After a busy MLB trade deadline that saw a flurry of deals (particularly at the last second), teams are now turning their focus on the final stretch for the playoffs. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the bigger deals that were made at the deadline and some news that has happened since then.
Astros Load Up On Arms
While it can often be ridiculous to claim a “winner” for a trade deadline, draft or other event where players move to new teams, it certainly can be said that, on paper, the Astros did a lot to improve their postseason chances. The biggest name, and biggest surprise, of the trade deadline was the acquisition of starting pitcher Zack Greinke by Houston.
With the Diamondbacks, Greinke was 10-4 this season in 23 starts with a 2.90 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and had 135 strikeouts in 146 innings. Putting Greinke alongside Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole, the Astros will have one of the most intimidating starting rotations in the league to go along with a superb offense. The acquisition of Greinke also helps the Astros long term, as it gives more insurance for the rotation with the likely departure of Cole in the upcoming offseason.
To acquire Greinke, though, the Astros had to pay a ton in prospect capital. They traded four of their top 30 prospects, including three of their first five. They traded pitchers Corbin Martin and J.B. Bukauskas in addition to first baseman Seth Beer and infielder Joshua Rojas. Still, if the Astros make it to another World Series, it will have been worth the bounty of prospects.
The Astros also made another trade that could pay even larger dividends given what they gave up. In exchange for outfielder Derek Fisher, the Astros received starter Aaron Sanchez, reliever Joe Biagini, and minor leaguer Cal Stevenson. Despite struggling for most of the season, Sanchez whirled a no-hit gem for six innings in his first start for the Astros on Friday, combining with Biagini, Will Harris and Chris Devinski for a no-hitter against the Seattle Mariners.
The third deal that the Astros made saw them trade away recently DFA’d Tony Kemp to the Chicago Cubs for catcher Martin Maldonado. This is Maldonado’s second stint with the Astros in as many years. He is a defensive-first catcher they can pair with Robinson Chirinos. In a corresponding move, the Astros also traded away backup catcher Max Stassi to the Los Angeles Angels for a couple of prospects.
Three-Team Trade That Benefits Everyone
In one of the most exciting but bizarre deals of the deadline, the Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds, and San Diego Padres made a three-team trade that really benefits all parties. For the Reds, they received the best player in the deal, acquiring righty Trevor Bauer from the Indians. For Cleveland, they acquired a lot of offensive talent in outfielders Yasiel Puig and Franmil Reyes while also getting prospects Scott Moss, Logan Allen, and Victor Nova. Lastly, for the Padres, they received one of the highest-rated prospects in outfielder Taylor Trammell.
The most interesting part of this deal, though, has to be what happened leading up to the trade (and even during it). For the Indians, they shipped Bauer off after his tenure ended with him chucking a ball over the centerfield fence while being removed from a game in Kansas City. While he was already rumored to have been on the market, this may have been the “straw that broke the camel’s back” for the Indians.
For Puig, he celebrated the trade by partaking in a benches-clearing brawl with his then-team, the Cincinnati Reds, against the Pittsburgh Pirates. For his actions, Puig has been suspended three games. While he is appealing the suspension, whatever suspension he does incur will be served with the Indians.
Braves and Nationals Get Relief
The Atlanta Braves bolstered their bullpen at the trade deadline by acquiring the Detroit Tigers’ closer in Shane Greene. On the season, Greene is 0-2 with a 1.38 ERA and 0.95 WHIP. He has 22 saves and 43 strikeouts in 39 innings. They fortified the bullpen even more by acquiring Mark Melancon from the San Francisco Giants, though they also took on his massive contract in the deal.
Another NL East team, the Washington Nationals, also found bullpen help. In a flurry of moves, the Nationals traded for Toronto Blue Jays’ Daniel Hudson and the Seattle Mariners’ Hunter Strickland and Roenis Elias.
With the Braves leading the NL East by seven games and the Nationals tied for the second Wild Card spot, these were moves that were made not only with an eye on the rest of the regular season but with the playoffs in mind as well.
Big Names Hit The Injured List
In the last several days, a couple of bigger names have hit the injured list. The first one is Willson Contreras of the Chicago Cubs. This is particularly bad timing for the Cubs as they had just traded away Maldonado to the Astros prior to this injury. Contreras was hurt in Saturday’s game, straining his hamstring while running the bases. It appears that he will have an MRI on Monday to see the extent of the strain, but it will keep him out for the foreseeable future. This season, Contreras is hitting .295/.365/.525 with 19 home runs, 57 runs batted in, and 45 runs scored.
Another player who came up hobbling recently was Rockies outfielder David Dahl. The Rockies have put him on the injured list with a high right ankle sprain. Unfortunately, Dahl has struggled to stay healthy during his career, but when he is, he can absolutely crush the ball. In 374 at-bats this season, Dahl was hitting .302/.353/.524 with 15 home runs, 61 runs batted in, and 67 runs scored. With the Rockies so far out of contention, it will be interesting to see if they give Dahl extra time to recover, but for the time being, he will be sidelined for the Rockies.
Lucroy Designated For Assignment
In what has been a really tough month, Jonathan Lucroy has now found himself on the unemployment line. The Los Angeles Angels announced that they designated Lucroy for assignment after acquiring Stassi from the Astros in a trade deadline deal. After suffering a concussion and broken nose from a collision at the plate with Astros outfielder Jake Marisnick, Lucroy had actually just returned to action.
Since there are no August trades anymore, Lucroy can no longer be traded by the Angels, meaning that either another team can claim him, or he can reject an assignment to the minors and sign with any club he chooses. In 240 at-bats this year, Lucroy was hitting .242/.310/.371 with seven home runs, 30 runs batted in and 28 runs scored. Pure speculation here, but it wouldn’t be shocking to see the Chicago Cubs possibly pursue Lucroy after they traded away Maldonado but also just placed Contreras on the injured list.
Pirates Get Bad News On Taillon
Unfortunately for the Pittsburgh Pirates, they received some bad news on their young starter, Jameson Taillon. Hampered by injuries for most of the season, Taillon will be undergoing surgery on his elbow flexor tendon. While it is not as prolonged of a recovery time as Tommy John surgery, Taillon is still expected to miss seven to nine months. Prior to the injury, Taillon was 2-3 in seven starts this year with a 4.10 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and had struck out 30 in 37 1/3 innings. When healthy, Taillon has shown that he can be dominant and a possible ace, but sadly, to this point, showing consistent health has been a concern.
