The non-waiver trade deadline has come and gone. The dust is now settling, a little over 24 hours later. It is time now for baseball fans to take a deep breath and take a look at the frenzy that has transpired. Some teams definitely got better, while others did nothing (*cough* *cough* Yankees...) Though there appeared to be a lot of moving pieces over the weekend, there were 7 teams in particular that were "winners" at the trade deadline. These are the teams that addressed their issues the best and capitalized on what, from the outset, was not supposed to be a "great" market.
7. Toronto Blue Jays - The Blue Jays, really? Yes, really. Though they did not make any major headlines across Major League Baseball, they did manage to participate in a three team deal that brought them center fielder Colby Rasmus from the St. Louis Cardinals for minimal prospects. Who is Colby Rasmus? He is a 25 year old up-and-coming center fielder whose offense was vastly overshadowed in St. Louis behind Pujols and Holliday. Rasmus is a career .251 hitter in only his 3rd major league season. His speed in the field offers the Blue Jays a legitimate center fielder to beef up the outfield, and another bat with some pop to help protect Bautista in the middle of that lineup. Will the Blue Jays make a push this year? No, absolutely not. However, this deal was not made for this year - it was made for the future. Well done.
6. Atlanta Braves - Just when it seemed as though the Braves were not about to make any moves, at the final hour (or so it felt) they swept in and made a deal with Houston to acquire Michael Bourn in exchange for 4 prospects. While Brian McCann is out on the DL, Atlanta was desperate for some offense. Michael Bourn gives you both speed (212 stolen bases in 663 major league games) with a nice batting average (.271 career) and a high OPS (.766). No - this will not replace Brian McCann's numbers while he is out, but it will strengthen the offense for a post season run. Michael Bourn, Jayson Heyward, Brian McCann, Dan Uggla, Nate McLouth... it could be electric.
5. Pittsburgh Pirates - 18 years is a long time to have a sub .500 record. All of that has changed this year and the Pirates can feel it in their veins. How can you not route for a team that has been down for so long, and finally, have rebounded? Sure, when I say that the Pirates traded for Derek Lee and Ryan Ludwick most people will scratch their heads and say, "and....". Here is the deal; sure Derek Lee has been awful in the past couple of seasons. The fact of the matter is that he has not been that bad as of late. Through the month of July he averaged .246 at the plate, knocked in 12 homeruns and brought in 41 RBI's. Boston fans would love that type of production out of Carl Crawford right now. Ludwick has posted similar numbers, .238 average, 11 homeruns with 64 RBI's. On their previous respective teams, these players were easy to pitch around, now they are in a lineup that has been productive and is anchored by a great young player like Andrew McCutchen... I just see good things happening for the Pirates.
4. Cleveland Indians - Oh boy - here we go. The Indians are on a season long hot streak and it feels like management believes that the team is legit. So much so that they went out and landed the "U" - Ubaldo Jimenez. The gave up 4 prospects to bring him in, which, seeing the Tribe make a move is refreshing. My concerns for Jimenez is that which are shared among many baseball writers - he has fallen off from his untouchable start of last season. He has come down to earth and is now pitching in the American League. He posts a 6-9 record this season with a 4.46 ERA in the National League. The Indians have brought him in to be their ace. Though I think he will compliment that pitching staff, I don't think he is the ace that the Indians believe him to be. Time will tell.
3. Philadelphia Phillies - The Phils acquired Hunter Pence from the Astros. There was a fire sale going on in Houston and Philly did not want to be left out. Hunter Pence might have been the best all-around pick up at the trade deadline. He can hit. He can field. He doesn't have to be "the man" in Philly. Chase Utley is heating up. Ryan Howard just got more protection. They already have the best pitching staff in all of baseball. This could get scary.
2. San Francisco Giants - The reigning champs are playing chess with the rest of the National League and I think they just might have put the league in check. Buster Posey has been out for pretty much the entire season. Having only played in 45 games this season, the team has been missing his bat, for certain. Miguel Tejada is on the DL. Freddie Sanchez is on the DL. Mark Derosa is on the DL. This team was facing injury after injury. What did they do? They landed the most sought after bat on the market in Carlos Beltran and added an more than efficient defensive/offensive replacement at shortstop in Orlando Cabrera. I love these moves. Sure, last seasons playoff hero, Cody Ross is not having a great season. If his bat comes around with this pitching staff healthy - don't count out the Giants.
1. Texas Rangers - Okay, I was wrong, they did not get Heath Bell. Sorry, they landed Mike Adams from the Padres and Koji Uehara from the Orioles to sure up their bullpen. This helps to bridge the gap to their closer Neftali Feliz and addressed the (arguably) only flaw this team has shown thus far this season. Offense is not a problem, we've established this. Their pitching is what needed help and Nolan Ryan went out and got them that help. If they had landed Heath Bell, that would have been amazing - but the job Ryan has done here is excellent.
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