Moments after 6 p.m. ET on Aug. 1, there were plenty of hot takes flying around the baseball world.
I can’t believe the Cubs didn’t sell!
Good for the Angels for trying to get to the playoffs!
What the heck are the Yankees doing?
How didn’t the Dodgers do more?
Well, as we sit here more than a month after the Trade Deadline, there is a little more clarity to how the moves -- or lack thereof -- have impacted the postseason picture.
Here’s a look at 10 teams that made news -- either by their activity or inactivity -- at the Deadline and how those decisions have played out.
(Teams listed alphabetically)
The Angels were the most intriguing team heading into the Trade Deadline, as many wondered whether they would trade Shohei Ohtani as he headed for free agency. Not only did Los Angeles hang on to Ohtani, but GM Perry Minasian went all-in as a buyer in an attempt to make the playoffs, acquiring Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, C.J. Cron, Randal Grichuk, Dominic Leone, Eduardo Escobar and Mike Moustakas to bolster his 56-51 roster for the stretch run. The moves were an unmitigated disaster, as the Angels went 8-19 in August, killing any hope for a return to the postseason for the first time since 2014. Giolito went 1-5 with a 6.89 ERA in six starts, while Cron and Grichuk each have a sub-.600 OPS. Giolito, López, Leone, Matt Moore and Hunter Renfroe were all claimed off waivers last week as the Angels looked to save some salary over the final month. Oh yeah, Ohtani also suffered a UCL tear that could result in a second Tommy John surgery. Perhaps they should have traded him after all.
The Cardinals’ season has been a disaster from the jump, as a 10-19 April set the tone for a disappointing campaign. St. Louis dealt relievers Jordan Hicks, Génesis Cabrera and Chris Stratton, starters Jordan Montgomery and Jack Flaherty, and infielder Paul DeJong in the final 10 days prior to the Deadline, shedding nearly all of its expiring contracts while bringing back some young talent in return. The Cardinals will have a lot of work to do this offseason to rebuild a pitching staff that ranks 12th in the National League in ERA.
Once considered a sure-fire seller, the 53-53 Cubs decided to reverse course at the Deadline, holding on to Cody Bellinger and Marcus Stroman while adding Jeimer Candelario and Jose Cuas in a pair of July 31 deals. Candelario has performed well since the trade, posting an .809 OPS with three homers and 12 RBIs in August. More importantly, Chicago went 18-9 last month, and jumped into the No. 2 spot in the NL Wild Card race, making the decision not to sell look like a good one.
Arizona was 57-50 at the Trade Deadline, tied for the final NL Wild Card spot. The D-backs addressed their bullpen needs with a trade for closer Paul Sewald, while also adding Tommy Pham in a deal with the Mets. Despite an uninspiring .242/.291/.421 slash line in August, Pham ranked second on the team in RBIs (17) and stolen bases (6), while Sewald successfully converted seven straight saves after blowing his first opportunity with his new club. Despite a 12-15 record in August, the D-backs entered Labor Day weekend tied for the final NL Wild Card spot, though they face a tough battle with the Cubs, Giants, Reds and Marlins as the race for the final two spots is very tight.
The Dodgers were active at the Trade Deadline, but mostly made moves on the margins to tweak the roster. Los Angeles added infielders Kiké Hernández and Amed Rosario along with pitchers Lance Lynn, Ryan Yarbrough and Joe Kelly, bolstering its injury-ravaged staff for the stretch run. Lynn, who was having a terrible season with the White Sox, went 4-1 with a 3.57 ERA in six starts for the Dodgers in August, while Yarbrough went 3-0 with two saves and a 1.86 ERA in six relief appearances. None of the moves grabbed the headlines on Deadline day, but the Dodgers rampaged through August for a 24-5 record, growing their lead in the NL West -- which stood at 2 1/2 games on Aug. 1 -- to 13 1/2 games on Sept. 1.
General manager Jerry Dipoto was uncharacteristically quiet during trade season, sending Trevor Gott and Chris Flexen to the Mets and Paul Sewald to the D-backs. Trading your closer away isn’t typically a vote of confidence for the rest of the team, but Seattle -- which was 55-51, five games out in the AL West and 3 1/2 back in the Wild Card race -- has been one of the hottest teams in baseball during the past month. The Mariners’ 21-6 record in August thrust them into the AL West and Wild Card races, as the offense has come alive and Andrés Muñoz has excelled since taking over the closer role.
New York’s disappointing season led the club to become big sellers at the Deadline, trading away Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, David Robertson, Tommy Pham, Mark Canha and Dominic Leone -- along with a big pile of cash -- to bring in some notable prospects as they work to build up the farm system. The Mets went 11-18 in August, though given the talent they parted with at the Deadline, that was hardly a surprise. We won’t know how the Mets fared at the Deadline until we know whether Luisangel Acuña and Drew Gilbert become solid big league players.
Texas’ strong first half -- the Rangers were 60-46 on Aug. 1, good for a slim half-game lead over the Astros in the AL West -- prompted GM Chris Young to buy before the Deadline, adding Max Scherzer, Jordan Montgomery, Chris Stratton, Austin Hedges and Aroldis Chapman to the roster. The Rangers went 15-12 in August as Scherzer (3-1. 2.64 ERA) and Montgomery (2-1, 2.30 ERA) proved to be solid additions, but the Mariners’ red-hot month has made the AL West a three-team race heading into the final weeks of the season.
Chicago was one of the first -- and most obvious -- sellers leading up to the Trade Deadline, unloading seven players between July 26 and Aug. 1. The White Sox landed catcher Edgar Quero, who ranks as the club’s No. 3 prospect per MLB Pipeline, as well as three pitching prospects (Jake Eder, Nick Nastrini and Ky Bush) who immediately broke into the club’s Top 10. All three pitchers could debut in the Majors as soon as next year, though the White Sox and new GM Chris Getz will have some other holes to fill.
The Yankees were 55-51 and 3 1/2 games out of a Wild Card spot at the Deadline, and while they were attached to a number of notable names leading up to Aug. 1, GM Brian Cashman opted not to make any big moves, rolling the dice that his roster would figure it out over the final two months of the season. Cashman opted not to buy or sell, a move that seems to have backfired now that the Yankees’ dreadful 10-18 August has them trying to avoid their first losing season since 1992 as they give a look to young players including Jasson Domínguez, Everson Pereira, Austin Wells and Oswald Peraza. One player that had been a potential trade candidate -- Harrison Bader -- was placed on waivers in late August and claimed by the Reds.
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September 05, 2023 at 08:19AM
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