MLB TRADE DEADLINE: HOW'D YOUR TEAM DO?
by Alex Strizak (Moose's Mulligans host)
It's one of the most exciting times in baseball when we get to see which teams are bought in and are ready to go all-in on October...
And this trade deadline did NOT disappoint!
There were so many moves that it was difficult to track at points of the day.
So let's dive into it and talk about who I think were the absolute bandits of this trade deadline and those who dug themselves a whole that might haunt them for seasons to come... And I think you'll be surprised at how much value I put into teams that are setting their base for their future...
Top 5 Winners of the Deadline
Anytime you're the team that got the best player available, you should make the winners list. They add Manny Machado after losing Seager for the year and also added a great second baseman in Brian Dozier. However, they're not higher up the list because they missed on some relief help I think they desperately needed. And to make it worse, that relief help went to the teams in their division to the Rockies and D-backs.
Well done in adding a starting pitcher with some flare and potential like Gausmann. Throw in bullpen help from Brach and a very talented outfielder in Duvall, and you have yourself quite a haul of talent to an already talented teams... The NL East was just put on notice.
It took me a little bit to fully commit to loving the moves the Pirates made. But adding Archer and Kela who are young, talented, and have club control on them are assets that we can't sleep on. The Pirates found a way to not only play to win now, but also continue to build up there young talent for the future. Well done.
Normally when a team is on record-pace they don't get better at the deadline due to the fact they are either just so good at every position or that no one will trade them what they need because they are already scary enough. However, the Red Sox found a way o get even better by picking up a solid veteran in Ian Kinsler and a starting pitcher with a lot of flare in Nathan Eovaldi. They fail to reach number one on this because besides Kimbrel (and Joe Kelly sort of) I trust no one in their bullpen still and they didn't do anything to address that.
It's rare that a team that's selling gets better unless they were THAT BAD before the deadline. I wouldn't say the Rays were an awful team before the deadline, but they sure as hell weren't as scary as they are now after the deadline. They suddenly have arguably an amazing outfield with Kiermaier, Pham, and Meadows. You add in a wild card prospect in Glasnow to go with your young stud Blake Snell and the Tampa Bay Rays walk away arguably QUADRUPLING their talent. And that's what it's all about...
Honorable Mentions: New York Yankees (Lynn, Happ and Britton), Milwaukee Brewers (Moustakas, Schoop)
Top 5 Losers of the Deadline
I feel like the Kinsler trade wasn't enough. With the Astros, Mariners, and now the A's (yep, it's true) you'd think the Angels wouldn't want to stay at this mediocre pace. They trade away a gold glove catcher but don't completely sell the house? I never like when teams hang in this middle ground (ask the Tiger fans about that).
I understand they added Colome early before the deadline. But, really? Cameron Maybin is your big pick up when you're falling behind the freakin' Oakland A's?? Zach Duke and Adam Warren won't be enough for this team to make a playoff push... These fans have waited long enough and the team has had the talent long enough, so stop screwing them.
They disappointed me in that for some reason they think what they have right now is going to be successful... Their only reliable stud pitcher is DeGrom who was the one that WASN'T on their top prospect list... It's way past time for the Mets to sell the house and now they have a problem in that both the Phillies and Braves were out building solid minor league systems while the Mets were screwing around... And they're still screwing around by not making moves... This could be a long 5 years for Mets fans.
Oh boy... The only way the Astros get off this list is if they're dog piling on Roberto Osuna on the last game of the season... Because they knew they needed bullpen help to go with their amazing starting pitching... And instead of adding Britton, Diekman, Brach, Hand, or any combination of these relievers... They picked the guy with the supposed attitude problem who has been suspended for the past 75 games and already looks like a distraction... This is an extremely risky move that does have potential upside, but this team is way too good to let this decision be the one that costs you a World Series... They're only #2 on this list because I'm glad they added a gold glove catcher for their league-leading starting rotation.
They did everything I warned them not to do... They sat idle, trading a way small thing here or there and getting little to nothing in return... And he we are, entering the new week and new month with the Nationals 6 games back of the division crown and 4.5 back of the Wild Card... They're behind 5 TEAMS in the Wild Card race... That's a lot of teams you're counting on to lose (IF you win yourself)… They have so much money invested in Scherzer, Strasburg, and Zimmerman that they either should've went all-in earlier in the deadline or they should've sold the house at the deadline... Instead they're content being average and getting nothing in return with Harper, Gio Gonzalez, Daniel Murphy, and their entire bullpen (they just worked so hard to get) becomingFree Agents next year... And you know you can barely afford half of these guys... If this Off-Season goes how it looks like it's going to go, Nats fans might look back at this deadline in regret.
Honorable Mentions: St. Louis Cardinals (Lost their manager and still suck on defense), Cincinnati Reds (Traded Duvall for what I thought was cheap, and kept Iglesias when closers were being over-payed for)
As of 5 August 2018
-Host Alex Strizak
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