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| The Philadelphia Phillies are one of my losers after treading away both Hunter Pence and Shane Victorino. (Brian Garfinkel and Kirby Lee) |
Trade Deadline Winners
Los Angeles Dodgers
I don't think any team was as active at the trade deadline as the Dodgers were. The pitching has been solid all season, so the main focus was on bulking up the offense. Besides Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier, the Dodgers offense had struggled to do much this season. When rumors began to swirl that the Miami Marlins were frustrated with former star infielder Hanley Ramirez, the Dodgers got on the phone. The two sides finally worked out a deal. You can check out my full take on that trade here. Today, the Dodgers managed to acquire another quality veteran bat in center fielder Shane Victorino from the Philadelphia Phillies. While improving their lineup even more, they didn't have to give up much in return. Finally, they bolstered their bullpen with the addition of former Seattle Mariners closer Brandon League. The Los Angles Dodgers made three great moves without giving up either of their top two prospects, Zach Lee and Allen Webster.
Los Angeles Angels
The Dodgers weren't the only ones busy making phone calls in Los Angeles. The Angels were exploring options as well. Their lineup has already been thrust into full throttle by young star Mike Trout. It was the back of the rotation that had to concern the Angels front office. Starting pitching options are always fairly bleak at the trade deadline. Plus, teams are usually looking for an arm and a leg in return. Once Cole Hamels signed a long-term extension with the Phillies, Milwaukee Brewers ace Zack Greinke became the top arm available. The Angels paid the steep price, but got a very good pitcher in return. While I do have some concerns about him pitching in a big market with his anxiety issues, this was the right move for the Angels to make, especially when you consider that their divisional rival Texas Rangers were pushing to get him as well.
Pittsburgh Pirates
I believe the Pirates could be the sneaky big winner here at the trade deadline. The Pirates' first move was to bolster their already solid starting staff. They acquired a familiar opponent in Wandy Rodriguez from the Houston Astros. The move was good because they added a very good pitcher without overpaying. You can read my full analysis of that trade here. The Pirates wanted to add a big bat next. GM Neal Huntington looked to add many different options, but once again didn't want to overpay. Instead, he settled for two smaller hitting additions. The Pirates acquired first baseman Gaby Sanchez from the Miami Marlins. When Sanchez struggled early this year, they designated him for assignment in the minors. He does hit for power though. Each of the past two seasons, Sanchez has hit 19 home runs. He was also an All-Star last season. The Pirates also traded for outfielder Travis Snider from the Toronto Blue Jays. Snider offers similar hitting potential to Sanchez. Finally, the Pirates added reliever Chad Qualls from the New York Yankees to help fill out their bullpen. All in all, the Pirates made a number of great moves, without taking away too much from their bright future in their farm system.
Trade Deadline Losers
Miami Marlins
The Miami Marlins spent tons of money this past offseason. They opened a new stadium with a new team name. The Marlins pledged to their fans that they were going to be contenders and big spenders. They did acquire veteran Carlos Lee from the Astros, but even a third grader could probably tell you that Lee has been in full decline as a hitter. Then, the Marlins let their impatience and frustration with Hanley Ramirez get the better of them. They traded him to the Dodgers when his value was much lower than it should be. As if that weren't enough, the Marlins also dealt Omar Infante and Anibal Sanchez to the Detroit Tigers. So much for being contenders. This team is now somewhere muddled between being contenders and rebuilders.
Philadelphia Phillies
Which of the following is most surprising? A: The Phillies are 11 games under .500 under in August. B: The Phillies are in last place in the NL East. C: The Phillies are 15 1/2 games out of first place. D: The Phillies were big time sellers at the trade deadline. It has to be all of the above. It is hard to believe that the Phillies are having this terrible of a season. When they were first rumored to be sellers at the trade deadline, I couldn't believe it. This team isn't that far removed from being in the World Series. I was even more surprised when they decided to trade both outfielders Hunter Pence and Shane Victorino, two of the team's best hitters. The Phillies are definitely not going to get any better the rest of this season. If they don't make any moves in the offseason, they could be one of the worst teams in baseball next season. I don't really see how what the Phillies did at the trade deadline helped their situation at all.
St. Louis Cardinals
I was looking at the top contenders for the postseason, and most every team made at least one considerably key move, except for the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals have been stuck in third place in the NL Central for awhile now. The first place Cincinnati Reds are playing great baseball and look like they are going to be difficult to catch. As I already mentioned, the second place Pirates made several key moves. The only move the Cardinals made was to add reliever Edward Mujica from the Marlins. Mujica tends to give up the home run ball and hasn't been at his best this year. The Cardinals weren't good enough to catch the Reds and Pirates before and little has happened to change that now. Unless something unexpected happens, I believe the reigning World Series champion Cardinals are going to miss the playoffs.
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