Join Curt Bishop on the Exit Velo Podcast as he breaks down every team’s trade deadline acquisitions and gives them a grade based on what/who they acquired and how each move could help or hurt them going forward.
Good afternoon baseball fans. This is Curt Bishop and this is the Exit Velo Podcast where we talk all things MLB. The trade deadline has come and gone and it was a wild one to say the least. Every team did something. We’re going to break down what each team did and give them a grade based on their acquisitions and moves. We won’t do all 30 teams in one day, but we’ll split it up by divisions like we did when we predicted what each team would do. We’ll start off today with the AL East.
Tampa Bay Rays
We’ll start with the first-place Rays. They went out and got a big bat in Nelson Cruz, but also did some selling. They needed a bat and they got it, but they shipped Rich Hill off to the Mets and their closer Diego Castillo to the Mariners. Those moves are kind of head scratchers, but given that it’s the Rays and everything seems to work out for them, should we really be questioning it? Probably not. Honestly though, I do think they could’ve looked into getting another starter, now that we know that Tyler Glasnow is out for the year. Perhaps a closer caliber pitcher too to replace Castillo would’ve been nice. They did acquire JT Chargois in that deal who’s had a good year, but I think they could’ve done better in what they brought back for some of these guys, though these moves aren’t bad. I’ll go ahead and give them a C+ because like I said the moves are decent ones, but I think they could’ve done better.
Boston Red Sox
Moving on to Boston. The Red Sox didn’t do a whole lot, but what they did do was great and shows that they’re in win now mode. They needed a big bat and went out and got Kyle Schwarber from the Nationals. They also grabbed reliever Hansel Robles from the Twins, which gives them another solid bullpen arm that can help bridge the gap to closer Matt Barnes. They still do have a hole at first base, as Bobby Dalbec has been quite disappointing this year. I think they could’ve maybe done a little bit more there. They did try to bring in Anthony Rizzo, but to no avail, as he went to the Yankees. If Schwarber can adjust and play a little first, then they’ll be fine, but it remains to be seen if he can. I think they could’ve also used a starter. Chris Sale is on his way back, but if they got someone to go with him, like Kyle Gibson, that rotation could be deadly. Overall, Boston had a successful deadline, and I’ll go ahead and give them a B+
New York Yankees
Next we’ve got the Yankees, who acquired pitcher Andrew Heaney from the Angels, and of course got Joey Gallo and Anthony Rizzo. Rizzo homered in his first two games as a Yankee, which adds salt in the wound for Cubs fans. That lineup was too righty heavy, and the addition of those guys gives them two big left handed bats and can really alter a team’s approach when they’re facing them. They can also take advantage of that short porch in right field at Yankee Stadium. They also needed to plug a hole in the rotation, with all the injuries they’ve had there, so Heaney is a decent option to give them some innings. I thought they’d go for Kyle Gibson, but Heaney is serviceable and should help them. The Yankees made a lot of noise and have shown that they aren’t going to punt on what’s been a disappointing season so far, so I’ll give them an A+
Toronto Blue Jays
We’ll go north of the border now, where the Blue Jays also made a lot of noise. They already had acquired Corey Dickerson and Adam Cimber from the Marlins in June, but now, they’re really going for it. They brought in Brad Hand and Joakim Soria in separate trades, which really beefs up that bullpen. Of course, the big one was Jose Berrios. They desperately needed someone to go alongside Ryu in that rotation and now they have it. They’re right in the thick of the Wild Card race, just 3.5 back, and now have the pieces necessary to make a push. We’ll give them an A+
Baltimore Orioles
Finally we have the Orioles. They shipped off Freddy Galvis to Philadelphia and got a right handed pitcher in exchange; Tyler Burch. Burch has good minor league career numbers. He’s 8-4 with a 2.63 lifetime ERA. This is a good move for the Orioles, but since they’re not going anywhere, it’s sort of hard to evaluate it. They made sure not to trade any of their stars, which is very important, especially if they want to compete a few years down the road. I’ll give them a B, because what they did was good, they just didn’t do a whole lot, but it was very wise of them to hold onto their stars.
Thank you so much for tuning in. We’ll back tomorrow with the AL Central. I’m Curt Bishop and you’ve been listening to the Exit Velo Podcast.
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