Tinkering paid off well for the final four
KANSAS CITY— Upon further examination of the four teams remaining in the World Serties tournament, never has there been as big a turnaround because of players acquired in July and August as we have seen this year.
The reason? The second wild card is the proverbial carrot on a stick.
“I do think since the second wildcard has been instituted, there has been more activity at the trade deadline,” Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos said. “That many more potential buyers . . . if clubs don’t think they’ll be competitive, they won’t even consider rentals.”
Before the rule changed, back when there was such a thing as Type A and Type B free agents, there was compensation attached to losing one of your own free agents to another club in the form of first round or supplementary pick. That made it attractive for even non-competitive teams to put in a bid for a highpriced free agent, looking not to win but to add future stars via extra draft picks in June.
Anthopoulos used to be one of those hoarder GMs. But after the last Basic Agreement, there is reduced compensation for the best players and none if you acquire one during the season.
That may be why all four teams — the Jays, Royals, Mets and Cubs — all made important acquisitions via July trades or August transactions, combined with high-priced players in August on the waiver wire.
The Jays, of course, seem to have had the most impact using that route. Blue Jays: The Jays were treading water at 50-51 when they made the first of their trade deadline moves. Anthopoulos added shortstop Troy Tulowitzki and reliever LaTroy Hawkins from the Rockies. The next day it was David Price from the Tigers, then at the deadline he completed the task with left fielder Ben Revere from the Phillies and reliever Mark Lowe from the Mariners.
When Cliff Pennington was acquired from the Diamondbacks, that made six new players on the current post-season roster that were obtained after July 28. The Jays were in third place, seven games back on that date. Afterward, Toronto went 43-18, blowing by the Yankees and finishing ahead by six games. Royals: Kansas City already was in first place by eight games in the AL Central as the deadline approached but did not have a clear ace. So GM Dayton Moore went out and got right-hander Johnny Cueto from the Reds on July 26. Second base for the Royals had also been a problem, so they acquired versatile Ben Zobrist from the Athletics to solidify the infield.
At the end of August, K.C. purchased veteran Jonny Gomes as a clubhouse presence, but he’s not on the post-season roster. From July 31 until season’s end the Royals, with a somewhat disappointing contribution from Cueto, were 34-26, adding four more games to their division lead. Cueto’s finest performance came in Game 5 of the ALDS against the Astros. Mets: New York needed more firepower if they were going to pass the Nationals and needed to solidify their bullpen. On July 27, GM Sandy Alderson traded for former Nats closer Tyler Clippard from Oakland to be the primary setup man. Four days later on the deadline, he made his most impactful deal by acquiring outfielder Yoenis Cespedes from the Tigers, who already had signaled they were done for the year when GM Dave Dombrowski dealt Price to the Jays.
A week earlier, the Mets shored up the bench in a deal with the Braves, acquiring veterans Juan Uribe, now on the DL, and infielder Kelly Johnson. At the end of August, they acquired reliever Addison Reed from the D’backs. On July 31, the Mets were 52-50, in second place and three games behind. In the final two months, they were 38-22 and wound up in first by seven games. Cubs: The Cubs’ improvements as the season progressed came more from the development and promotion of their own players, rather than outside acquisitions. Nevertheless, there were some key additions that helped them finish 45-18 the final two months, moving from third place, 11.5 games back, to just three behind the Cards and one back of the Pirates. Cubs GM Jed Hoyer acquired outfielder Austin Jackson from the M’s on Aug. 31. Four days earlier he had negotiated a deal for former closer Fernando Rodney, who excelled for manager Joe Maddon in Tampa Bay. In July, Hoyer signed a couple of minor-league free agents — relievers Clayton Richard, obtained from the Pirates, and veteran Trevor Cahill. So it’s a new world for MLB GMs. Anthopoulos said he is still evolving, and one of the things he has learned is to save approved payroll for the trade deadline and fill some holes with aggressive acquisitions.
It’s become the only way to compete.