MLB Trade Deadline 2018: Winners and Losers
The MLB trade deadline has finally passed and like it is the case every year, there was a lot of activity before the window slammed shut. The entire baseball fraternity was eager to know about the deals that were happening and well they got plenty to talk about.
Since so much was done, it is just not possible to discuss every deal that was made but there were some winners and losers from this trade deadline. Let us take a look at who hit the jackpot and who missed out.
The Winners
The Los Angeles Dodgers completed some solid deals and the future looks really bright for the franchise. First up, they brought in Manny Machado to take the place of the injured Corey Seager. This is a move that needs no explaining. Then they made another move and that was arguably the biggest coup for them. The Dodgers signed Brian Dozier and he will improve their offense at second base considerably. The Dodgers have not won the World Series since 1988 but the deal for Dozier might just be the final piece of the jigsaw that puts them back on the World Series trail.
The Tampa Bay Rays had a pretty busy trade deadline and as a result of that, they are in the winners section for us. The Rays sold arguably their hottest prospect Chris Archer to the Pirates and got a great deal out of it too. As part of the deal, they received Austin Meadows and Tyler Glasnow. Not only that, but the Rays also signed Tommy Pham from the Cardinals who had been quite critical of the franchise. The Rays are looking good and it won’t surprise many if they hit the .500 mark this year.
The Baltimore Orioles are struggling this season; there are no two ways about that. They are stuck in somewhat of a rut right now and their position at the bottom of the American League points to that. The Orioles needed a completed overhaul and well they made quite a few changes on trade deadline.
They had gotten rid of Manny Machado a few weeks ago and then they moved on Jonathan Schoop, Darren O’ Day and Kevin Gausman to bring in some young players. This season might be as good as gone already for the Orioles but the moves they have made show that they have realized that an overhaul is needed and that should bode well for the future.
The Milwaukee Brewers needed some reinforcements and they went out and did some pretty good deals. Joakim Soria arrived from the White Sox to add some much needed experience. Then they brought in Mike Moustakas and Jonathan Schoop to bolster the ranks even further. The Brewers already have Travis Shaw on the roster and if they find a right position for him, then the Brewers can surprise a lot of people.
The Pittsburgh Pirates did some solid dealings too. They began transfer deadline by bringing in Keone Kela from the Texas Rangers. That was however not the only pitcher they added to the lineup. On the very same day, they also went out and bought Chris Archer too in a move that sends out a strong statement of intent.
Losers
Are the Washington Nationals really good enough to catch the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies in National League East? They are not that far off and can make up the gap but a little reinforcement would not have gone amiss. They only made one trade and that was to send out Brandon Kintzler to the Cubs. They also decided to hold on to Bryce Harper who will be a free agent come the end of the season. The Nationals have taken a gamble now only time will tell whether it works for them or not.
The reigning World Series champions went out and signed Roberto Osuna from the Blue Jays. From sheer sporting point of view, the move makes sense because Osuna’s talents as a baseball player are undeniable. But, that is only one side of the story. Osuna is currently serving a suspension for domestic violence and that is making it hard for a lot of people to digest this deal.
The New York Mets did not do an awful lot and for a team that needed to do an awful lot, this is nothing short of criminal. This is why Mets are in our losers section. They could have moved on players like Steven Matz, Zach Wheeler, Jacob deGrom and even Noah Syndergaard because it simply is not working for the Mets right now. They could have used the trades to bring in fresh, young players to give the franchise new impetus. Their failure to do that, is strange to say the least.
The San Francisco Giants occupy fourth spot on the National League West and to make matters worse, they are not really shortening the gap either. Like the Mets, they did nothing on transfer deadline either and that does not look good. They should have moved on Andrew McCutchen but did not do that. On the other hand, there were rumors of the Giants going for Matt Harvey but that did not happen either. The Giants are in a tough spot right now.
The Kansas City Royals got rid of Kelvin Herrera early on but did not get a good deal from Washington Nationals as a result. Mike Moustakas was also moved to Milwaukee but that are the only two notable trades made by them. For a team that has the second worst record in the MLB right now, that really wasn’t what the doctor ordered. They do not have a lot of strong, profitable assets to sell right now. The ones that can bring them some money are still with the Royals even though they are not making much of a difference to their performances. The Royals have their work cut out.
