The Cardinals have acquired OF Tyler O'Neill from Seattle for LHP Marcos Gonzales.
Neither of these players have proven themselves to be major leaguers yet and both will likely get their turns for promotion this summer or fall. O'Neill was the Mariners' #2 prospect entering 2017 and is known as a power hitter with 89 home runs since beginning his minor league career in 2013. Some of the shine has worn off O'Neill this season as his strikeout rate continues to rise with each promotion. Gonzales actually has pitched in the majors and few people likely realize that since he's only made seven spot starts since 2014. The lefty's prospect shine has also worn off due to time missed recovering from Tommy John Surgery. Seattle likely sees him as immediate insurance for an already ripped apart rotation and they have more use for the 25-year old compared to the 22-year old since Seattle's major league outfield is exceeding expectations.
The White Sox have acquired RPs Mark Lowe & Jean Machi from Seattle for cash.
Acquiring two formerly MLB-caliber relievers is a move that a tanking team makes just to avoid using up an actually promising player's service time with an unnecessary early promotion. Machi hasn't looked bad in five appearances with Seattle while Lowe had a 6.23 ERA for the Mariners' AAA-affiliate.
The Rays have acquired RP Sergio Romo from the Dodgers for cash.
It's safe to say that the Dodgers did not get what they expected from the 34-year old that gave up 17 runs over 25 innings for LA. The former Giant has now hurt the Dodgers in a variety of ways over his career. Tampa Bay saw a veteran with postseason experience and jumped at the chance to make their roster a little bit older and a little bit wiser.
The Blue Jays have acquired IF Rob Refsnyder from the Yankees for 1B Ryan McBroom.
Another small deal with zero postseason impact (barring one hell of a turnout on the Disabled List), the Blue Jays picked up middle infield insurance once they presumably waive or trade Darwin Barney. McBroom is a 25-year old AA first baseman that the Yankees felt like they needed because their organization is still ridiculously thin on corner infielders even after the Todd Frazier deal was supposed to magically cure all of their frustrations with Greg Bird, Chris Carter, Garrett Cooper and others.
The Blue Jays have acquired SP Nick Tepesch from Minnesota for cash.
Today I learned that Nick Tepesch still plays baseball.
The Twins have acquired SP Jaime Garcia (FOR ONE START ONLY) and C Anthony Recker from Atlanta for RHP Huascar Ynoa.
Minnesota wanted an emergency catcher thrown into this deal because Jaime Garcia for Huascar Ynoa just seems unfair given Garcia's injury history. The former Cardinal had an extremely mediocre first half in Atlanta end with his final NL at-bat of the season resulting in a grand slam. There is very real hype with Ynoa considering he was the Twins' #23 prospect and rising with a sub-3.00 ERA in rookie-ball. Both teams seem evenly satisfied with the deal.
The Royals have acquired SP Trevor Cahill and RPs Brandon Maurer & Ryan Buchter for SP Travis Wood, RP Matt Strahm & 2B Esteury Ruiz.
I expected the Padres to get a White Sox-like haul for Buchter and instead, the Friars only received a proven reliever with a sketchy history making starts (Wood), a 25-year old with an inconsistent run in the majors (Strahm) and a complete unknown whose five years away at best. Kansas City should feel mighty good about themselves as they added one average major league starter having a bounceback season (Cahill), a lefty specialist who just had the best season out of any Padre in 2016 (Buchter) and another body to maybe put some pressure on Kelvin Herrera for saves (Maurer). The one name that could still dramatically swing opinions on this trade is Esteury Diaz, a rookie-ball second baseman who has done nothing but hit above expectations to this point in his 18 years of life. If his .332/.385/.568 line can translate to a higher level in the minors, the Padres have a top 100 prospect on hand.
The Brewers have acquired RP Anthony Swarzak from the White Sox for OF Ryan Cordell.
May the Swarzak be with you. Ryan Cordell is a late-blooming prospect who was the player to be named later (PTBNL) in the Jonathan Lucroy to Texas deal last deadline. The 25-year old has been very steadily improving in Triple-A and with the White Sox dumping all of their non-Jose Abreu veterans this deadline, Cordell should make his major league debut this August. Swarzak is having a career year at 31 with a 2.23 ERA across 48.1 innings. With Swarzak leaving after one save as the team's closer, Tyler Clippard likely takes over for saves in what can only be described as a full-on tanking decision. Milwaukee is just like any other contender and needed the bullpen help.
The Red Sox have acquired 3B Eduardo Nuñez from San Francisco for RHPs Shaun Anderson & Gregory Santos.
Nuñez just went from being one of the MLB's most underrated players to likely becoming a household name as the man that saved the 2017 Red Sox. Boston just landed a .308 hitting contact man from San Francisco, which is exactly what they assumed they would have gotten from Pablo Sandoval three years ago. Now, Kung Fu Panda is back in the Bay Area on a minor-league deal and the rotating cast of third basemen in Boston has hopefully finally come to an end. Anderson (22) was Boston's #23 prospect and Santos is a 17-year old who is still just an erratic 17-year old. An underwhelming return for Nuñez but, San Francisco needs any type of prospects and this was a start for rebuilding their farm system.
The Rockies have acquired RP Pat Neshek from Philadelphia for SS Jose Gomez and RHPs Alejandro Requena & J.D. Hammer.
An impressive three-player return for a 36-year old submarine pitcher. With a 1.12 ERA through 40.1 innings, Neshek will be remembered fondly by Phillies fans as their 2017 All-Star representative. Hammer is a 22-year old A-baller with a high strikeout rate and a 50/50 chance at making the majors in the future. Requena was showing his first sign of promise at 20 years old with a 2.85 ERA in A-ball. Another 20-year old named Jose Gomez was the key "get" in this trade for Philadelphia. The highest (and only) ranked prospect in this deal is hitting .324/.375/.437 in A-ball and will be good insurance if J.P. Crawford continues to lose his potential shine. Neshek helps build one of the strongest and most experienced bullpens in the National League as Colorado fights Arizona for home-field advantage in the Wildcard game.
The Rays have acquired RP Dan Jennings from Tampa Bay for 1B Casey Gillaspie.
Before acquiring Jennings, Tampa Bay had zero reliable lefties in the bullpen. Now, they have one lefty who has not had an ERA over 4.00 yet in his six major league seasons. All it cost the Rays was a 24-year old former Top 100 prospect who has .299 OBP in AAA this season. There's still potential for Gillaspie to return to form before losing all of the hype around him and the White Sox are determined to have a lineup entirely occupied by former and current top 100 guys by 2019.
The Diamondbacks have acquired C John Ryan Murphy from Minnesota for RHP Gabriel Moya.
Murphy was supposed to be Minnesota's catcher of the future headed into 2016. After going 18-for-82, Minnesota somehow hypnotized Arizona into trading for their new emergency third catcher (the weakest position in Arizona's organization). Meanwhile, Moya has been the Kenley Jansen of AA with a 0.82 ERA and 68 strikeouts over 43.2 innings. Minnesota may have made the biggest steal of the deadline here.
The Rays have acquired 1B Lucas Duda from the Mets for RHP Drew Smith.
Smith has a 1.77 ERA over 80 minor league relief appearances and he appears to be major league ready. Duda has yet to benefit from the "juiced baseballs" phenomenon even though he's a power hitter because, that dude Duda is always hurt and kind of a dud. The Rays continue to stockpile veterans with postseason experience and improve their revolving door of designated hitters with Logan Morrison having his career year at first base.
The Rays have acquired RP Steve Cishek from Seattle for RHP Erasmo Ramirez & cash.
Cishek is a 31-year old with an expiring contract while Ramirez is 27 and under team control for at least three more years. Sure, Cishek is a good reliever while Ramirez is only an average spot-starter at best but, 3>1. Tampa now has a very nice and experienced bullpen that looks nothing like their roster on opening day.
The Dodgers have acquired RHP Luke Farrell from Kansas City for cash.
Cool story, bro.
The Nationals have acquired UTIL Howie Kendrick from Philadelphia for LHP McKenzie Mills.
Howie Kendrick is a contact hitter you can plug in anywhere and that was an absolute MUST grab for Washington this deadline. Combining Kendrick versus righties and Adam Lind versus lefties gives the Nationals one of the better benches in baseball. Mills was a nobody until he went 12-2 in A-ball this season. Now, there is no telling how high the 21-year old's ceiling can go.
The Mets (!?) have acquired RP A.J. Ramos from Miami for RHP Merandy Gonzalez & OF Ricardo Cespedes.
I do not understand why the Mets made a trade for the immediate future and I do not understand the Marlins dealing within the division. Sure, Ramos has another year on his contract but, are the Mets really prepared to go all in on 2018? No. The Mets gave up their #19 (Cespedes) and #15 (Gonzalez) prospects in this trade and while the 19-year old Cespedes is still figuring out how to play, Merandy Gonzalez has been unhittable through four minor-league seasons and might end up as the gem of this trade.
The Orioles have acquired SP Jeremy Hellickson from Philadelphia for OF Hyun-Soo Kim & LHP Garrett Cleavinger.
All of the rumors and build-up surrounding Hellickson being traded after his start was scratched and a lot of fans of contending teams got excited for nothing. The Baltimore Orioles grabbed a guy whose strikeout rate has never been lower and has an expiring contract despite their losing ways. The sad part is that Baltimore's terrible rotation was enough to validate them reaching for an okay arm making $17 million like Hellickson. Hyun Soo-Kim is also an expiring contract with one last shot at proving he's consistent enough to be a major league player and he should get the playing time in Philadelphia. Cleavinger is a AA reliever with an ERA over 6.00 this season. Both franchises lost this trade.
The Dodgers have acquired LHP Luis Ysla from Boston for cash.
25-year old Luis Ysla was the Red Sox' #15 prospect but, has not looked that promising for a couple of years. The Dodgers need lefty relief help and might take a flier on Ysla sometime before October.
The Yankees have acquired SP Jaime Garcia from Minnesota for LHP Dietrich Enns, RHP Zack Littell & cash.
The Twins went from thinking as contenders to believing they should SELL SELL SELL in the span of one Jaime Garcia start. The Yankees found their replacement for Michael Pineda (Tommy John Surgery) with a more reliable, high-floor, low-ceiling lefty instead of an unpredictable flame-throwing righty. Littell is 14-1 across two minor league levels (presently in AA) and was a top-30 prospect in the Yankee organization. Meanwhile, Enns is 26 and has converted into a successful AAA starter who has not had an ERA over 3.00 in four years. Ultimately, Minnesota replaced Huascar Ynoa with Dietrich Enns, Zack Littell and cash and that's not a bad series of deals.
The Royals have acquired OF Melky Cabrera for RHP A.J. Puckett & LHP Andre Davis.
Way back in 2011, Cabrera became one of the league's most reliable contact hitters after some hit-or-miss seasons with the Yankees and Braves. Melky just happened to begin his career peak on a one-year contract that very season in Kansas City. The melkman is batting .295 and should steal at-bats from Brandon Moss and/or the struggling face of the franchise, Alex Gordon. In return, the White Sox got a very weak package (compared to all of their previous deals) in 2016 2nd-rounder A.J. Puckett and 2015 8th-rounder Andre Davis. Davis was just a throw-in while Puckett has major league potential and was the Royals' #5 prospect with an estimated time of arrival (ETA) of 2020.
The Rockies have acquired C Jonathon Lucroy from Texas for PTBNL.
Wow. The former All-Star was dealt just a year ago for two top 100 prospects and the player his first team dealt for Anthony Swarzak (Ryan Cordell). Now, with a .299 OBP and an inability to consistently stay healthy, Colorado wants him to prove his worth before agreeing to deal any big minor league names (or maybe even an MLB name) for a struggling catcher.
The Cubs have acquired RP Justin Wilson & C Alex Avila from Detroit for 3B Jeimer Candelario, SS Isaac Paredes & a PTBNL or cash.
Tigers' GM Al Avila has now had to trade his son twice but, at least this time Detroit got a top 100 prospect in return in Candelario. Of course, Al had to trade the team's closer in order for the Cubs to accept this offer but, that's not the way dad will tell this story! Wilson has been awesome as a lefty reliever, gaining velocity every season he's been in the big leagues. Avila is one of the league's most patient catchers and has actually been hitting for a change this season, which makes him an improvement on Miguel Montero. In exchange, Detroit lands Candelario (a lesser Nick Castellanos), Isaac Paredes (too soon to tell if this 18-year old A-baller has a major league future but, he adds to Detroit's sudden overloading of minor league shortstops) and a player to be named or cash. Another good deal by the Cubs but, they now are in unfamiliar territory with one of the league's weakest farm systems. That is the price of going all in on trophies sometimes.
The Red Sox have acquired RP Addison Reed from the Mets for RHPs Gerson Bautista, Jamie Callahan & Steve Nogoshek.
In an extremely rare three relievers for the price of one deal, the Mets handed their 9th-inning duties to newest Met A.J. Ramos by upgrading Boston's playoff bullpen with Addison Reed. Reed has finally turned into the player he was originally promoted as way back with the White Sox, an elite reliever that can close. The Mets received three relievers, one with a 4.03 ERA in AAA (Callahan), one 22-year old struggling to climb into AA (Nogoshek) and the Sox' #27 prospect who is also having a rough season (Bautista). This was the best deal the Mets could get from Boston but, it's hard to believe there were no better offers on the table.
The Astros have acquired SP Francisco Liriano from Toronto for OFs Nori Aoki & Teoscar Hernandez.
Houston is likely to use Liriano in a similar role to that of Erasmo Ramirez, a long reliever who makes the occasional emergency start. This is not a bad plan because Liriano is having an awful season as a starter and a demotion to the bullpen might be just what he needs in order to regain confidence. The Astros needed a lefty and unsurprisingly, the price for even a pitcher like Liriano was higher than it usually would be since veteran southpaws are harder to find in deals. Aoki is a light-hitting contact machine that always hits .280 no matter where he plays and Hernandez was a top-ten prospect for the Astros but, had underwhelmed in his 100 at-bats in the MLB in 2016. Both outfielders might come off Toronto's bench these last two months.
The Diamondbacks have acquired IF Adam Rosales from Oakland for RHP Jeferson Mejia.
With Chris Owings breaking a finger that will cost him eight weeks, Nick Ahmed still out for four weeks and Ketel Marté on personal leave, Arizona needed a middle infielder and Rosales is that. All they had to part with was erratic A-ball righty Jeferson Mejia and that's not too steep of an asking price, clearly.
The Brewers have acquired RP Jeremy Jeffress from Texas for LHP Tayler Scott.
This will be Jeffress' third stint with Milwaukee as he looks to improve on a rough first half (5.31 ERA). The Rangers turned Lewis Brinson, Luis Ortiz and Ryan Cordell into a PTBNL and 25-year old AA arm Tayler Scott. Texas should be ashamed of themselves.
The Orioles have acquired RHP Yefry Ramirez from the Yankees for an international signing bonus (AKA: cash).
The Yankees freed up a spot on their 40-man roster and the Orioles got someone else they might force into their rotation at some point since that's the path they're seemingly headed down.
The Yankees have acquired SP Sonny Gray from Oakland for RHP James Kaprielian, SS Jorge Mateo & OF Dustin Fowler.
Gray has been on absolute fire as of late and his season-long stats are beginning to resemble his all-star caliber seasons while his 5.69 ERA from last year seems to be the outlier of the beginning of a great career. The Yankees now have six pitchers that could reasonably start for them and get the job done well and that's usually a recipe for postseason success. Meanwhile, Oakland is finally fully committed to a rebuild with very few veterans remaining on the major league roster. James Kaprielian is recovering from his Tommy John Surgery in the Spring and Dustin Fowler just tore up everything in his leg the other week but, along with the speedster Mateo, all three were top 100 prospects at the beginning of 2017. That much promise was too convincing for the A's to ignore. With Gray under Yankee control through 2018, something tells me the Yankee-Red Sock rivalry has been revived.
The Indians have acquired RP Joe Smith from Toronto for 2B Samad Taylor & LHP Thomas Pannone.
Cleveland has added to the flashiest bullpen in the AL (the Yankees are 1B if Chapman settles back into being an elite closer) by finding a familiar face in Joe Smith. From 2009-2013, Smith became one of the league's better sidearm pitchers with Cleveland before improving even further as an Angel. Now 33-years old, Smith was putting up okay numbers for Toronto and could easily return to excellent form with some help from Andrew Miller, Cody Allen and manager Terry Francona. Something changed this off-season in Thomas Pannone's game because he has gone from unnoticed to on the verge of AAA thanks to some great starts this year and Samad Taylor is a throw-in with a 50-50 chance at becoming something as he is only 19-years old.
The Dodgers have acquired RP Tony Watson from Pittsburgh for 3B Oneil Cruz & RHP Angel German.
Watson has also taken steps backward as a player and his struggles directly correlate to his changing roles from elite setup man to okay closer. I'm surprised to see the Pirates sell anybody not named Starling Marté (though that would have been twice the shock). The Dodgers gave up an 18-year old top-30 team prospect in Cruz, who is discovering his power in A-ball and a complete unknown in the inconsistent 21-year old right arm of German. The Dodgers have the lefty reliever they were looking for and despite not being Zach Britton, Watson did have back-to-back seasons with a sub-2.00 ERA in a major role not long ago.
The Diamondbacks have acquired RP David Hernandez from the Angels for RHP Luis Madero.
Hernandez is an average 32-year old reliever who just happened to unexpectedly be having the best season of any Angels pitcher. This made him prime trade bait for a team headed nowhere and luckily for Anaheim, Hernandez's former team is still slightly infatuated with him. Arizona used Hernandez as a reliever from 2011 through 2015 and the right-hander never showed signs of being the 2.23 ERA carrier that he is right now. In return, the Angels receive Luis Madero, a 20-year old that has yet to thrive outside of the rookie leagues.
The Orioles have acquired SS Tim Beckham from Tampa Bay for RHP Tobias Myers.
God bless Peter Angelos, the 88-year old owner of the Baltimore Orioles, for refusing to be a seller as that is something the team has only done once in the past twenty years. Sure, it makes all of the baseball sense in the world to sell now if you're Baltimore but, the miraculous happens more often in this sport than any other. As for the Rays, I'm not sure what they gain from dealing a former #1 overall pick for a farm-hand that is years away but, I can see how losing 8 of 11 can send the front office into a frenzy.
The Pirates have acquired RP Joaquin Benoit from Philadelphia for RHP Seth McGarry.
I really do not understand the last two seasons of Pirate trade deadline decisions. Are they buying, selling or both? Either way they added the best 40-year old active in Joaquin Benoit to replace Tony Watson. The Phillies get a promising young reliever who's ready for AA in Seth McGarry. The 23-year old has a 0.84 WHIP through 40.1 innings and will be out of the single-A levels soon enough. This will be Benoit's eighth team over a seventeen-year career.
The Dodgers have acquired RP Tony Cingrani from Cincinnati for OF Scott Van Slyke & C Hendrik Clementina.
I was the biggest Tony Cingrani fan entering 2014 and for whatever reason, he quickly fell out of favor in Cincinnati and into the bullpen. Now, he's having his worst season in the majors (5.40 ERA) and the Dodgers are trusting him and Watson to make up for the "lack" of a Zach Britton-like lefty in their bullpen. I'm not sure why the Reds felt the need to add Van Slyke to their bench considering he's 31 but, Hendrik Clementina might be a name to remember as he's hitting .370/.448/.554 in his fourth year at the rookie level. Still just 20, the Reds would love to have some sort of future at the catcher position that does not revolve around glass-man Devin Mesoraco.
The Nationals have acquired RP Brandon Kintzler from Minnesota for LHP Tyler Watson.
With Sean Doolittle off to a shaky start in Washington, it was time for the Nationals to at least add a challenger for saves and they surprisingly managed to pick up an all-star closer. Kintzler did not have all-star closer pedigree entering 2017 but, the former Brewer and now-former Twin has 28 saves and a 2.78 ERA and could immediately move Doolittle to a setup role upon arrival. Tyler Watson was the Nationals' 19th-ranked prospect headed into the season and is not blowing anybody away in A-ball but, has plenty of time to develop as a 20-year old.
The Dodgers have acquired SP Yu Darvish from Texas for 2B Willie Calhoun, 3B Brendon Davis & RHP A.J. Alexy.
It is now officially WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS or BUST! time for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Their rotation of Kershaw-Darvish-Wood-Hill-Maeda is by far the best in baseball, as is their 74-31 record. Darvish is still an expiring contract though, meaning the Dodgers' top two prospects (OF Alex Verdugo & SP Walker Buehler) stayed put while AAA superstar 2B Willie Calhoun heads to Arlington, maybe making his debut in the coming weeks. The #29 prospect in LA's organization (Davis) is also headed to the Ranger organization and he's looked very patient for such a young (20-years old) hitter. Alexy is the blindfolded dart-throw of this trade with virtually zero hype surrounding a 19-year old with a high k-rate in A-ball. Considering Darvish may have left this off-season anyway, this was a great trade by both teams and puts all of the casual baseball fan's eyes on the Dodgers as World Series favorites.
Good luck to your team of choice, whether their future is this October or 2020's October. Either way, remember that it's just a game. A super fun, intense game.
The Rockies have acquired RP Pat Neshek from Philadelphia for SS Jose Gomez and RHPs Alejandro Requena & J.D. Hammer.
An impressive three-player return for a 36-year old submarine pitcher. With a 1.12 ERA through 40.1 innings, Neshek will be remembered fondly by Phillies fans as their 2017 All-Star representative. Hammer is a 22-year old A-baller with a high strikeout rate and a 50/50 chance at making the majors in the future. Requena was showing his first sign of promise at 20 years old with a 2.85 ERA in A-ball. Another 20-year old named Jose Gomez was the key "get" in this trade for Philadelphia. The highest (and only) ranked prospect in this deal is hitting .324/.375/.437 in A-ball and will be good insurance if J.P. Crawford continues to lose his potential shine. Neshek helps build one of the strongest and most experienced bullpens in the National League as Colorado fights Arizona for home-field advantage in the Wildcard game.
The Rays have acquired RP Dan Jennings from Tampa Bay for 1B Casey Gillaspie.
Before acquiring Jennings, Tampa Bay had zero reliable lefties in the bullpen. Now, they have one lefty who has not had an ERA over 4.00 yet in his six major league seasons. All it cost the Rays was a 24-year old former Top 100 prospect who has .299 OBP in AAA this season. There's still potential for Gillaspie to return to form before losing all of the hype around him and the White Sox are determined to have a lineup entirely occupied by former and current top 100 guys by 2019.
The Diamondbacks have acquired C John Ryan Murphy from Minnesota for RHP Gabriel Moya.
Murphy was supposed to be Minnesota's catcher of the future headed into 2016. After going 18-for-82, Minnesota somehow hypnotized Arizona into trading for their new emergency third catcher (the weakest position in Arizona's organization). Meanwhile, Moya has been the Kenley Jansen of AA with a 0.82 ERA and 68 strikeouts over 43.2 innings. Minnesota may have made the biggest steal of the deadline here.
The Rays have acquired 1B Lucas Duda from the Mets for RHP Drew Smith.
Smith has a 1.77 ERA over 80 minor league relief appearances and he appears to be major league ready. Duda has yet to benefit from the "juiced baseballs" phenomenon even though he's a power hitter because, that dude Duda is always hurt and kind of a dud. The Rays continue to stockpile veterans with postseason experience and improve their revolving door of designated hitters with Logan Morrison having his career year at first base.
The Rays have acquired RP Steve Cishek from Seattle for RHP Erasmo Ramirez & cash.
Cishek is a 31-year old with an expiring contract while Ramirez is 27 and under team control for at least three more years. Sure, Cishek is a good reliever while Ramirez is only an average spot-starter at best but, 3>1. Tampa now has a very nice and experienced bullpen that looks nothing like their roster on opening day.
The Dodgers have acquired RHP Luke Farrell from Kansas City for cash.
Cool story, bro.
The Nationals have acquired UTIL Howie Kendrick from Philadelphia for LHP McKenzie Mills.
Howie Kendrick is a contact hitter you can plug in anywhere and that was an absolute MUST grab for Washington this deadline. Combining Kendrick versus righties and Adam Lind versus lefties gives the Nationals one of the better benches in baseball. Mills was a nobody until he went 12-2 in A-ball this season. Now, there is no telling how high the 21-year old's ceiling can go.
The Mets (!?) have acquired RP A.J. Ramos from Miami for RHP Merandy Gonzalez & OF Ricardo Cespedes.
I do not understand why the Mets made a trade for the immediate future and I do not understand the Marlins dealing within the division. Sure, Ramos has another year on his contract but, are the Mets really prepared to go all in on 2018? No. The Mets gave up their #19 (Cespedes) and #15 (Gonzalez) prospects in this trade and while the 19-year old Cespedes is still figuring out how to play, Merandy Gonzalez has been unhittable through four minor-league seasons and might end up as the gem of this trade.
The Orioles have acquired SP Jeremy Hellickson from Philadelphia for OF Hyun-Soo Kim & LHP Garrett Cleavinger.
All of the rumors and build-up surrounding Hellickson being traded after his start was scratched and a lot of fans of contending teams got excited for nothing. The Baltimore Orioles grabbed a guy whose strikeout rate has never been lower and has an expiring contract despite their losing ways. The sad part is that Baltimore's terrible rotation was enough to validate them reaching for an okay arm making $17 million like Hellickson. Hyun Soo-Kim is also an expiring contract with one last shot at proving he's consistent enough to be a major league player and he should get the playing time in Philadelphia. Cleavinger is a AA reliever with an ERA over 6.00 this season. Both franchises lost this trade.
The Dodgers have acquired LHP Luis Ysla from Boston for cash.
25-year old Luis Ysla was the Red Sox' #15 prospect but, has not looked that promising for a couple of years. The Dodgers need lefty relief help and might take a flier on Ysla sometime before October.
The Yankees have acquired SP Jaime Garcia from Minnesota for LHP Dietrich Enns, RHP Zack Littell & cash.
The Twins went from thinking as contenders to believing they should SELL SELL SELL in the span of one Jaime Garcia start. The Yankees found their replacement for Michael Pineda (Tommy John Surgery) with a more reliable, high-floor, low-ceiling lefty instead of an unpredictable flame-throwing righty. Littell is 14-1 across two minor league levels (presently in AA) and was a top-30 prospect in the Yankee organization. Meanwhile, Enns is 26 and has converted into a successful AAA starter who has not had an ERA over 3.00 in four years. Ultimately, Minnesota replaced Huascar Ynoa with Dietrich Enns, Zack Littell and cash and that's not a bad series of deals.
The Royals have acquired OF Melky Cabrera for RHP A.J. Puckett & LHP Andre Davis.
Way back in 2011, Cabrera became one of the league's most reliable contact hitters after some hit-or-miss seasons with the Yankees and Braves. Melky just happened to begin his career peak on a one-year contract that very season in Kansas City. The melkman is batting .295 and should steal at-bats from Brandon Moss and/or the struggling face of the franchise, Alex Gordon. In return, the White Sox got a very weak package (compared to all of their previous deals) in 2016 2nd-rounder A.J. Puckett and 2015 8th-rounder Andre Davis. Davis was just a throw-in while Puckett has major league potential and was the Royals' #5 prospect with an estimated time of arrival (ETA) of 2020.
The Rockies have acquired C Jonathon Lucroy from Texas for PTBNL.
Wow. The former All-Star was dealt just a year ago for two top 100 prospects and the player his first team dealt for Anthony Swarzak (Ryan Cordell). Now, with a .299 OBP and an inability to consistently stay healthy, Colorado wants him to prove his worth before agreeing to deal any big minor league names (or maybe even an MLB name) for a struggling catcher.
The Cubs have acquired RP Justin Wilson & C Alex Avila from Detroit for 3B Jeimer Candelario, SS Isaac Paredes & a PTBNL or cash.
Tigers' GM Al Avila has now had to trade his son twice but, at least this time Detroit got a top 100 prospect in return in Candelario. Of course, Al had to trade the team's closer in order for the Cubs to accept this offer but, that's not the way dad will tell this story! Wilson has been awesome as a lefty reliever, gaining velocity every season he's been in the big leagues. Avila is one of the league's most patient catchers and has actually been hitting for a change this season, which makes him an improvement on Miguel Montero. In exchange, Detroit lands Candelario (a lesser Nick Castellanos), Isaac Paredes (too soon to tell if this 18-year old A-baller has a major league future but, he adds to Detroit's sudden overloading of minor league shortstops) and a player to be named or cash. Another good deal by the Cubs but, they now are in unfamiliar territory with one of the league's weakest farm systems. That is the price of going all in on trophies sometimes.
The Red Sox have acquired RP Addison Reed from the Mets for RHPs Gerson Bautista, Jamie Callahan & Steve Nogoshek.
In an extremely rare three relievers for the price of one deal, the Mets handed their 9th-inning duties to newest Met A.J. Ramos by upgrading Boston's playoff bullpen with Addison Reed. Reed has finally turned into the player he was originally promoted as way back with the White Sox, an elite reliever that can close. The Mets received three relievers, one with a 4.03 ERA in AAA (Callahan), one 22-year old struggling to climb into AA (Nogoshek) and the Sox' #27 prospect who is also having a rough season (Bautista). This was the best deal the Mets could get from Boston but, it's hard to believe there were no better offers on the table.
The Astros have acquired SP Francisco Liriano from Toronto for OFs Nori Aoki & Teoscar Hernandez.
Houston is likely to use Liriano in a similar role to that of Erasmo Ramirez, a long reliever who makes the occasional emergency start. This is not a bad plan because Liriano is having an awful season as a starter and a demotion to the bullpen might be just what he needs in order to regain confidence. The Astros needed a lefty and unsurprisingly, the price for even a pitcher like Liriano was higher than it usually would be since veteran southpaws are harder to find in deals. Aoki is a light-hitting contact machine that always hits .280 no matter where he plays and Hernandez was a top-ten prospect for the Astros but, had underwhelmed in his 100 at-bats in the MLB in 2016. Both outfielders might come off Toronto's bench these last two months.
The Diamondbacks have acquired IF Adam Rosales from Oakland for RHP Jeferson Mejia.
With Chris Owings breaking a finger that will cost him eight weeks, Nick Ahmed still out for four weeks and Ketel Marté on personal leave, Arizona needed a middle infielder and Rosales is that. All they had to part with was erratic A-ball righty Jeferson Mejia and that's not too steep of an asking price, clearly.
The Brewers have acquired RP Jeremy Jeffress from Texas for LHP Tayler Scott.
This will be Jeffress' third stint with Milwaukee as he looks to improve on a rough first half (5.31 ERA). The Rangers turned Lewis Brinson, Luis Ortiz and Ryan Cordell into a PTBNL and 25-year old AA arm Tayler Scott. Texas should be ashamed of themselves.
The Orioles have acquired RHP Yefry Ramirez from the Yankees for an international signing bonus (AKA: cash).
The Yankees freed up a spot on their 40-man roster and the Orioles got someone else they might force into their rotation at some point since that's the path they're seemingly headed down.
The Yankees have acquired SP Sonny Gray from Oakland for RHP James Kaprielian, SS Jorge Mateo & OF Dustin Fowler.
Gray has been on absolute fire as of late and his season-long stats are beginning to resemble his all-star caliber seasons while his 5.69 ERA from last year seems to be the outlier of the beginning of a great career. The Yankees now have six pitchers that could reasonably start for them and get the job done well and that's usually a recipe for postseason success. Meanwhile, Oakland is finally fully committed to a rebuild with very few veterans remaining on the major league roster. James Kaprielian is recovering from his Tommy John Surgery in the Spring and Dustin Fowler just tore up everything in his leg the other week but, along with the speedster Mateo, all three were top 100 prospects at the beginning of 2017. That much promise was too convincing for the A's to ignore. With Gray under Yankee control through 2018, something tells me the Yankee-Red Sock rivalry has been revived.
The Indians have acquired RP Joe Smith from Toronto for 2B Samad Taylor & LHP Thomas Pannone.
Cleveland has added to the flashiest bullpen in the AL (the Yankees are 1B if Chapman settles back into being an elite closer) by finding a familiar face in Joe Smith. From 2009-2013, Smith became one of the league's better sidearm pitchers with Cleveland before improving even further as an Angel. Now 33-years old, Smith was putting up okay numbers for Toronto and could easily return to excellent form with some help from Andrew Miller, Cody Allen and manager Terry Francona. Something changed this off-season in Thomas Pannone's game because he has gone from unnoticed to on the verge of AAA thanks to some great starts this year and Samad Taylor is a throw-in with a 50-50 chance at becoming something as he is only 19-years old.
The Dodgers have acquired RP Tony Watson from Pittsburgh for 3B Oneil Cruz & RHP Angel German.
Watson has also taken steps backward as a player and his struggles directly correlate to his changing roles from elite setup man to okay closer. I'm surprised to see the Pirates sell anybody not named Starling Marté (though that would have been twice the shock). The Dodgers gave up an 18-year old top-30 team prospect in Cruz, who is discovering his power in A-ball and a complete unknown in the inconsistent 21-year old right arm of German. The Dodgers have the lefty reliever they were looking for and despite not being Zach Britton, Watson did have back-to-back seasons with a sub-2.00 ERA in a major role not long ago.
The Diamondbacks have acquired RP David Hernandez from the Angels for RHP Luis Madero.
Hernandez is an average 32-year old reliever who just happened to unexpectedly be having the best season of any Angels pitcher. This made him prime trade bait for a team headed nowhere and luckily for Anaheim, Hernandez's former team is still slightly infatuated with him. Arizona used Hernandez as a reliever from 2011 through 2015 and the right-hander never showed signs of being the 2.23 ERA carrier that he is right now. In return, the Angels receive Luis Madero, a 20-year old that has yet to thrive outside of the rookie leagues.
The Orioles have acquired SS Tim Beckham from Tampa Bay for RHP Tobias Myers.
God bless Peter Angelos, the 88-year old owner of the Baltimore Orioles, for refusing to be a seller as that is something the team has only done once in the past twenty years. Sure, it makes all of the baseball sense in the world to sell now if you're Baltimore but, the miraculous happens more often in this sport than any other. As for the Rays, I'm not sure what they gain from dealing a former #1 overall pick for a farm-hand that is years away but, I can see how losing 8 of 11 can send the front office into a frenzy.
The Pirates have acquired RP Joaquin Benoit from Philadelphia for RHP Seth McGarry.
I really do not understand the last two seasons of Pirate trade deadline decisions. Are they buying, selling or both? Either way they added the best 40-year old active in Joaquin Benoit to replace Tony Watson. The Phillies get a promising young reliever who's ready for AA in Seth McGarry. The 23-year old has a 0.84 WHIP through 40.1 innings and will be out of the single-A levels soon enough. This will be Benoit's eighth team over a seventeen-year career.
The Dodgers have acquired RP Tony Cingrani from Cincinnati for OF Scott Van Slyke & C Hendrik Clementina.
I was the biggest Tony Cingrani fan entering 2014 and for whatever reason, he quickly fell out of favor in Cincinnati and into the bullpen. Now, he's having his worst season in the majors (5.40 ERA) and the Dodgers are trusting him and Watson to make up for the "lack" of a Zach Britton-like lefty in their bullpen. I'm not sure why the Reds felt the need to add Van Slyke to their bench considering he's 31 but, Hendrik Clementina might be a name to remember as he's hitting .370/.448/.554 in his fourth year at the rookie level. Still just 20, the Reds would love to have some sort of future at the catcher position that does not revolve around glass-man Devin Mesoraco.
The Nationals have acquired RP Brandon Kintzler from Minnesota for LHP Tyler Watson.
With Sean Doolittle off to a shaky start in Washington, it was time for the Nationals to at least add a challenger for saves and they surprisingly managed to pick up an all-star closer. Kintzler did not have all-star closer pedigree entering 2017 but, the former Brewer and now-former Twin has 28 saves and a 2.78 ERA and could immediately move Doolittle to a setup role upon arrival. Tyler Watson was the Nationals' 19th-ranked prospect headed into the season and is not blowing anybody away in A-ball but, has plenty of time to develop as a 20-year old.
The Dodgers have acquired SP Yu Darvish from Texas for 2B Willie Calhoun, 3B Brendon Davis & RHP A.J. Alexy.
It is now officially WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS or BUST! time for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Their rotation of Kershaw-Darvish-Wood-Hill-Maeda is by far the best in baseball, as is their 74-31 record. Darvish is still an expiring contract though, meaning the Dodgers' top two prospects (OF Alex Verdugo & SP Walker Buehler) stayed put while AAA superstar 2B Willie Calhoun heads to Arlington, maybe making his debut in the coming weeks. The #29 prospect in LA's organization (Davis) is also headed to the Ranger organization and he's looked very patient for such a young (20-years old) hitter. Alexy is the blindfolded dart-throw of this trade with virtually zero hype surrounding a 19-year old with a high k-rate in A-ball. Considering Darvish may have left this off-season anyway, this was a great trade by both teams and puts all of the casual baseball fan's eyes on the Dodgers as World Series favorites.
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| Richard W. Rodriguez/Associated Press The Rangers and Dodgers saved the best for last as Yu Darvish was the most valuable name to switch teams this July. |
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