ppitching prospects like Drew Pomeranz and Alex White, they had to do the deal. White can slot right into Colorado’s rotation once he recovers from a finger injury, and Pomeranz could be ready for midseason 2012, when Jorge de la Rosa should be back from his Tommy John surgery.
Losers
Orioles. Baltimore got a pair of guys in Davis and Hunter who don’t make them better now, and probably don’t make them better in the future. Where does Hunter fit in with the team’s young arms? Davis is a worse version of Mark Reynolds, who Baltimore is already playing at third. The fact that those two players were all Baltimore has to show for Uehara is a bad, bad thing. I can live with getting a low level prospect for getting Derrek Lee, since he doesn’t haven much left in the tank anyway. I also have to question the wisdom of JJ Hardy’s contract extension that happened earlier this month. The Orioles could have gotten a nice package from a team like San Francisco or St Louis if they put Hardy on the market.
Yankees. Boston added a solid fifth starter in Erik Bedard, which they didn’t necessarily need. The Yankees desperately needed a starter, and they…got no one. They were involved in talks for Wandy Rodriguez until 4 PM, but nothing ended up getting done. The team that the Yankees are chasing improved, while New York stood pat. Either they have a supreme amount of confidence in Bartolo Colon, Ivan Nova, and Freddy Garcia, or there wasn’t anyone on the market that really appealed to them all that much.
Royals. KC is a very young team, but they’ve got a few veterans on their team like Jeff Francoeur and Melky Cabrera. They hung on to both of them. The only move they made was trading Wilson Betemit to the Tigers, which at the end of the day is a minimalist move. I don’t know why they wouldn’t try to trade one of the outfielders to a team like Philadelphia, who was really looking for someone like that. It’s a little shocking that they hung on to Joakim Soria too, even though his stock has been diminished this season. He’s still an ace closer with a favorable contract, and the Royals could have gotten some interesting pieces back for him from one of the teams who was hurting for some relief help.
Reds. So are the Reds just giving up on the season? The three teams ahead of them in the NL Central standings all made moves, from the small (Jerry Hairston) to the impactful (Edwin Jackson). But the Reds decided to stand pat, and watched as the teams in front of them all got a lot better. I’m really not sure Cincinnati wants to compete in the NL Central this year, which is a shame when you have the reigning NL MVP in Joey Votto on your team.
Jury’s Out
Phillies. The Phillies got Hunter Pence, which will definitely improve their offense. But Pence cost a pair of top 25 prospects in Jonathan Singleton and Jarred Cosart. More importantly for the then and now of the Philly trade, instead of demoting Raul Ibanez to the bench, they demoted Domonic Brown to AAA. Playing Ibanez every day over Brown is a bad move on the long run, but Amaro wants to win this year. I’m just not sure that Ibanez would be a better option than Brown at this point in time, let alone in the future.
Padres. They moved Ryan Ludwick and Mike Adams, but hung on to Heath Bell. They got a great return from Texas for Adams in Erlin and Wieland, and essentially gave Ludwick away. I’m wondering if the offers for Bell were that bad that the team decided to just take the draft picks for him this winter. Bell’s diminished stats across the board this season likely didn’t help his value a whole lot. Jed Hoyer must be kicking himself right now for not trading Bell last offseason.
Mets. Getting Zack Wheeler was a good return for Carlos Beltran, but I can’t help but think they could have gotten a ton more from another team if they were willing to deal Jose Reyes as well. Reyes could have gotten them one hell of a haul, and hanging on to him for the draft picks or to attempt to re-sign him could look a little short sighted based on what teams could have offered them. They also could have gotten warm bodies for Scott Hairston and Jason Isringhausen, but opted to hold on to them as well.
Indians. Cleveland is in “win now” mode, despite not being that great of a team. They picked up Kosuke Fukudome and Ubaldo Jimenez for a total of six players, two of which (Pomeranz and White in the Jimenes deal) could have really helped them next year and in the future. Fukudome will improve the offense, but he’s not necessarily the impact bat that the team was really looking for. As for Jimenez…if they’re getting the 2010 first half Jimenez, they’ll get to the playoffs. If they’re getting the player since, who has lost velocity off his fastball mysteriously, the trade could look hideous in the near future.
You’re probably wondering about the Giants…I’m not sure how I feel about what the Giants did. Obviously Carlos Beltran is a huge piece for their offense and will be a huge benefit to the team this season. On the other hand, they’re still giving at bats to Aubrey Huff in lieu of giving them to Brandon Belt, which is a huge negative. Also, the trade for Orlando Cabrera doesn’t make a lot of sense, considering he’s having just as bad of a year as Brandon Crawford and Miguel Tejada. The team giving up an actual prospect in Thomas Neal for Cabrera just seems really silly at the end of the day.
