The MLB trade deadline came and went, just as it does every year, and while there were concerns on how much action there would truly be, it did not disappoint. Many teams decided to improve their team or to sell their players, depending on whether the club believed they could compete or not. A majority of deals occurred on August 30th and 31st, as many teams rushed to make moves before the deadline hit on Monday. Like every year’s deadline, some teams were very active in improving their team, while others were simply not. Today, I am going to look into the biggest winners and losers of this year’s trade deadline:
Winner: Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays came into the trade deadline very much in the postseason picture, yet many wondered whether they would go all in or play it safe for the future. The Blue Jays made a statement to the rest of the league at this year’s trade deadline, as they were among the most active teams in baseball. On August 24th, the Blue Jays were able to acquire 1B Daniel Vogelbach from the Mariners in exchange for cash considerations. This move is one that may go overlooked due to the other more substantial moves the Blue Jays made, but Vogelbach is a guy who can certainly make a difference for a team. Vogelbach had a solid season last year, as he hit 30 home runs and drove in 76 runs. Due to his first-half success, Vogelbach was able to make the all-star team, but his second-half performance is what was concerning to the Mariners. He was off to a slow start for the Mariners thus far, but Toronto is hoping he can return to his 2019 form. Three days after the Vogelbach acquisition, the Blue Jays went and bolstered their starting rotation with the addition of Taijuan Walker. Walker has a career ERA hovering around 4.00, so he has been a pretty solid pitcher throughout his career. He made his Blue Jays debut on August 29th and turned in a solid performance, as he pitched six scoreless innings and struck out 4. The Blue Jays did not disappoint on trade deadline day either, as they acquired Ross Stripling, Jonathan Villar, and Robbie Ray before the day was over. Although both Ray and Stripling are off to disappointing starts this year, they have been reliable starters in the past, so the Blue Jays hope they can get back on track this year. As for Villar, the 29-year-old infielder had a promising year in 2019 as he hit .274 with 24 home runs and 73 runs driven in. All of these players besides Daniel Vogelbach will be free agents at season’s end, so Toronto is hoping they can make a deep postseason run this October.
Losers: New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays
The Yankees and Rays came into the trade deadline as two of the best teams in baseball but also two of the teams in baseball with the most injuries. The Tampa Bay Rays currently sit atop the AL East despite injuries to players such as Yonny Chirinos, Yandy Diaz, Mike Zunino, Nick Anderson, and José Alvarado. Although they won the division last year, the New York Yankees currently sit in 2nd place in the AL East behind the Rays and a little above the Blue Jays. Many attribute the Yankees struggles to many of their injuries including Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, Luis Severino, Gleyber Torres, and James Paxton. With both teams very much in contention and struggling with injuries, one would expect them to be active at the trade deadline, but that simply was not the case. Neither team made an impact move to fill holes in their roster, and each fanbase received a fair amount of criticism for it. Seemingly both the Yankees and Rays are satisfied with the guys they have on their current roster, either on the injured list or on the major league roster. Yankees GM Brian Cashman spoke out regarding the prices of players he had interest in trading for and admitted that the team would not be able to live with what they had to give up. Although the prices for players was certainly high, you have to wonder if the refusal to make moves by both teams will hurt them in the hunt for a World Series title in 2020
Winner: San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres were undoubtedly the most active team before the MLB trade deadline this year. The Padres acquired a total of 10 players in the days and hours leading up to the trade deadline, those players being: Trevor Rosenthal, Mitch Moreland, Jason Castro, Austin Nola, Austin Adams, Dan Altavilla, Taylor Williams, Mike Clevinger, Greg Allen, and a PTBNL. The most notable among these additions has to be former Indians starting pitcher Mike Clevinger, whom the Padres acquired on the day of the trade deadline. Clevinger will not be a free agent until after the 2022 season and is one of the most consistent pitchers in the game. He has a career ERA just over 3.00 and is expected to become the ace of the staff for the Padres, in front of Chris Paddack. Trevor Rosenthal and Mitch Moreland are both off to really solid seasons this year and will be sure to make a big impact in the Padres postseason run this season. Besides Castro and Rosenthal every player is under team control past the 2020 season, which is very beneficial for San Diego in case they are unable to make it far in the postseason this year. Overall the Padres made a lot of impactful additions to better their team, while still maintaining one of the top farm systems in all of baseball. The Padres sent a message out to the rest of the MLB this trade deadline, saying they want to win and believe they are a contending team for years to come.
Loser: Houston Astros
After finishing with one of the best records in baseball last year, many had super high expectations for the Houston Astros coming into 2020. Overall the Astros have been a solid team this year but, like the Yankees and Rays, have dealt with a multitude of injuries. The Astros currently sit in 2nd place behind the Oakland Athletics, with guys such as Alex Bregman, Justin Verlander, Yordan Alvarez, and Roberto Osuna on the IL. Although the Astros are very much in the postseason race this year, they did not make any moves this year while their rival, the Oakland Athletics, were able to improve their club. With Verlander and Bregman on the IL, and most of the bullpen full with rookies, many expected the Astros to make some sort of move to fill holes on their roster. The Astros may very well make a long run into the postseason this year after some of their players come off the IL, but if they do happen to be eliminated early, many will look back to their lack of moves made before the August 31st trade deadline.
Honorable Mentions
Winners: New York Mets, Oakland Athletics, and Cincinnati Reds
Losers: Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers
For more MLB coverage, click here.
