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.
Hello there baseball fans and welcome to the Exit Velo Podcast. I’m your host, Curt Bishop and today we’ll be continuing to break down what each team did at the trade deadline and today we’re wrapping up the American League. We’re going to be doing the AL West. Let’s jump right in.
Houston Astros
We’ll start out with the first-place Astros, who were very busy at the deadline. They really beefed up their bullpen, which had some holes thanks to several injuries. In a surprise move, they got Kendall Graveman from Seattle for Joe Smith and Abraham Toro. They also brought in Yimi Garcia from the Marlins and Phil Maton from the Indians. They did have to deal off some talent, of course, sending Myles Straw back to Cleveland in exchange for Maton, but that’s the nature of the trade deadline. You’ve got to give up something to get what you need. Like it or not, Houston did very well at the deadline, and look well-positioned for a deep run into October. The only thing they can’t escape is opposing fans bringing inflatable trash cans and throwing them around the stadium. But all jokes aside, as much as fans won’t like it, they get an A+ for their deadline work.
Oakland A’s
The Oakland A’s are 5.5 games behind the Astros and they were also very busy at the deadline. They went and got Andrew Chafin from the Cubs to beef up their pen, and they also added Josh Harrison and Yan Gomes from the Nationals. The biggest move they made was picking up Starling Marte from the Marlins. They did have to part ways with Jesus Luzardo in that deal, but they needed another piece and that was the way for them to do it. They’ve got command over the second Wild Card spot, but they’re now in a position where they could run down the Astros and grab their second straight AL West crown. They got after it and they’re a force to be reckoned with. We’ll give them an A+ as well.
Seattle Mariners
Seattle had a pretty weird deadline to say the least. Much to the surprise and dismay of the team, they shipped Kendall Graveman to Houston. They did get Joe Smith and Abraham Toro in that deal, but the players were not happy about losing Graveman. However, they made up for it by acquiring Tyler Anderson from the Pirates and then Diego Castillo from the Rays. These are all good moves that have them positioned to potentially go on a run and grab a Wild Card spot. I think they really should’ve held onto Graveman though. He was having a breakout season and was popular in the clubhouse. They wouldn’t have needed to go out and get Castillo and they could’ve made separate trades to get anything else. They did well, though, so we’ll give them a B+
Los Angeles Angels
The Angels are in a weird position. They’re kind of a surprise, sneaky contender this year. They shipped Andrew Heaney to the Yankees and Tony Watson to the Giants. In those deals, they brought in some young pitchers for the ones they dealt. They got Elvis Pegeuro from the Yankees, who’s having a solid year; 4-1 with a 2.78 ERA, so a good move for the farm system. They also got Ivan Armstrong from the Giants who’s 4-1 with a sub-2 ERA, so also a solid move for the future. I would’ve liked to have seen them potentially trade Raisel Iglesias though. Surely that could’ve netted them some prospects. They could’ve done better, and I think they could’ve tried to do some buying, but they didn’t do bad. They’re probably a long-shot to reach the playoffs, so we’ll give them a B- for their efforts.
Texas Rangers
Finally we’ve got the last-place Texas Rangers. They got a nice haul from the Yankees for Joey Gallo, and also did pretty well in the Kyle Gibson, Ian Kennedy deal with the Phillies. They had no hope of reaching the playoffs, and it was unlikely that they were going to be able to extend Gallo, so they went ahead and turned their focus to 2022 and beyond, which was a smart move. The only problem was that they had to include top pitching prospect Hans Crouse in that deal. Other than that, I think they did okay, so we’ll give them a B.
That’s it for today. Thanks so much for tuning in. I’m Curt Bishop and you’ve been listening to the Exit Velo Podcast. We’ll see you tomorrow as we kick off the National League portion of our segment with the NL East.
