The Best, Most Complete Recap of Trade Deadline 2K17
Everything you need to know about who went where, and what it all means.
The trade deadline has officially passed and so has the opportunity for your favorite team to make that key move, that last upgrade needed to push themselves into October. Some teams (Yankees, Dodgers) did better than others (Indians, Cardinals) but there’s so much to get into, so let us not delay.
Most Improved: New York Yankees
Key acquisitions: SP Sonny Gray, RP Tommy Kahnle, RP David Robertson, 3B Todd Frazier
Notable losses: OF Blake Rutherford, IF Jorgeo Mateo, RHP James Kaprielian
The Yankees gave up a few of their more talented prospects in their two deals with the Chicago White Sox and Oakland Athletics, but the most notable fact is Brian Cashman held onto Clint Frazier, Justus Sheffield, and Gleyber Torres — their most talented ones. That trio is the foundation of the Yankees’ future and Cashman held all three while acquiring ace Sonny Gray and shoring up the bullpen.
By getting two solid relievers (Robertson, a former closer) to back up Aroldis Chapman and Dellin Betances, Cashman made a strong bridge if any of their starters struggle.
But the potential for rotation trouble got a lot smaller with the second deal to bring in Sonny Gray. A former all-star and Cy Young candidate, Gray gives the Yankees the ace they need and puts less pressure on breakout starter Luis Severino down the stretch.
Furthermore Gray not only helps the Yankees now, but is also under team control through 2019, and will be a key contributor to future Yankee teams as well. With a 1.48 ERA in his last four starts, Gray has heated up at the right time and the Yankees will be happy if he is even half as good as that the rest of the way.
Honorable Mention: Chicago Cubs acquire Justin Wilson, Alex Avila and Jose Quintana
The Cubs needed to shore up the bullpen outside of Wade Davis and Pedro Strop, so bringing in lefty Justin Wilson (2.68 ERA, 55 punchouts in 40 innings) to complete the back end sure does look good. Obviously the Cubs are a team trying to capitalize on their window now and they haven’t been shy about it.
The rotation was another area of need with almost the whole rotation regressing from their uber-strong 2016. Giving up prospects Eloy Jimenez and Dylan Cease for José Quintana (2–1, 2.37 ERA since trade) sting, but if it results with another ring Cub fans will be happy. Plus both are under control past this season and can keep the window open even longer.
Biggest Move: Los Angeles Dodgers Acquire SP Yu Darvish
The move: Dodgers acquire Yu Darvish for prospects Willie Calhoun, A.J. Alexy, and Brendon Davis.
Much like Brian Cashman, Andrew Friedman was able to hold onto his elite prospects while getting his man.
Part of this is because Darvish is only a rental who will hit free agency after this season, but the move was necessary to the Dodgers. With Alex Wood breaking out to the tune of a 2.38 ERA, earning his first all-star appearance, it appeared the Dodgers had finally found their postseason complement to Clayton Kershaw.
But then rising star Julio Urías was lost for the season and Kershaw encountered back problems, and suddenly the Dodgers were in a precarious position. Wood was suddenly their best arm and their other starters aren’t inspiring.
Rich Hill, Kenta Maeda, Brandon McCarthy, and Hyun-Jin Ryu are fine but that’s it. They’re just fine. The Dodgers needed more, and that’s what Darvish gives them.
Darvish has the pedigree of an ace and despite his 4.01 ERA has a track record of success. Furthermore, Darvish was pitching well this season before running into trouble in two starts this past month against the Boston Red Sox and Miami Marlins in which he gave up a combined 17 runs in eight innings.
Take away those two stinkers and Darvish sports a sparkling 2.93 ERA on the season, something the Dodgers will gladly take into the postseason.
Savviest Move: Tampa Bay Rays Acquire 1B Lucas Duda
The Tampa Bay Rays are hardly ever buyers at the deadline, but in 2017 they find themselves in the thick of the playoff race, both for the AL East and a Wild Card spot.
Of course, being in the smallest of markets, the Rays weren’t about to land a superstar, but they did make a very low-key improvement by acquiring former Mets first baseman Lucas Duda.
Hitting .429 and two homers in his short time with the Rays already, Duda looks to be finding a groove early and could be a perfect addition to the trio of Corey Dickerson, Evan Longoria, and Steven Souza Jr.
Not only is Duda a strong addition to the lineup but he was acquired for almost nothing, a prospect named Alex Smith, who slots in as New York’s new №30 prospect. If Duda keeps it up we could look back at this as the addition of the summer.
Biggest Potential Boom: Colorado Rockies Acquire Jonathan Lucroy
This time last year the Texas Rangers had just sent (most notably) Lewis Brinson among others to Milwaukee in exchange for Jonathan Lucroy, who was (at the time) one of the best two-way catchers in the game.
Now Lucroy is being shipped to Colorado for a player to be named later. Life comes at you fast.
Lucroy has just a .635 OPS this season and his defense behind the plate is crumbling as well. However, as mentioned he is a former star who was once regarded as one of the top players in the game just a year ago.
The Rockies bought low and are banking on Lucroy rebounding. That could give them quite the force for a postseason push as Colorado looks to hang on to a Wild Card. If nothing changes, Lucroy walks in free agency and the Rockies lost essentially nothing.
Move No One Remembers: Arizona Diamondbacks Acquire J.D. Martinez
This happened almost two weeks ago, so you can be forgiven for forgetting (ha, alliteration amirite) this trade went down, but J.D. Martinez has been huge for the Diamondbacks.
The outfielder has already hit five homers and driven in twelve runs for the D-Backs, helping them pursue their playoff hopes. You might have forgotten about it, but when Martinez is cracking baseballs into the seats in October you’ll remember.
Biggest Morons: St. Louis Cardinals
What went wrong: Deluding selves into thinking they can contend, holding Lance Lynn like he’s the second coming of Bob Gibson.
Welp! If you’ve perused my corner of the internet you know how I feel about the Cardinals. They are dead. Deader than dead really. Like most St. Louis fans I am one THOUSAND percent over this team and one BILLION percent over Mike Matheny.
But today let’s be angry with John Mozeliak. The man in charge who, instead of dealing free-agent-to-be Lance Lynn (3.20 ERA), clutched him close and refused to let so much as a whisper of trade rumors enter the clubhouse.
Mozeliak also held on to almost-30-year-old Tommy Pham instead of trading him away while his stock was higher than it will ever be.
With so many holes all over the roster and the Cubs remembering they are a championship team, this was the wrong move. But instead Lynn will walk away for nothing this winter, and the Cardinals will sit on their hands citing improvement from within as reason for optimism in 2018.
Meanwhile Theo Epstein will sit in his office and laugh, wondering how a once-great franchise could fall so far.
Other Storylines:
Why didn’t anyone want Zach Britton?
Zach Britton is one of the best relievers in the game and has team control through next year, so why did no one pluck him from the Baltimore Orioles?
Obviously the cost for an elite closer is quite high, as Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman showed us last year, but teams like the Dodgers and Astros have the farm systems for such a move.
The Dodgers could have had the ultimate lefty-righty beast of Britton and Kenley Jansen but chose to pass. Houston could have completed an already ultra-talented team by adding arguably baseball’s best closer, but they too passed.
Perhaps Baltimore was asking too much, and said teams were comfortable with their current setup. Regardless, now we wait to see if any contender will regret not pulling the trigger when they had the chance.
The Nationals Continue Adding to the Bullpen, Mets intervene
The Washington Nationals had one of the worst bullpens in baseball, then went ahead and added Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle from Oakland. That wasn’t all though, as they acquired Minnesota all-star closer Brandon Kintzler (28 saves in 2017) to try and further bandage the bullpen.
The Nats likely would have added A.J. Ramos from the Miami Marlins too, but division-rival New York Mets stepped in first and brought Ramos to New York before Washington could make a move. If all these quick-fixes end up working out for the Nats remains to be seen, but they are sure trying their best.
