The MLB Trade Deadline is one of those times of the year where it seems like you never know what’s coming. Just when you think you know who the contenders and pretenders are WHOOPS! Nevermind a team swoops in and makes themselves known. What drama do we have this time?
Lets begin with last year’s World Series Champions in the Texas Rangers. (Normally I begin with the AL East, but we’ll save that for later on) Right now they’re in a situation that few saw coming at the start of the year. Hovering around 500. But they’re still 4 games out of first place and they are getting healthy. I understand why they shipped off Michael Lorenzen to Kansas City. They’re expecting to get Jacob DeGrom back sometime in August, and hopefully Jon Gray doesn’t have arm issues the rest of the way. Not to mention they needed a DH now that Evan Carter may be done for the year. Getting Carson Kelly from Detroit to fill the Mitch Garver void from last year definitely helps. (And Jonah Heim is back from the IL as well) It sucks that Josh Jung is done for the year as well but who needs him when Josh Smith has been heating up. Will the Rangers have enough to have a chance to defend their title? Who knows but they’re going to have to fight off a certain rival across the state that’s been gunning for revenge since last October.
Don’t look now but the Astros have retaken control of the AL West. The 2005 reincarnation is in full effect eh? Right now they’re looking at filling a major void at 1st Base. The chance to make their deadly lineup even more potent. All of the options out there are juicy for the taking. Where does the wheel land? (YoYo Sound) Empty handed. They tried calling the Blue Jays for Vlad Jr but Toronto said no. They wanted Josh Bell but got beaten to the punch by Arizona. But they did get Yusei Kikuchi who should do well there considering that the Astros needed starting pitching badly. There’s only one downside to that. (DRAMATIC MUSIC!) YOU GAVE UP THAT! I know Joey Loperfido, and Will Wagner are probably going to get blocked by Yordan and Altuve, but you gave the Jays that return? You better hope Kikuchi becomes another stud in that rotation or else you’ll be mocked by every hater of yours. (Also can Hader and Pressley wake up at long last?)
It says something when the team going all-in in that division is Seattle. Strange times. At first they were trying to reduce payroll by trading away Ty France, and Ryne Stanek for a trio of prospects. (Not to mention both of them needed a change of scenery) Then came the moment that Mariner fans have been waiting for for a long time. Getting Julio Rodriguez a crime partner to destroy lineups left and right. Randy Arozarena. Yes there’s the gigantic risk of the prospects they gave up panning out in Tampa Bay, but getting a guy with those credentials means that they are trying everything they can to fix their hitting woes. And they’ll get Justin Turner as well plus a solid bullpen arm in Yimi Garcia in a trade with the Blue Jays. The Mariners may have blown a 10 game lead to those dreaded Astros in a month, but don’t let that deceive you into thinking they’ll just fall off. They want to make sure that their 2022 run wasn’t a fluke like most teams in their history. Good luck.
Cleveland. The most long-suffering franchise in baseball is looking for any way to get rid of the Curse of Chief Wahoo. They didn’t really need much at the deadline especially with their starting rotation getting close to full strength even without Shane Beiber who’s recovering from the dreaded Tommy John. Getting Alex Cobb as pitching depth makes sense because Carlos Carrasco isn’t what he once was now in his second stint with the team. The only hole they had was in center field and they fortified that by getting one of the biggest fishes on the market in Lane Thomas. Really the Nats traded him? I know he’s had a down year but they shipped him off. I feel like the Guardians are setting themselves up to either finally get over the hump or get their asses kicked again.
It’s been quite a minute since Kansas City has been trying to buy at the deadline. They know that their time will eventually come but my goodness are they trying to make a push at the playoffs. Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo and Brady Singer are all solid pitchers, but they could use one more arm to make them one of the top rotations in the AL. Michael Lorenzen wasn’t the biggest name they could have gotten but he’s solid nonetheless. (Texas had no room to keep him on the roster, which played right into KC’s hands) Also they gave Bobby Witt Jr a nice wingman at 2nd Base in Paul DeJong who’s enjoying a major bounceback year. And they added Hunter Harvey for bullpen help. It’s a very interesting time to be a Royals fan. Especially now that the days of losing may be over. (Are you guys going to get that stadium deal done yet?)
The Twins right now are trying to keep up with Cleveland and Kansas City the best they can. They haven’t gotten much attention as the other contenders in the AL have gotten but they’re still a good team. I am a little bit underwhelmed by what they did at the deadline. Only getting Trevor Richards to beef up the rotation is why I feel this. However with Byron Buxton at full strength again and Jhoan Duran shutting down lineups in closing situations, they could end up being able to make a Wild Card spot. However, that possibility is very steep.
The Yankees. A team that has always been known to get prime time players are up to their old tricks again. Their objectives were simple. Get another big bat to compliment Judge, Soto, and Volpe, and add more guns to the bullpen. Adding Mark Leiter Jr to the pen should definitely help especially with Clay Holmes struggling as of late but that wasn’t the big fish they got. That happens to be Jazz Chisholm, one of the most exciting young players in the game. It’s only been a week and he’s become a god in Pinstripes. Normally I’d love to throw shade at Brian Cashman like most baseball fans but this move reminds me of when they got David Justice in 2000. Getting a player who fits right in with the Yankee Culture, postseason success still to be determined. If they’re going to make a run it all comes down to the amount of depth they have in their lineup and pitching staff. They have the big name starpower but who knows what they have behind them. Even with getting another generational player in their lineup, New York shouldn’t sleep on one team that’s also awoken from being in hibernation.
To the chagrin of Yankee fans, the Red Sox are also pushing hard towards another deep playoff run. They may be going through a youth movement but my goodness it won’t stop them from creeping up in the standings. During this trade deadline, Boston has made one thing clear. They’re back and Theo Epstein is going to make sure of it. First off they took advantage of the Dodgers going big game hunting by bringing back an old face in James Paxton. Not bad since they need another solid arm in their rotation. Lucas Sims coming over from Cincinnati to help out Kenley Jansen in the bullpen is another interesting move. The big fish for them was getting Danny Jansen from Toronto. Connor Wong is a good player but he’s not ready for the big time just yet, so why not go for the best catcher on the trade market. A Boston team playing with house money that has the potential to make generations of their fanbase laugh at major rivals. A dangerous site indeed. (I’ve seen this a ton with the Patriots over the years especially whenever they went up against teams that were better than them on paper)
What do you get when a new ownership crew comes in that is willing to make necessary moves to try and win a championship, yet don’t have to give up any significant players that could impact the team down the road? Folks, this is what the Orioles are going through right now. (Rubenstein and Ripken have the one thing the Angelos Family lacked. DEEP POCKETS!) This is by far the most active they’ve been at the trade deadline in terms of acquiring pieces to make a run since 1996. (That year they brought back Eddie Murray, and traded for Eric Davis and BJ Surhoff among others) Their biggest needs were simple. Pitching depth and right handed hitting outfielders. I know it sucks to lose a longtime franchise face in Austin Hays but getting Seranthony Dominguez and Gregory Soto for the bullpen was huge. (Both Hays and Dominguez desperately needed a change of scenery) Next they fortified the backend of their rotation. They knew they couldn’t have Albert Suarez and Cole Irvin as their 4th and 5th starters against the big boys of the AL. First they poached Zach Eflin from Tampa Bay, and Trevor Rogers from Miami. (Really? You gave up Norby and Stowers for Rogers? To be fair both of them were blocked from getting playing time) Finally they rounded out their deadline by getting three right handed hitting outfielders. Austin Slater, Cristian Pache, and hopefully a revitalized Eloy Jimenez. (I really hope Jimenez’s struggles this year say more about the White Sox than him) Baltimore knows what they want. A long awaited championship. (No longer is winning both the World Series and Super Bowl in the same year a dream, IT’S AN EXPECTATION!) And with Jackson Holliday ready for a 2nd crack at the majors after a short stint in April, the time may be coming. And they’ll need it because Jordan Westburg broke his hand. The gods really don’t want this city to win a title do they? (But hey, Holliday went Grand Salami in his first game back)
Speaking of AL East teams, how are the Rays doing? (BOOM!) Well this isn’t surprising. Tampa Bay wanted to refresh their prospect pool and considering how battered their rotation was this year, they knew that this wasn’t going to be a good year to make a push for a deep run. (Although they are within striking distance of the last Wild Card) Although it was tough to trade away a few key players. Zach Eflin, Phil Maton, Issac Paredes, Amed Rosario, Tyler Zuber, Shawn Armstrong, and the cornerstone. Randy Arozarena. As tough as it may seem, the one thing the Rays have going for them is that they know how to develop. Getting Christopher Morel plus a great haul for Armstrong, and Arozarena should definitely help them out going forward. As I’ve said, if any team can replace these players on the fly, it’s Tampa Bay. The reincarnation of the Moneyball A’s indeed.
Toronto what the hell are you doing? You trade away the majority of your key depth pieces yet don’t trade away Vlad Jr and Bo Bichette when both of them are free agents this winter. “But we still need to sell out the SkyDome!” Well too bad, because you need to start over darn it! Yes they probably fleeced Houston for Kikuchi, and the Cubs for Nate Pearson, but the rest of the moves were just meh. Trading away Justin Turner, Danny Jansen, IKF, Trevor Richards, Kevin Kiermaier, and Yimi Garcia were hard blows to swallow especially for a team that was facing their last great shot with this core. Once again I must ask. Why are John Schneider and Ross Atkins still employed? The Jays need to blow it up and blow it up now. Nothing has shown me that they can do anything with this crew and it’s another lost era just like their teams in the mid 2010s were. At least the Maple Leafs try to hype the people of Toronto up before punching them in the gut.
Why am I talking about the White Sox? They’ve been dead for a while, oh right their losing streak. They’ve become the first team since the expansion Mets of 1962 to have not one but two 15 game losing streaks in a season. And also I have to ask one question. You traded away Tommy Pham, Michael Kopech, and Eloy Jimenez but remained stubborn and wanted to keep both Luis Robert, and Garrett Crochet. I get that Crochet doesn’t want to be used as a reliever again, and wants an extension with the team that traded for him if it happened, but this is literally the same crap last year with Dylan Cease. Just like last year there was no way teams like the Orioles, Dodgers, and a few others would have traded away their top prospects for a one year rental. (The same goes for Tarik Skubal in Detroit) I’m more surprised they didn’t trade Robert, but he at least has a few control years left in him before he gets traded. If this team breaks the 62 Mets record for losses in a season, they should just have a parade on the South Side since it’s the only accomplishment they’ll have for a long time. (The worst part is that the highest they can pick in the draft is 10th because they’re a big market team)
To the Senior Circuit we go, and as we do so let’s check in on a team that’s right now the runaway favorite to make it to the World Series. That would be the Phillies. Their approach to the deadline was to go for bullpen help even though that wasn’t a major need. If you look at their moves you’ll understand why. Trading Seranthony Dominguez and Gregory Soto to Baltimore needed to happen, both of them needed a refresh in a different city. So in their places comes Carlos Estevez from the Angels, and Tanner Banks from the White Sox. And they got Austin Hays for the outfield. I think their biggest goals right now lie in October. (Although they didn’t look too good against the Yankees this week)
The Braves right now are trying to get the gang back together from 2021 if you exclude Freddie Freeman who has been raking in LA as usual. (Who needs him when Matt Olsen has overcome an early season slump) Just like in that championship season their biggest need was outfield depth. And they got it. Bringing back the MVP of that World Series in Jorge Soler will definitely help. As will getting Luke Jackson back from the Giants. They tried to get Joc Pederson but Arizona wisely said no. The only difference between this year and a few years ago is that they have even more injuries than just no Acuna. And Philly is a machine that’s not stopping for anything. We think.
I really thought that the Mets would go big game hunting at the deadline. Although Daddy Steve is probably saving that for the winter. Unlike recent years they went for lesser names and players who won’t cost much. One of their biggest needs was pitching help. And they got that indeed. Paul Blackburn at long last gets out of Oakland and into a much more favorable situation. (Outside of Senga they don’t have a true headliner in the rotation) The rest of their moves came in bullpen upgrades. In comes Tyler Zuber, Huascar Brazoban, and Ryne Stanek. Edwin Diaz can’t do it alone and they know it. And I didn’t forget about them bringing in Jesse Winker to add power to the lineup. Even if they don’t make the playoffs I will say one thing to anyone who is a Mets fan, at least you’re not Miami.
Oh yeah, the Marlins. For the 5th time in the last 25 years they’ve done something very familiar to their fanbase. BLOWING UP THE UNIVERSE! And what I mean by that is every major piece to their arsenal that made the playoffs last year is gone. AJ Puk, AND Jazz Chisholm, AND Trevor Rogers, AND Tanner Scott, AND Josh Bell, AND Bryan Hoeing, AND Bryan De La Cruz among others. (They should have traded Jake Burger while they were at it) Did I mention that they traded Luis Arraez back in April to San Diego. Someone please save this franchise from potential contraction and I’m looking at you Jeff Bezos. Nothing has shown me over the last several years that Bruce Sherman knows what he’s doing. But in his defense a lot of the issues plaguing the franchise go back to the days of Loria. I don’t know if they’re going to get out of this financial mess at all. At least you have the Panthers who won a Cup I guess.
The NL Central is starting to get a bit crowded up there. Leading the way right now are the Brewers which is no surprise with how they’ve played all season. But there is a giant caution sign that’s hit them. (BOOM!) Christian Yelich may be done for the year. Apparently the Curse of Milt Mason has struck again. (Although this opens the door for Jackson Chourio to emerge as a franchise cornerstone) So now they’re going to try and do this without their three best pitchers from last year, the winningest manager in franchise history, and the most famous player in Wisconsin not named Giannis or Jordan Love. And that won’t stop Milwaukee from going after some arms at the deadline. Frankie Montas, Tyler Jay, and Bradley Blalock come on down. They need to get a few arms especially now that a few division rivals have crept their way back into the race.
How the hell do the Pirates have a shot at making the playoffs? Oh right, the Paul Skenes Effect. This sensation has captivated the spirits of a fanbase that has been aching for a winner. Now they want to capitalize on that opportunity. Well maybe not this year. Trading Quinn Priester and Martin Perez needed to happen since both of them were free agents after the year. Although they did make a couple of moves to try and add depth to their lineup. In comes IKF and Bryan De La Cruz. Interesting. I know they were linked to Luis Robert and Garrett Crochet but Bob Nutting said na ah! We won’t increase the payroll yet. No wonder why the Yinzers want his head the first chance they get.
The Cubs are YOU GUESSED IT! still a very inconsistent team. But luckily they won’t be trading away Cody Bellinger, Jameson Tallion, or Justin Steele. They did trade away Christopher Morel to Tampa Bay, but luckily they were able to get one of the main engines in their machine in Issac Paredes. They shipped off Mark Leiter Jr to the Yankees but were able to get Nate Pearson in a trade with Toronto. (Pearson’s talent was wasted big time in Canada) Chicago is so close to pulling away and making a run at the Wild Card, but something always seems missing. They better be able to get it soon or else it’s another lost season.
The Reds are in the same boat except in this case there isn’t much pressure for them to perform because they’re still ahead of schedule. Just like the Cubs they made a shuffling of moves. They traded away Frankie Montas to Milwaukee, Lucas Sims to Boston, and Austin Slater to Baltimore. But that doesn’t mean that they won’t be picking up an extra piece for their lineup. Ty France might be having a down year but he honestly needed to get out of Seattle. Elly De La Cruz and a revived Jonathan India can only do so much for a team that is still a major piece or two from making a serious push. Hopefully they’ll be able to find that soon. (But then again Castellini loves getting in his own damn way)
“Together again, gee it’s good to be together again. I just can’t imagine that you’ve ever been gone. It’s not starting over, it’s just going on.” That is the epitome of the St Louis Cardinals as an organization. Just when everything appears to be lost they must get the gang back together no matter the cost. Dylan Carlson and Tommy Edman have been key players to their rise back to playoff time, well time to trade them for familiar faces. Tommy Pham and Shawn Armstrong. Armstrong was drafted by the Redbirds in 2012 before being traded to Cleveland in 2014 IT COUNTS DARN IT! And they’ll also get a top line starter in Erick Fedde from the White Sox. An organization full of nepotism and loyalty is up to their old tricks once again. Now watch them pull some pixie dust of insanity out of their ass and make another deep run. Because that’s how things have worked in St Louis for decades.
The Diamondbacks slowly but surely are making a push back to defending their National League crown. Right now their biggest concern is the bullpen. For as good as Paul Sewald was last year, this time around he has struggled to the point where he has been demoted from the closer’s role. For now. That’s why they brought in AJ Puk, and Dylan Floro to help Sewald and Ryan Thompson out. As for the offense they need another big basher. Someone who can take the pressure off of Corbin Carroll and Ketal Marte. That man is Josh Bell. Thank goodness he gets to go to a real team after being locked in the hell that is Little Havana. And it couldn’t have come at a better time since Christian Walker hasn’t been 100% as of late. It’s certainly much better for Arizona than it was a month ago. Now all they need is for Jordan Montgomery to wake up from a major slump and their pitching staff will be set even without Merrill Kelly. They better hope so because a certain rival of theirs wants revenge for last year.
The Dodgers as usual are loading up for another push at a championship. Unlike last year they did not strike out at the deadline and so far have succeeded in replacing all of their weapons that are on the injured list. Bringing back Amed Rosario after a long vacation in Tampa Bay, pulling off a 3 team trade with the Cardinals and White Sox to get Tommy Edman and Michael Kopech. Kopech in particular should pan out here now that he’s out of the hell of the South Side. But their big ticket was getting Jack Flaherty from Detroit. Hopefully for LA he doesn’t fall off like he did in Baltimore last year. And they’ll need him because their rotation is decimated by injury. Although Clayton Kershaw has returned from the injured list. Plus they got Kevin Kiermaier who might be in the midst of a retirement tour. Well thank goodness they didn’t risk going after Mike Trout because the Angels shut him down for the year. SOMEONE PLEASE GET HIM OUT OF ANAHEIM! (I’d say it’s either going to be the Dodgers or Phillies that do so)
The Giants, like a lot of teams at the deadline, were stuck in neutral. It wasn’t a buy, it wasn’t a sell, it was in between. Shipping off Luke Jackson and Jorge Soler back to Atlanta was surprising especially since they just signed Soler to a multi-year deal this offseason. Although I do think they liked Mark Canha better off so they did make a move to get him from Detroit. There were rumors of them shipping off Blake Snell but they stalled out. And luckily they did because HOLY COW he just threw a no-no in Cincinnati! That’ll get the adrenaline going. San Fran like last year is in baseball hell from the grand scheme of things. Too good to be terrible, yet not good enough to be contenders. Mediocrity defined. Well at least you aren’t the Rockies. WOOF!
Speaking of Colorado they like most years did absolutely nothing at the deadline when everything was pointing towards them trading away key pieces. Nolan Jones, Brendan Rodgers, and many others. What was their response? (YoYo Sound) Patient zero! Next to nothing. All they did was trade away Nick Mears to the Brewers, and Jalen Beeks to the Pirates for pennies on the dollar. And you wonder why no one takes this franchise seriously. This is literally the same song and dance every year. They pretend they’re competitive by keeping Bud Black around for way too long, the same goes for Charlie Blackmon, and all they do is do just enough to get fans to come to Coors Field. The only thing that ballpark has accomplished is becoming the best bar in Denver. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. The Monforts need to be removed for the sake of baseball itself. PLEASE GIVE THIS FRANCHISE TO STAN KROENKE ASAP! (I’ve been beating this dead horse for a long time)
(BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!) PAUSE.
The San Diego Padres have once again stolen the show at the Trade Deadline. Cats and Dogs are flying everywhere. It doesn’t matter what they do or give up, AJ Preller must go all in any chance he gets. They have a major need in their bullpen despite Robert Suarez being an absolute bully. There’s this team called the Marlins whose main objective is to cut payroll to tick off their fans and the entirety of South Florida. That’s a perfect target to shoot for. What the Friars did was once again typical by their standards, trading four prospects plus a few high draft picks for Tanner Scott, Bryan Hoeing, and Jason Adam (They got Adam from the Rays but my point still stands). To me the Padres are baseball’s version of the LA Rams and Vegas Golden Knights. They don’t care about draft picks and want to win now every year. And they want to join those teams in the championship department. But with how stacked their division is, who knows what’s going to happen in October. And I’m not just saying this for them but the entire league. Boy this is going to be a fun Pennant Race!
Bragging Rights Sports 