For the last several years baseball has been dominated by big market teams. Like the Yankees, Dodgers, Braves, and Red Sox. This year, it’s been a flashback to the early 2000s. Small market franchises have found creative ways to not only compete but go towards that elusive championship. What does this year’s trade deadline have for us?
Instead of starting things off with a division leader, let’s begin with a team that hasn’t come close to expectations. Those Damn Yankees. Thanks to a long term injury to Aaron Judge, the hitting core suffering a steep decline, the pitching staff being a roller coaster, and every single offseason signing blowing up in their face, the Bronx Bombers must deal with something unimaginable. Last place. (They would be leading the AL Central with ease though) But that’s due to how stacked their division is and how much ground they lost when Judge went down. Speaking of Judge, they rushed him back from the IL, and it hasn’t worked. They got smacked by the Orioles in front of a national audience, and suffered an even bigger stomping at home at the hands of the Rays. Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone may be the scapegoats, but it doesn’t mean that they won’t make any moves. The only moves they did make were getting another solid arm for the bullpen in Kenyan Middleton, as well as trying to revive the career of former top prospect Spencer Howard. They better hope to the baseball gods that Judge has support in the lineup unless they’re toast. The most insane thing is that they aren’t even the biggest disappointment in their own city. More on them later.
Toronto is in the same boat as the Yankees. A year full of high expectations is shot down thanks to one flaw that has been killing them all summer. They have sucked this year in games against their division. The Blue Jays are 8-23 this year against the AL East and it’s robbing them of their true potential. That and the moves Ross Atkins made back in the winter blowing up. The Dalton Varsho trade has been an excellent move… for Arizona. The Chris Bassitt trade has been ok, but they could really use Teoscar Hernandez especially with George Springer facing a rough decline. (3 more years at $28M a year left boys) It doesn’t mean that Toronto can’t make more trades to try and fix this mess. How about a desperation move to bring in Jordan Hicks and Paul DeJong to sure up the bullpen and depth in the hitting lineup. With Bo Bichette suffering a bruised knee, and Jordan Romano being inconsistent since the break, I’m not surprised by these moves. Even with Vlad Jr, Matt Chapman and a pitching staff getting Hyun Jin Ryu back, (Only for Ryu to get roughed up by Baltimore in his first start back) the Jays are going to have an uphill climb just to make the playoffs. That’s what happens when you have a bad record in the division, and their biggest issue like most years is the guy behind the bench. Never change.
The Red Sox have managed to hang tough with the big boys for most of the season. Since the All Star Break, they’ve played their best ball of the season. Even with the trade deadline approaching, Boston decided that it was best not to get involved on the open market. The only headliner move they made were trading Kike Hernandez back to the Dodgers. Makes sense when Justin Turner is having a renaissance, and Jarren Duran is enjoying a breakout season. They may not be as loaded as in years past, but the Red Sox will be in it until the very end. Devers, and Yoshida will make sure of it. (Hopefully the rotation isn’t hit hard by injury come September)
Meanwhile in Tampa Bay, Moneyball 2.0 is looking to find some way to get out of a July slump. They’ve been cruising all season, and finally they’ve hit a wall. Arrogance and the art of showboating has gotten the best of them right now. But the Rays need to address one thing. Pitching depth. Taj Bradley is not ready for the big time yet, and they just traded Luis Patino to the White Sox in a salary dump. So why not try to capitalize on another salary dump. The Guardians are not in the mood when it comes to signing Aaron Civale long term, so Tampa can swoop in and get him. All it cost them was one of their top prospects in Kyle Manzardo and some cash. Civale isn’t a headliner, but he’s solid for what he is. (And should add depth to McClanahan, and Glasnow at the top of the rotation) The Rays are gonna need all the help they can find. Why? Remember that once giant lead in the division that was 7.5 games at the start of the year. It’s somehow gone. The class of the division now belongs to…
“How did he do it? I have to know. SOMEBODY TELL ME! IT’S NOT FAIR! There was no way I tell you, no way he could have gotten out. SOMEBODY TELL ME! DO YOU HEAR ME! SOMEBODY TELL ME HOW HE DID IT! I HAVE TO KNOW! I HAVE TO KNOOOOOOW!!!” This right here is the sound of every Rays fan, and National pundit that had Tampa Bay as a lock to win the AL Pennant. Why? The one team they all thought was a disgrace to the league back in 2021 is making them eat their words. That’s right, the Baltimore Orioles have the best record in the American League. Just like in the Earl Weaver years, they have used a hot streak in July to take hold of the division. Think beating the Rays 3 out of 4 in Tampa after the All Star Break, as well as drubbing the Yankees in perhaps the biggest game at Camden Yards in 7 years on National Television. (I was lucky enough to be at that game, boy was that a treat to watch) Despite Rutschman, Henderson, Santander, and Bautista captivating audiences, there was one thing that they had lacked. Depth in the bullpen for Mount Felix and Yennier Cano, as well as an ace. (Cano has been in a slump, but every elite pitcher goes through it) Their first move was acquiring Shintaro Fujinami from the A’s. (WOOF!) So far that move has been a success since he’s become another monster in their bullpen. (If you exclude his outing against the Jays where he beaned 3 batters) When it came to getting an ace, the O’s wanted Dylan Cease but there was a problem. The White Sox were delusional and wanted the moon. Baltimore wasn’t going to give up Jackson Holliday nor Heston Kjerstad. Instead, Mike Elias made a safer move. He sent two of their lesser known top prospects to St Louis for Jack Flaherty. If he can regain his 2021 form, the pairing of him, and a budding star in Grayson Rodriguez could be outstanding. Luckily for the Orioles they are getting a lot of key pieces back come September. Cedric Mullins, John Means, Tyler Wells, Aaron Hicks, Mychal Givens, Austin Voth, Dillon Tate, and potentially Holliday getting called up. Just what the sports world needed, both Charm City teams being championship contenders. God help us all. (As a Salty Marylander, I love this feat taking place)
The AL Central is still a gong show. Leading the way right now like last year at this point is Minnesota. Hopefully this time around the Twins don’t get struck down by injuries and a bad losing streak. I kinda feel like the organization is in a hard situation and they don’t know if they should buy or sell. The conclusion. Trade off a struggling Jorge Lopez to Miami for another bullpen arm in Dylan Floro. There were even rumors that they would trade off Sonny Gray and Kenta Maeda. Luckily they’re still here. Minnesota could have used another power bat at the deadline. They wanted Pete Alonso but the Mets weren’t going to nuke the whole roster. All I’m going to ask is this. Will it be the worst case scenario if they make the playoffs? I don’t know anymore.
Cleveland is in the same situation that Minnesota is in right now. A mediocre club that’s somehow in contention because the AL Central is a comedy skit. In the Guardians case they needed to unload a few players that they aren’t going to be able to sign this offseason. Amed Rosario, Josh Bell, and Aaron Civale. All traded in a span of 5 days. Now here’s what bugs me. I like the return they got for Civale, but you really think that Noah Syndergaard and Jean Segura are going to turn back the clock in order for them to get past the Twins. It sounds crazy but then again it has worked for them in the past with Marquis Grissom, and David Justice replacing Kenny Lofton and Albert Belle. (But their club now isn’t as good as it was in the mid-90s) I know that’s the comparison made by the fanbase but it sounds crazy. Now watch them luck into an ass kicking in the Wild Card Round just because.
The Guardians and Twins can at least say that they aren’t the White Sox. Not only did this organization tick off the fans by selling key pieces of the future core at the deadline, the front office drank the stupid juice into thinking that they would get generational returns in the moves they made. Trading away Kenyan Middleton, and Kendall Graveman I don’t have a problem with, those two were free agents at the end of the year, and they weren’t going to bring them back. They did get a good return for Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly, I’ll give them that. But here’s what bugs me. Why are you trading Jake Burger and Lucas Giolito? Giolito, I get is a free agent come the winter, but why Burger? He’s been their best hitter all season. If you think that’s bad it gets worse. They trade Giolito and Burger, yet don’t trade Dylan Cease, Tim Anderson, or Eloy Jimenez. For those that don’t understand why they didn’t let them go, here’s your answer. Chicago was in talks with Baltimore and LA for Cease and they wanted a king’s ransom in return because they were so desperate to improve their farm system. They wanted Jackson Holliday or Michael Busch, the top prospects for either team, in return in a Cease package. (BUZZER) The Orioles and Dodgers wisely said no. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Jerry Reinsdorf was literally a product of Michael Jordan and Frank Thomas. Without those two men he has no rings and doesn’t know how to run a franchise. Have fun dealing with Wrigleyville laughing in your faces yet again.
Now let me welcome everybody to the Wild Wild West, the AL’s all in treasure chest. Like my 2Pac reference all you want, but this division has been full of chaos and bold moves. Let’s start with the LA Angels. BOOM! Turns out that Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout aren’t going anywhere. In fact they are buying at the deadline in a big way. Mike Moustakas, Lucas Giolito, the return of CJ Cron, Dominic Leone, and Randal Grichuk. And by the way Trout is coming back sometime in late August. Turns out that Arte Moreno is willing to go over the luxury tax based moves like these. What was looking ugly for a while in Anaheim has turned into a sign of optimism. So you’re telling me that the Halos are in playoff contention again. That’s surprising.
The Mariners, despite their relentless efforts to try and get to the playoffs, must deal with trying to overcome all of the narratives stacked against them. Only once in their history have they made the playoffs two years in a row. They want to put an end to that distinction. Besides trading away Paul Sewald and AJ Pollock they really didn’t do much to help out their roster. They’re hoping that the rotation dominates like they did last year aren’t they. I mean it’s a loaded crew on paper but that’s not the issue. The lineup is. Although Julio Rodriguez is heating up so I don’t know anymore.
(Wild West Type Music playing) Let’s see how the Rangers are doing? BOOOOOOOM! Throwing money and prospects at everything that moves. What a shocker. First they upgraded the bullpen by getting Aroldis Chapman from Kansas City. He’s returned to his old form since coming to Arlington. Next they fortified the backend of the rotation with Chris Stratton and Jordan Montgomery thank you St Louis. Jonah Heim is injured, then why not go get Austin Hedges. Then the piece de resistance. Sending a king’s ransom to Queens for a legend in Max Scherzer. Hey, I think I’ve seen this move before. (They did the same for Nolan Ryan, and it worked out great) The Rangers have solidified themselves as one of the favorites to come out of the AL in October. But there is one thing that concerns me… (Getting Corey Seager back from the IL is a good sign)
THE ASTROS! Remember when we all thought that Houston would lay down and die in Arlington in June. I think the pundits would like to take that back. (I wasn’t one of them, the Astros have too much going for them) Most of the additions at this trade deadline weren’t in moves but in bringing back key players from the IL. That’s right, Jose Altuve, and Yordan Alvarez are now healthy again. Yordan in particular hasn’t skipped a beat. Once again the rotation is a question mark but it can always be fixed with a move or two. BOOOOOOOOOOM! How about a nice counterattack to their rivals acquiring Scherzer. That’s right, Justin Verlander is BACK! Yes he’s 40 years old but nostalgia and good vibes are the name of the game. This should push the momentum back to Houston as the favorite in the AL West. A Texas Shootout is about to commence.
(Meet the Mets playing) “Yard Sale? YARD SALE!!! GUYS WAKE UP! WAKE UP THERE’S A YARD SALE OUTSIDE! Yard Sale? SARGE EMERGENCY ROLL CALL! HURRY UP YES SIR! RED ALERT!” All optimism in Flushing from their fanbase has been vanquished in the blink of an eye. LOLMETS is alive and breathing well! If you thought their season was bad enough just you wait until you see what they did at the trade deadline. BOOOOOOOM! BLOW IT UP! TRADE EVERYONE! Eduardo Escobar, AND David Robertson, AND Max Scherzer, AND Mark Canha, AND Justin Verlander, AND Dominic Leone, AND Tommy Pham. There were also rumors that they would trade off Pete Alonso and Starling Marte for crying out loud. The Cohen Tax was paid alright, and it’s a disaster. This is the most painful Mets season since the farewell of Shea Stadium in 2008 and it’s probably down there with 1992 and 93 if we’re being honest. I’d say keep going but then again, Daddy Steve is just saving money for next offseason. They’re going to throw the kitchen sink at Ohtani if the Angels aren’t willing to extend him. They’re totally going to do it just you watch. Mets you have your answer to George Steinbrenner. Except Steinbrenner was a much better evaluator of talent. Your 18 months of relevance are over Queens, welcome back to being clowns. “OH NO! WE SUCK AGAIN!” (New York teams with ets in their names underachieving, a tradition as old as time)
One of those teams that’s laughing at the wonders of LOLMETS are the Atlanta Braves, AGAIN. Unlike recent years, they didn’t really need to do much. Most of their roster is performing at an elite level and the only things they lack are depth just in case of injuries especially in the bullpen. In comes Taylor Hearn, Brad Hand and Pierce Johnson to beef up the pen, and in comes Nicky Lopez to add depth in the batting order. Like I said, when you have this good a roster and Max Fried is returning from injury there really isn’t much to do. The plans of a new dynasty are underway. I wonder what the results will be this time.
The Miami Marlins came out of the All Star Break on a bad note. They got swept in Baltimore, swept at home by St Louis, and had a rough series against Colorado. It’s still shaky for the fish, but luckily Kim Ng is searching for a winner in any way possible. The moves she made at the trade deadline were bold and brash. Think of adding depth to the bullpen in David Robertson and Jorge Lopez. Acquiring power bats in Jake Burger and Josh Bell. Jorge Soler, Jazz Chisholm and Luis Arraez can’t carry this lineup alone. As long as Sandy Alcantara and the rotation are holding lineups at bay they should be in contention by September if this holds up. That is if their luck doesn’t run out.
The Phillies like most years are trying to figure out who they truly want to be. Luckily Dave Dombrowski has a reputation of making key moves late in the season to help out the roster especially in pitching. They did get one of the better names on the market in Michael Lorenzen from Detroit, and were rewarded with an excellent outing in his Philly debut. Despite improvements to the pitching staff, it won’t stop the fanbase from finding their next whipping boy. Trea Turner. In his defense, he’s going through what Bryce Harper did in 2019. A rough transition into perhaps the most over-reactive fanbase in sports. If I were a Phillies fan, I wouldn’t worry too much about Turner not living up to the hype just yet. There’s still 2 months left for him to change those opinions.
The NL Central went from mediocre to top heavy in a span of a month. At the top of the food chain are the New Kids on the Block from Cincinnati. The Reds are pushing towards their first division title in over a decade with Elly De La Cruz putting out highlight reel material on a nightly basis. The only move they made was adding a quality bullpen arm in Sam Moll, but you just feel like they could have done more. Just like the O’s and Dodgers they weren’t falling for the package the White Sox wanted for Dylan Cease. (They weren’t willing to trade Christian Encarnacion-Strand in the deal) Not much to complain about when you’ve exceeded expectations. However there’s a crowd waiting to greet them in the standings.
The Brewers are one of those waiting. In fact they’ve dominated Cincy if you exclude the game where De La Cruz stole 3 bases in an inning including a steal of home. (Even the Sesame Street characters at Am-Fam Field were in awe that day) Milwaukee is trying to upgrade their lineup any way they can. Christian Yelich and Willy Adames are putting up their usual numbers, but they need more in order to break the Legacy of Failure. Bringing in Carlos Santana and Mark Canha will help out with that. As will adding Andrew Chafin for the bullpen. Even better news Brandon Woodruff should be back in September if all goes according to plan. Him being back in the rotation to go along with Burnes and Freddy Peralta is key. If only they could slow down a familiar foe that’s now heating up.
Don’t look now but the Chicago Cubs have stormed their way back into playoff contention. Since the Midsummer Classic, the Cubbies finally were able to put together consistent performances. Since July 18 they’re 12-3 including 36 runs in a two game span against the Reds. You know how people were anticipating Marcus Stroman, Cody Bellinger, and Kyle Hendricks on the trade block. My conclusion is that they’re here to stay. The Cubs are even buying at the deadline. Jeimer Candelario is another strong bat that should fit in with what they have now. When you have Christopher Morel, Belly, Dansby Swanson, and Mike Tauchman going through hot streaks, optimism is sky high once again. Nothing makes me laugh more than the fact that the Cubs are making generations of White Sox and Cardinals fans eat massive amounts of crow right now.
Speaking of St Louis, the apocalypse has consumed their fanbase whole. Just like the Mets and Chi-Sox they too blew it up. Well except for Arenado and Goldschmidt. Jordan Hicks, Jack Flaherty, Paul DeJong, Jordan Montgomery, Chris Stratton, and Genesis Cabrera. All gone in a span of 3 days. I never could have imagined that this would happen to the Cardinals, but then again I have to ask this question. How much was the leadership of Yadier Molina, Adam Wainwright, and Albert Pujols carrying this team? The year that the Redbirds are having proves why those three are sorely missed. (Wainwright is still there but he’s clearly not the same) At least the prospect haul they got was excellent I guess, and they’ll develop them properly for the most part.
The NL West has now turned into a 3 team race and it also features a certain team that is holding on for dear life. The Dodgers for the moment hold a slim lead over their arch rivals from the Bay Area. Despite another excellent July, LA is back in the same position they were in last year. Injuries hurting the starting rotation. Luckily Kershaw should be back in August, but losing Dustin May, and Shelby Miller for the season is a tough blow. They at least made a few key moves to fix the issues. They brought back Joe Kelly to help out the bullpen, brought in an aging but still effective Lance Lynn as well as Amed Rosario for their infield. (Ryan Yarbrough too) But what the Dodgers need is nepotism. LOOK EVERYONE! KIKE HERNANDEZ! We need an old cornerstone back in the mix. It comes with a big acquisition of Eduardo Rodriguez too. (YoYo Sound) But then he used his no trade clause so the deal didn’t go through. The Dodgers also wanted Dylan Cease, but they weren’t willing to give up Michael Busch. Can this Dodger team make it back to the World Series with half a pitching staff. Sure they have excellent hitters as usual, but will the lack of depth on the mound hurt them? Hard to tell isn’t it?
The Giants despite LA’s usual July hot streak are still within 3 games of the division lead. But just like the Braves when you have a solid roster across the board, all you need is depth at key positions. San Francisco came away with AJ Pollock for depth in the lineup. I would say get another starter but then again, with the bullpen they have, it’s not an issue. The lineup is still producing, especially Patrick Bailey. Even though the media thought Joey Bart would be the heir to Buster Posey, Bailey not only surpassed him, he’s become the glue of the infield. It comes to show you that the Giants have always had excellent player development. The real question now is that can they catch the Dodgers? Who knows but it will be a close race between those two as well as an up and comer…
That up and comer is the Diamondbacks. Even if their lead over LA is now gone, Arizona is trying to get to the playoffs ahead of schedule. To make sure of this possibility, they went out and addressed the bullpen, and outfield. First they acquired one of the more underrated closers in baseball in Paul Sewald from Seattle. Even if that trade cost them Andrew Chafin, they at least capitalized on the yard sale of the Mets by getting Tommy Pham. Hopefully he should return to Tampa Bay form if he can gain some confidence. Corbin Carroll, Zac Gallen, and Ketel Marte can only do so much. The race to the finish for them will be juicy especially with the schedule they have coming up. Even if the D-Backs miss the playoffs by a whisker this is still an outstanding year for them. Keep it up boys.
Meanwhile in Slam Diego, the Padres are doing everything they can to avoid another letdown of a season and to save AJ Preller’s job. Unlike last year where they won the deadline, the Friars went for less flash and more substance. They sent a few prospects to the Pirates for Ji-Man Choi, and Rich Hill who should help out right away. If one 1st baseman wasn’t enough, they’ll go out and get Garrett Cooper from Miami to try and resurrect his lost season. They even got Scott Barlow to bolster their pen too. They may be despised by the rest of baseball, but if they’re going down they’re going down swinging. THATS WHATS IT! PAUSE.
I’ve come to the conclusion that this deadline may not have been as exciting as last year, but there have been a few things that have stood out. The Battle of Texas just got even more exciting, the Orioles may have gotten the ace they’ve lacked since Mike Mussina if it works out. The Mets, Cardinals, and White Sox high expectations led to them blowing it up, and most importantly there are a lot of teams pushing towards postseason baseball. The Wild Card races in both leagues should be juicy. For now we can only sit back and watch. See you at the NFL Previews.
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