To trade is to try now or try later
Flurry of deals illustrates mindset
The relative insanity of this year’s MLB trade deadline is best illustrated by the fact that, despite a deal that sent a future Hall-of-Famer and one of the best shortstops in baseball to the defending World Series champions, one could stage a healthy debate about which of the many deals completed last week qualified as the biggest stunner.
The Washington Nationals trading Max Scherzer and Trea Turner to the Los Angeles Dodgers for two elite prospects is certainly a formidable candidate, but so are the megadeals that revamped the heart of the New York Yankees order with much-needed left-handed power in the form of Joey Gallo and Anthony Rizzo.
Twins ace José Berríos
heading to Toronto for two of the Blue Jays’ most wellregarded prospects could help change the complexion of the AL East this season and the state of the AL Central down the line.
The Chicago White Sox sending two big league-ready prospects to the crosstown Cubs for closer Craig Kimbrel, hours after acquiring stalwart reliever Ryan Tepera from their selling rivals, suddenly gave them the most formidable late-inning relief corps in the game. Two reliable contenders, those Cubs and Nationals, dismantled beloved cores piece by piece, to no one’s surprise.
“We got everything out of this group we could have gotten,” Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo said. “... there’s no shame in having to take a step back, refocus, reboot and start the process again.”
The league’s two most high-spending and bruising divisions, the NL West and AL East, spent more and became more bruising. The San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres added proven stars and the Yankees shook up the middle of their lineup without adding much to their pitching staff — changes that may or may not be enough to keep up with the Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays, all of whom added, too.
When the dust settled, MLB’s transaction log listed nearly three dozen trades in the 48 hours before the deadline, the culmination of a crazy week in which most contending teams showed a willingness to part with prospects to take a shot and selling teams learned that eating salary of departing stars could drastically improve theirprospect returns.
The Rangers and Cubs, for example, subsidized the Yankees’ acquisitions of Gallo and Rizzo, respectively, by paying the salaries owed each for an improved prospect haul.
“They’re showing their poker hands early, willing to pay the salaries,” Yankees GM Brian Cashman said. “You’ve seen throughout the landscape of these trades around the game that most of theseseem to have their deals being paid or paid down. It’s not a Yankee thing. It’s an industrystandard thing.”
The Nationals, on the other hand, let the Dodgers take on salary owed Scherzer and Turner instead of paying them off, a decision that meant Washington only acquired two top 100 prospects and two midrange ones — a good haul by any means, but one some industry insiders felt could have been even moresubstantial.
But neither the Nationals nor Cubs held back in their sales. The Rockies, on the other hand, held on to infielder Trevor Story and starter Jon Gray, both of whom seemed likely to bring back decent returns if dealt. They will likely get draft picks if both depart in free agency. The Mariners, who seem poised to make a credible playoff push and therefore be active at the deadline, madeno major moves either.
“We tried,” Rockies GM Jerry DiPoto told reporters, highlighting again the difference between “trying” as a team going all-in for one season like the Dodgers or White Sox did, and “trying” while also wondering if next year mightyield a better chance.
But most of those teams with a chance made moves to seize it. The Atlanta Braves, for example, found themselves trailing the New York Mets by four games in the NL East entering deadline day. They acquired outfielders Adam Duvall, Jorge Soler, Eddie Rosario and highly touted Pirates reliever Richard Rodriguez, in addition to a deal made earlier this month for outfielder Joc Pederson.
The Mets, long considered favorites in the division, also added. They traded for Cubs shortstop Javy Báez, who will move to second and pair with his close friend Francisco Lindor in a suddenly stalwart middle infield. But they did not add a front line starter, a decision that looked particularly glaring when word came hours after the deadline that inflammation in Jacob deGrom’s throwing arm will likely keep him out until September. While Báez will help the Mets, other teams in the National League wentfurther.
The Padres added coveted contact wizard Adam Frazier fromthe Pirates to an already solid infield that will now include four all-stars on a regular basis. They traded for Nationals reliever Daniel Hudson, quietly one of the best back-end arms available. The Brewers bolstered their bullpen and bench. The Giants, soon getting plenty of their own stars back from injury, traded for Cubs star Kris Bryant in the hopes that he will be enough to help them continueto push by the Southern California powerhouses that have become the center of the baseballuniverse.