5) ATLANTA BRAVES
The Braves are a team that are surprising many this season, as they are probably a year away from when they should have been contending. On the backs of strong bats such as Freddie Freeman, and young phenoms Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ozzie Albeis, the Braves have scored the 5th most runs in the NL this season. Their need at the deadline was pitching, specifically a starting pitcher, and with the plethora of strong prospects at their disposal, along with a GM in Alex Anthopoulos who has proven in the past that he is not shy of deadline deals, the Braves were able to shore up their rotation, their bull-pen, and their bats. In doing this, they were able to add without giving up one of their highly touted prospects.
In the end, they acquired starting pitcher Kevin Gausman (who has 2 more years of team control, essentially acquiring him for 3 playoff runs at a very affordable salary), relief pitchers Darren O’Day, Brad Brach, Jonny Venters, and outfielder Adam Duvall to gear up for what is looking like a very close playoff race between them and the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East. The Braves took full advantage of the Orioles fire sale, as 3 of the arms that were acquired came from Baltimore.
4) BALTIMORE ORIOLES
When you have assets that appear very unlikely to re-sign, paired with being very far out of playoff contention, it is crucial that you are able to turn those into future pieces. The O’s were able to deal Manny Machado to the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Zach Britton to the New York Yankees. Although that seems like an easy task, teams often hold onto assets longer than they should, and they end up losing value (such as the Toronto Blue Jays with Josh Donaldson) or departing via free agency for nothing. The O’s and their 32 wins this year were in need of major changes, and this trade deadline signalled the beginning of a rebuild. On top of those 2 all-star players, Baltimore dealt Kevin Gausman, Jonathan Schoop, Darren O’Day and Brad Brach.
Being able to acquire prospects, headlined by Dodgers prospect Yusniel Diaz, young major league talent, such as Jonathan Villar, international signing pool money and shedding over $35 million in salary, will all help kickstart a rebuild that was very evidently needed. This need was highlighted by both their record this season and the way that the Yankees and Boston Red Sox look to have put a stranglehold on the AL East division for the foreseeable future.
3) PITTSBURGH PIRATES
Sometimes it isn’t the quantity of deals made, but the quality. The Pirates were once seemingly in no position to be a buyer at the deadline, but a recent 11 game win streak changed their plans, as they made one of the biggest moves of this years trade deadline by acquiring Chris Archer from the Tampa Bay Rays. Archer will not only slide into the top of their rotation, but he is under team control through 2021. Although Archers numbers haven’t been as strong this year as in recent years, a move out of the daunting AL East should do wonders for the 29 year old.
The Pirates also added relief pitcher Keone Kela from the Texas Rangers in a deal that will shore up their bull-pen. The moves made around the trade deadline will go a long ways in helping the playoff chances for the Pirates, as they compete in the NL Central alongside the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers.
2) LOS ANGELES DODGERS
The Dodgers, seemingly always interested in bringing in big names, made arguably the biggest acquisition of the deadline in bringing in Manny Machado from the O’s. Machado, unlike his peers Josh Donaldson and Bryce Harper, is having a tremendous season leading into his free agency, and the move to LA should only help his off-season value. By bringing in Machado and Brian Dozier, a player who has shown the ability to have a strong second half in recent years, to join a crowded infield that already includes the likes of Justin Turner, Kike Hernandez and Chris Taylor, the Dodgers will be able to roll out versatile lineups.
The Dodgers also brought in veteran relief pitcher John Axford from the Toronto Blue Jays for a minor league pitcher, to help in the bull-pen. The trio of moves should separate LA in the NL West ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies, and provide depth for what could be another long playoff run.
1) NEW YORK YANKEES
The Yankees were somehow able to stack an already playoff caliber roster, while also keeping an eye on the future by adding international signing pool money and not dealing one of their top prospects, including Justus Sheffeild and Clint Frazier. The Yanks biggest need was starting pitching, and they went out and got the top rental arm on the market in J.A. Happ, along with rotation depth in Lance Lynn (who may get most of his playing time out of the pen).
However, by also adding Zach Britton to an already loaded bull-pen that features the likes of Aroldis Chapman, David Robertson, and Dellin Betances, NY can now beat you on any given night via a quality starter, a dominant bull-pen, or a strong offence. It was a little surprising that NY didn’t add a bench bat, especially after dealing Brandon Drury to Toronto in the Happ deal, along with the injury to Aaron Judge, but the Yankees have plenty of offence to go around as it is. The battle between them and the Red Sox should prove to be a very entertaining playoff race.
SURPRISING MOVES OF THE DEADLINE
– The Milwaukee Brewers acquiring Mike Moustakas (a 3rd baseman, which would move Travis Shaw to 2nd base) and then Jonathan Schoop (a 2nd baseman) was a bit of a head scratcher. Don’t get me wrong, those are big bats, and in Schoops case, controllable talent, but there is only so much playing time to go around (especially in the NL where there is no designated hitter). Additionally, none of them play SS, which already belongs to Orlando Arcia anyways. It will be interesting to see how the Brew Crew deploy their lineup on any given night.
– The Toronto Blue Jays being able to move on from Roberto Osuna before his court case was settled definitely took people by surprise. The Jays were able to get a very good return from the Houston Astros, not as good as it could have been last summer, but given the fact that ownership could have received a lot of backlash from fans had the Jays decided to allow Osuna pitch again this season, the return was worth it. The Jays would have been in the tough position of deciding to play him to enhance trade value, or sit him to send a message to their fans that they do not tolerate his behaviour. In the end, dealing him for controllable closer Ken Giles and 2 minor league pitching prospects, the Jays rid themselves of a potential major headache.
REFERENCES
MLB.com
The Matty Ice Sports Blog 