Every deadline there are a few big splashes. This year: Ubaldo, Beltran, Pence, and K-Rod, and Bedard were some of the larger names to change hands. Now, reflecting on the deals a few days later, here's who we think some of the winners and losers were this trade season.
A's fans might know a bit more about this face soon.
Winners:
The Cleveland Indians
The Indians are going for it. I am very proud of them, and fans in Cleveland should be thrilled. They went for Ubaldo Jimenez. Yeah, he hasn't been as brilliant this year, but he is still a great arm with a live fastball. After seeing Cliff Lee and CC Sabathia depart, this has got to be a huge lift for a city craving a championship.
The San Francisco Giants
They got their hitter in Carlos Beltran. His gap power is still outstanding. They also shored up their infield with Jeff Keppinger and Orlando Cabrera. They missed Reyes, but at least these two shore up the depth chart with solid, everyday players.
The Boston Red Sox
Erik Bedard, when healthy, is very good. And they badly needed a starter. They got him without giving up too much. It shores up their rotation to make a run at the Yankees.
The Pittsburgh Pirates
Derrek Lee and Ryan Ludwick weren't the biggest studs on the market, but definitely are an upgrade over Lyle Overbay and Matt Diaz. Pittsburgh is falling in the standings, but at least they made the moves to stay around.
On the Fence
The Philadelphia Phillies
They got the other big outfield bat in Hunter Pence, who essentially fills the void left by Jayson Werth. I'm not saying Pence is bad, I'm just saying that I'm not sure they needed to do this. Domonic Brown and John Mayberry haven't been doing terribly poorly and the Phillies have been winning. Either way, this does make them a better team.
The Oakland Athletics
Brandon Allen quickly becomes the best first baseman in the Athletics' system. Hopefully he pans out better than the rest. I'm not sold on Norberto, but his K/9 ratio is outstanding. Allen was hitting .306 with 18 homers and 66 RBIs in 83 games for Reno when he got called up to the DBacks on July 15. Maybe they're a little inflated, but they're something to be excited about.
The Arizona Diamondbacks
Their big acquisitions were Jason Marquis and Brad Ziegler. Yeah, they're both guys that should prove to solidify the rotation and bullpen, but I'm not sure that they are guys that are the final pieces on a club that makes the playoffs.
The Seattle Mariners
The Mariners can officially be said to have entered that Piratesque zone of constant rebuild. Bedard gone leaves a lot of money for them to play with and they netted some good prospects, but I'm not sure I like the Doug Fister for Casper Wells and Charlie Furbush there. Fister was already a solid pitcher, and Pauley was a nice piece of the bullpen. Hopefully, a few of the new guys pan out for the Emerald City.
The Texas Rangers
They needed bullpen help and they got it in Koji Uehara and Mike Adams. I'm only worried about the price they paid to get it in Chris Davis, Tommy Hunter, and the two pitching prospects dealt for Adams were very high in the system. If the Rangers miss the playoffs, there will be major unhappiness in Texas.
Losers
The New York Yankees
The Yankees didn't do anything. They didn't want to part with prospects, and so while the Red Sox got better, the Yankees didn't move. For a team that expects to win it all every year, the Yankees failed to make their chances any better.
The Detroit Tigers and the Chicago White Sox
The Indians got Ubaldo. The other two contenders in the central? Doug Fister and Jason Frasor. So, it's pretty easy to say who got the best end of the deal. Though Detroit has the three game lead, it's pretty possible to say Cleveland is in the best place to win the division.
The Los Angeles Angels
They needed an outfielder. They didn't get one. They could have used a reliever. They didn't get one. They've still got the same team, and yes they have the rotation, but now the Rangers look a bit better in the West.
SF Giants Fans
On a more personal level, and from a conversation with Frankie... we both believe that the Giants are a better team with their acquisitions. However, the fans lost out. The team they fell in love with is no longer there. Yeah, many of the principles are still around, but some of the other keys are hurt or gone. The fans don't have the same team to look at. A casual fan is going to see #43 at shortstop, and have no idea what he is or who he came from. Especially now, on a 5 game losing streak, some fans are becoming disgruntled at the new look. My message: you aren't losers in this one. You get new guys to cheer for, and they make your team more likely to hoist that trophy once more.
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This has nothing to do with the post, but it's a damn good song.
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