MLB deadline deals: winners and losers
July 31st, 2008 Posted in MLBHOME RUNS
The Brewers get CC Sabathia and Ray Durham.
The Brewers snagged ace pitcher Sabathia before the craziness of deadline week and have already benefited. In the toughest division in baseball, the Brew Crew had to play big or go home and they went big. Durham is a nice pickup too as starting 2B Rickie Weeks has been poor offensively this year and has always been bad defensively.
The Angels get Mark Teixeira.
Don’t believe the stat heads on this one, Teixeira is a big upgrade over Casey Kotchman because opposing pitchers fear him, and another legit slugger is exactly what the Angels needed. The Angels are now the favorite in the AL.
TRIPLES
The Cubs get Rich Harden.
Including the pen, if Kerry Wood and Harden are healthy, the Cubbies pitching is the best in the rugged NL Central. The key will be keeping Wood and Harden on the mound as both are injury-prone. If the Cubs do, they should do no worse than a wild card. The Cubs gave up some decent players, but it is a worthwhile gamble for a team this close.
The Red Sox get Jason Bay.
The Red Sox had painted themselves into a corner and were lucky to pull out a player of Bay’s caliber after the Marlins deal fell through. Boston gives up two decent players in Brandon Moss and Craig Hansen, but both were expendable. Bay is signed through next season and could be a big part of the Red Sox outfield for a long time, making this a strong move for the Sox, especially considering the circumstances.
DOUBLES
The Yankees get Damaso Marte, Xavier Nady and Ivan Rodriguez.
The Yanks don’t add a superstar but add three good players to fill needs without giving up much. The question is can the Yanks starting pitching give Bombers enough quality innings to earn a playoff spot. I don’t think so but these deals give the Yankees a better chance than they had last week.
Oakland Athletics stockpile more prospects.
Adrian Cardenas (Blanton deal) and Sean Gallagher (Cubs deal) are potential stars. The A’s also pick up a bunch of other players that can fill roles or be a part of future trades.
The Diamondbacks get Jon Rauch.
Rauch is a proven relief pitcher that will help the Arizona bullpen and the Diamondbacks only gave up a level two type prospect to snare him. No team is going to want to face the Diamondbacks in the playoffs if Webb, Haren and Randy Johnson are rolling, especially not if Rauch helps shore up the pen.
The Dodgers get Manny Ramirez.
The Dodgers can use a star hitter like Manny to replace the combination of Andruw Jones, Juan Pierre and Andre Ethier. Although this deal would look better if the Dodgers were able to trade at least one of those three outfielders, instead of having two of them riding the pine most game. However, they apparently gave up good but not great prospects to get Manny. Ultimately though they are still going to fall short unless they get more than expected from players like Rafael Furcal, Jason Schmidt and/or Clayton Kershaw.
SINGLES
Braves get Kotchman and Stephen Marek
Teixeira is a very good hitter, but there was no way the Braves were going to give him the $200 million type contract that he will ask for. Kotchman has proven he’s at least a solid MLB first baseman, is young and and has some upside. Marek could turn into a closer.
The White Sox get Ken Griffey Junior
Junior Griffey is not nearly the player that he once was, but can still play the game. Griffey gives the White Sox a slight upgrade. Good for Griffey as he improves his chances of playing in October and the White Sox get him without giving up much.
Marlins get Arthur Rhodes and don’t get Manny Ramirez.
Rhodes is a quality lefty. If the Marlins have their way, he’ll be retiring Ryan Howard and Carlos Delgado in key at bats in September. The Manny deal would have likely come back to haunt the Marlins - they simply aren’t in the position to take that type or risk and aren’t close enough to the promised land to justify taking the risk.
SWING AND MISS
The Pirates.
The Bucs deal a star outfielder, Jason Bay, to a team desperate to make a deal, a good lefty relief pitcher (Marte) and a decent outfielder (Nady) without getting a top twenty type prospect back or enough tier one type prospects.
Phillies get Joe Blanton.
Blanton should give the Phillies some decent innings but that’s about it. He’s overrated with much of his success coming due to Oakland’s pitcher friendly McAfee Coliseum and Adrian Cardenas is a nice prospect. If the Phillies come up short than they will regret not using Cardenas as part of a deal for an ace caliber pitcher like Sabathia or Harden.
The Mariners
The Mariners made only one minor trade. They didn’t have many pieces to deal, but they should have been able to get some prospects back for players like Raul Ibanez and Jose Vidro, and should have pulled the trigger on rebuilding the organization.
NOT SWINGING
Mets, Cardinals, Twins
Amongst contenders, the Mets, Cardinals and Twins were the quietest. The Mets and Cards will be hoping that injured players like Pedro Martinez, Orlando Hernandez, Ryan Church, Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright come back to contribute during the stretch run. The Twins are contenders but are still building their team. All three teams were probably best off watching the action. Of course, an August waiver deal is always possible.
