Another season, another high-octane trade deadline for the MLB, with players moving from coast to coast to help teams address what they most need heading into the postseason. Every year, we see teams make moves that take a team from a decent team to a World Series contender, as well as trades that leave us scratching our heads. Here, I’ll give out grades to the teams that participated in the deadline based on my personal opinions of the moves made. As for my thought process going into the grades, I’m not solely looking at the teams who were buyers looking to make a postseason push, I will also give my MLB trade deadline grades on if selling teams got a fair return for the players dealt. The teams will be listed in alphabetical order.
Arizona Diamondbacks (B)
The D-Backs didn’t do a whole lot this deadline. Their only move sent Tyler Clippard to the Yankees in return for prospect Vicente Campos. Campos was the number 14 prospect in the Yankees organization, returning from Tommy John surgery and posting a 3.27 ERA throughout double and triple-A ball. There’s not really a lot more to say about Arizona’s move. They’re not set up to make a postseason run this year, but they didn’t bring much to the table in terms of trade interest.
Atlanta Braves (B-)
The Braves and the Padres swapped contract dumps on the July 30th move that brought Matt Kemp to Atlanta and sent Hector Olivera to the Padres. I think the Braves definitely win out on that move, as Olivera’s off-the-field issues continue to plague him, only playing in 30 games this year for Atlanta. Aside from that move, Atlanta only made one other offer, however, acquiring shortstop prospect Travis Demeritte for pitchers Lucas Harrell and Dario Alvarez. With the current mentality of the Braves organization, I was thinking we’d see a few more moves from them to deepen their prospect pool, especially with the projected value held by guys like Nick Markakis or Julio Teheran, but it was fairly quiet deadline in Atlanta this year.
Chicago Cubs (A)
The Cubs recognized that the only real area of concern was their bullpen coming into the deadline, so they went out and grabbed three relievers to help shore it up. Obviously the big move was getting Aroldis Chapman from the Yankees, and while they did give up a decent amount of prospects, this Cubs team is already so young that it doesn’t need to worry about that so much right now. They also grabbed Mike Montgomery from Seattle, another lefty for a bullpen that only had two left-handed throwers before the deadline. Then, for good measure, they got Joe Smith from the Angels in the final hours of the deadline. They didn’t have to give up too much for Smith and Montgomery, so overall a good deadline that helped Chicago where they needed it most.
Cincinnati Reds (B)
I thought that Zach Cozart would be on the move along with Jay Bruce, but in the end Bruce was the only guy who ended up leaving Cincy. He’s had a strong season this year, which certainly helped increase his value in the eyes of teams with ailing offenses, like the Mets. The Reds get a couple of prospects for him, which is never something to scoff at when you’re rebuilding a team. I think if they got a few more prospects for Cozart they would have done better, but that’s just the way the deadline cookie crumbles.
Los Angeles Dodgers (B)
They couldn’t find a way to get Yasiel Puig out of the organization, but other than that it was a solid deadline season for the Dodgers. While Rich Hill is on the DL right now, if he’s able to return in workable condition he could provide a real boost to LA’s rotation. Hill was 9-3 in 14 starts with the A’s before heading to the DL on July 20th. Picking up Josh Reddick for the outfield also gives their offense a boost with Yasiel Puig now headed to the Minors.
Getting Jesse Chavez and Josh Fields could help out their bullpen, although neither of their stat lines are too inspiring. Fields has a 6.89 ERA in 15.2 innings with the Astros, although he does have a 20/3 K/BB ratio. Chavez has a 4.57 ERA in 41.1 innings with Toronto this year. Still, an offensive upgrade and a starter who could get wins with a weak A’s team bode well for a Dodgers team hot on the heels of the sputtering Giants.
Miami Marlins (C)
The only thing the Marlins actually got out of this deadline was Andrew Cashner, and I don’t think he’s nearly enough to help this team out on the mound. Originally, Cashner came to Miami with teammate Colin Rea from San Diego. Rea, however, found himself on the DL after lasting just 45 pitches in his first start with the Marlins, and was returned to the Padres. Cashner did turn in a quality start against the Cardinals in his first start with Miami, but the Marlins also gave up Josh Naylor (among others) who was one of the better prospects in the organization. With the Marlins really just hoping for a wildcard berth at this point, the Cashner move will not be enough for Miami.
Milwaukee Brewers (A-)
They did it, the Brewers were finally able to sell big-name catcher Jonathan Lucroy and reliever Jeremy Jeffress as a buzzer-beater deal to the Texas Rangers. In return, the Brewers got two of the top three prospects in the Rangers organization, OF Lewis Brinson (#2 and #21 in the MLB according to MLB Pipeline) and reliever Luis Ortiz (#3 and #63 in the MLB). They also get one more player from the deal, who will be announced at the end of the season according to GM David Stearns. The Brew Crew also got some good prospects from the Giants for reliever Will Smith. Milwaukee received the Giants top prospect, Phil Bickford, along with pitching prospect Andrew Susac in return for one of their better relievers this year.
New York Mets (B-)
The Mets acquired Jay Bruce in a move that GM Sandy Alderson hopes will kickstart a Mets offense who is the worst in the MLB since the All-Star break. New York has averaged just 2.9 runs per game since the break, and are in a precarious position in the divisional and wildcard races. Bruce is currently the best run producer in the NL, with 80 RBIs in 2016. He also provides some insurance in the outfield if Yoenis Cespedes doesn’t return next year.
But the Mets also went out and got (back) Jonathon Niese from the Pirates and sent (back) Antonio Bastardo along with some cash to offset his $6.5 million salary next year. The Niese move doesn’t bring a lot to the table, in my mind. Assuming he fills in for Logan Verrett, who replaced Matt Harvey in the rotation after he went to the DL, it won’t be much of an upgrade. Niese has a 4.91 ERA in 21 starts for Pittsburgh this year, while Verrett has a 4.86 ERA in 10 starts for the Mets (4.20 if you include 18 relief appearances).
Pittsburgh Pirates (C+)
My problem with the Pirates is that they tried to play both sides of the buyer/seller spectrum this deadline. With the way the NL playoff picture is shaping up, they either had to fully commit to building towards the future or try and make some additions for a comeback playoff run. I think them selling Mark Melancon should have been their sign to commit to next year. They got Felipe Rivero, who is a strong arm out of the pen, but they still lacked in starting pitching. Somehow they got Ivan Nova from the Yankees for two guys to be named later (apparently the Yankees, despite some good early moves, are still new to this whole “selling” thing).
But then making two more moves for bullpen guys, Antonio Bastardo and Drew Hutchinson, doesn’t make sense to me. Hutchinson has been optioned to the Minors while Bastardo, who hadn’t looked great in the pen for the Mets, gets them another reliever as opposed to a starter. I don’t think Hutchinson was worth what they gave up (Francisco Liriano and prospects Harold Ramirez and Reese McGuire) and they just replenished a bullpen with different names that will probably yield the same results.
San Diego Padres (A-)
Aside from the Kemp/Olivera trade, I think the Padres actually did well in the prospect game. Anderson Espinosa (who was acquired in the Red Sox Pomeranz deal) is seen as the top prospect in the Padres organization by many, and hopefully he lives up to the expectation. As of now, he’s 0-1 with a 4.26 ERA in 12.2 innings with single-A Fort Wayne. The kid is only 18, so give him time to mature before recoiling at the numbers tied to a “number one prospect.”
Although they got Hector Olivera and all of the off-field issues he brings, they did dump off rather hefty Matt Kemp and Melvin Upton contracts. In addition to that they ended up with one of the Marlins top prospects for Andrew Cashner (it would have been even sweeter had Rea not been injured and returned for Luis Castillo). The Padres were able to right some of the wrongs that came about in 2015, so I score it as a win for A.J. Preller.
San Francisco Giants (B-)
The Giants do what they always do at the deadline, make a few small moves that they feel will make a huge difference as the postseason nears. I don’t think that they focused on the area that most needed work, though: the offense. The Giants got Matt Moore from Tampa on the last day; he’s a cheap back of the rotation starter with potential upside: I can’t fault the Giants for the move. They also acquired reliever Will Smith from the Angels and infielder Eduardo Nunez from the Twins. Nunez isn’t the impact bat that I feel the Giants needed to grab to help their faltering offense. Still, none of these moves are going to break the bank for the Giants, and if Moore is able to play up to his expectation he could provide an anchor the Giants didn’t have at the back of the rotation.
St. Louis Cardinals (B+)
The Cardinals are in a solid spot to make a wildcard currently, as the Cubs have all but won the division at this point, so they’re playing the hand they’ve been dealt this year. They could have tried to make some big moves to try and bolster the order or the rotation, but that really isn’t the Cards style. I like the move for Zach Duke, he’s been solid with the White Sox this year, and Charlie Tilson isn’t a prospect who will make a massive splash in the Majors. The Pirates and Marlins didn’t get any stronger, so they remain a comfortable pick for the postseason this year.
Washington Nationals (B)
The Natioanls didn’t get the big-name bullpen help they wanted, like Aroldis Chapman or Andrew Miller, but Mark Melancon is a good improvement for a struggling Jonathan Papelbon. They also didn’t do anything hasty and give up Lucas Giolito, who probably pulled some decent offers.