Photo Courtesy: Keith Allison
The non-waiver trade deadline came to end after a fantastic few days leading up to a lackluster final day of free agency. Even though the final day was a disappointment considering all the rumors swirling around, overall this was a fun trade period. Here are some of the winners and losers from these past two weeks.
Now, nobody knows for sure, who won or who lost in the long run. The main reason being prospects can either reach the potential they were supposed to or end up a disappointment. So in reality some trades that look bad now could end up being a great trade in the future.
WINNER: Toronto Blue Jays. The Blue Jays were absolutely incredible. They start off by getting the best shortstop in the game in Troy Tulowitzki for Jose Reyes and some pitching prospects. They also acquired a veteran in LaTroy Hawkins to help their bullpen. By acquiring Tulowitzki they made a already great offense even better making them a very dangerous lineup to face. Then, as if that wasn’t enough they get David Price! Are you kidding me?! They gave up a very good prospect in Daniel Norris but for an ace to lead your staff its a very good deal. But, they were not even done yet they added another pitcher Mark Lowe who will really help their bullpen also they got Ben Revere who has a great average and will be the new lead-off man. All that needs to be said is GM John Gibbons, who is in his final year of his contract, really made a splash. Also, they better make the playoffs.
LOSER: New York Yankees. The reason they are losers is because they didn’t get anything. Well, they got Dustin Ackley but he’s hitting .215 so yea, they really get that much. For the first time the Yankees stayed out of the spotlight and didn’t spend the big money. New York really needed a starting pitcher, especially since Pineda just went on the DL, for who knows how long. With so many options available like Price, Hamels, Cueto, and Samardzija its hard to imagine why they couldn’t pull the trigger. Any one of those guys could have really helped secure a playoff spot. Now they have to try and stay ahead of a dangerous Blue Jay team that they have to play 13 more times.
WINNER: Houston Astros. For Rangers and Angels fans this is not a good thing, the Astros are marking their territory and showing they want to be relevant again. They got Scott Kazmir who gives them another solid starter and deepens their rotation. The big acquisition was Carlos Gomez they get and very talented player in Gomez who will add speed and hitting to an already good lineup. They also got Mike Fiers which also adds to their rotation.
LOSER: Miami Marlins. Basically they just dumped salaries like Mat Latos and Micheal Morse for some decent prospects showing once again showing they don’t want to win now or in the near future. The ownership there for some reason doesn’t seem to want and turn this sinking ship around soon. They are more concerned about their money.
WINNER: Kansas City Royals. They had two needs an outfielder and a starting pitcher. They filled both of those needs by getting Johnny Cueto and Ben Zobrist. Cueto is an ace that was too good to pass up even though he is a free agent this fall. Also by acquiring Zobrist they fill the hole of Alex Gorden while he recovers from an injury. The Royals gave up some good prospects but are willing in order to win the pennant this year, which they have a really good shot at it now.
LOSER: San Diego Padres. The Padres tried an experiment and it failed. They went out this off season and got a lot of talent but the plan just didn’t work. So, the next logical move is to trade these players for good young prospect right? Well, wrong according the Padres because they did nothing, zip, zilch. The reasoning is because the GM A.J. Preller thinks they still have a chance to make the playoffs. According to Fan Graphs they have a 4.2% chance.
PUSH: New York Mets. I don’t know how they do it but somehow and someway they have embarrassing and disastrous ways. The whole Gomez trade disaster that left one of your players crying on the field was bad, and if not for that, then they probably would be a winner. They aren’t losers because they got Yoenis Cespedes while keeping Zach Wheeler. They needed a big bat in the outfield and they got a good one which will help in their quest for the playoffs.
WINNER: Los Angeles Dodgers. Some fans on social media don’t like that they didn’t get a top line starter but the Dodgers still did very well for themselves. Mat Latos and Alex Wood are no scrubs. These two guys can pitch and will help Grienke and Kershaw by giving them some depth in the rotation. Also the addition of some bullpen pitching makes the Dodgers look like the clear favorites in the NL West.
