I think I brought this all on myself.
Sometime yesterday, as a few more deals limped into the gate, I said to myself '...kind of a weak trade deadline this year'. And then 24 hours later I'm regretting that.
In a sense, this was a weaker deadline year, because a lot of the big names on the board were actually kept, as teams that were thought to be dealing ended up competing anyhow. While there was a large volume of deals, especially in the last hours of regulation, a lot of deals were done solely just to make trades rather than to make sense of them. I have a post full of deals that made no sense ready to go after I'm done with the impressive ones. I'm also doing the Top 10 before I do the honorable mentions, as I think it's more sensible to just get this out there before the topic is stale, and then just post the auxiliary ones.
Needless to say, I did have enough for a Top 10 list, and what I tried to do was not just weigh these trades by the size of the exclamation point, but also by the needs they fulfill. There was no obvious blockbuster deal that I had no choice but to top the list with this year. The best trade of this deadline is gonna be the single smartest move, and that may be different than what you may think. In fact, one of the biggest exclamation point moves of the deadline didn't even make this list. I'll...have words on that one soon enough.
But for now, my picks for the Top 10 most important trade deadline acquisitions of 2023:
There will be some Mets on this list, needless to say. Maybe not all of the ones you think will be here, but...there are some here. One that I think might be an underrated roster boost is the Brewers getting Mark Canha. Right now their outfield, Yelich notwithstanding, isn't great. Joey Wiemer's great defensively but he's not there as a hitter yet. Sal Frelick's a decent option but he's still finding the learning curve. Blake Perkins and Tyrone Taylor aren't doing much better. What Canha does is give the Brewers a strong, versatile option that can fill several roles as well as make sure Yelich isn't the only competent player in that outfield. As the Brewers fight to compete, they need more guys like Canha, and they did manage to stock themselves with decent rentals for a run. Ultimately, Canha's the only one that made this list.
Second Mets deal in a row, not the last. This is, however, the only Marlins deal on this list. The Marlins made a lot of wacky moves, especially today, to bulk themselves up for a wild card brawl, and while a lot of them didn't make sense, this was their best one because it fulfills a gaping need for the Marlins, and that is a competent closer. The Marlins tried A.J. Puk in the ninth, and he was doing well for a while, but he got hurt, and now he's got an ERA around 5. Everybody else in this bullpen is more suited to middle relief work, including the also-recently-dealt Jorge Lopez. D-Rob gives them an excellent closer who's been having an excellent season, and even though this makes his second straight trade deadline venture, and the fifth team he's played for since the 2021 Olympics, his stock is super high and he's already been fantastic even in early appearances for Miami. Hopefully he'll be able to stay strong in October this year.
#8: C.J. Cron and Randal Grichuk to the Angels, prospects to the Rockies
A trend I noticed a lot this deadline especially was more cathartic, 'all things as they should be' trades. Mostly players who either came to prominence with or were drafted by teams that brought them back. There's a few further up on the list. But this one charmed me. Not only does it bolster a lineup that was already going in for help in terms of bench support, but it gives the Angels two great hitters in positions where they need help. The Angels just demoted Jared Walsh, and had been using Mike Moustakas and Trey Cabbage at first. Meanwhile, they just lost Taylor Ward and are still without Mike Trout. Both Cron and Grichuk fulfill deep needs, and both return to the organizations they came up with. Grichuk never played a game for the Angels before getting traded to St. Louis in exchange for David Freese, while Cron came to prominence as a Halo before finding fame in Denver. With both back where they started, the Angels have a stronger lineup and way more hard-hitting options.
#7: Michael Lorenzen to the Phillies, prospect Hao-Yu Lee to the Tigers
#6: Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly to the Dodgers, Trayce Thompson and prospects to the White Sox
Nothing like a quaint, respectable addition to denote an otherwise quiet deadline for Sam Fuld. Michael Lorenz's been sharp as hell since becoming a starter, and after a solid year with LA last year, he became an All-Star with Detroit and cemented himself as a starting option. With no offense meant towards Cristopher Sanchez, we needed a trusted fifth man, and Lorenzen will do just fine. Now the Phils have a pretty ironclad rotation, with five guys I'd throw out there against the best of 'em, and while I thought Noah Syndergaard would be similar last year, Lorenzen has shown less signs of wear and tear, and also isn't as hard-throwing as Thor was. It sucks losing Lee, who looked like a fun prospect, but Lorenzen makes me very confident going forward. Also, cool that the Phils have just started adding long-haired lanky guys every July, it makes me feel seen.
Not the biggest pitching acquisition the Dodgers thought they'd be leaving the deadline with, but the lack of Cease or Rodriguez aside, adding Lance Lynn to an ailing rotation is a very good move. For one, the Dodgers don't have to start Michael Grove as much. Also, even if Lynn isn't quite as consistent as he was, he's a reliable veteran who can eat innings and give you strong starts, and with the only guys left in this rotation being mostly young guys, that kind of presence will pay off. I don't know what Lynn has left, but I also said something similar when the Yankees got him in 2018, and he responded with some excellent seasons for Texas after that. Also, Kelly is yet another 'let's bring him back' style move this deadline, and I certainly can't argue with the Dodgers having Kelly around again. They love him over there.
#5: Aaron Civale to the Rays, prospects to the Guardians
This was one of those where I had an audible reaction of "oh shit." The Rays have bobbled a huge lead over the AL East solely due to injuries to Jeffrey Springs, Drew Rasmussen, Zach Eflin and, albeit briefly, Shane McClanahan. They've had numerous open rotation spots buckling, and as Taj Bradley's learning curve spoils a few more wins, they've needed an upgrade. Aaron Civale is perfect for this Rays team, and he's a strong, durable arm that makes me very nervous for the rest of the season. Even as people start to come back, you have one more basically guaranteed day, as Civale's been having a great season, and doesn't need to lead the rotation to impress you [a lot like Eflin]. The Rays didn't need to do much this deadline, but the thing they did do was make it even harder for anyone else to finish the season atop the AL East.
#4: Lucas Giolito & Reynaldo Lopez to the Angels, prospects to the White Sox
#3: Max Scherzer to the Rangers, prospect Luisangel Acuna to the Mets
#2: Jeimer Candelario to the Cubs, prospects to the Nationals
Though it took him a while to rebound after the tack ban, Lucas Giolito reaffirmed himself as a great pitcher this year, and once the White Sox fell below the Tigers in the standings, a deal like this became inevitable. This deal, however, marked the first real instance by the Angels of deciding to pursue competition this offseason, and it was a hell of a statement to start with. Giolito strengthens that rotation even further, even as Sandoval, Canning, Detmers and, yes, Ohtani roll. He's not quite the ace anymore, but he's an excellent foil to Ohtani as a pure flamethrower, and will hopefully give the Angels some great stretch starts. We do know how good he can be in October, remember that. Also, Lopez gives them another solid bullpen arm, as well as more flexibility if need be.
Nope, not #1. Scherzer heading to Arlington may have been the biggest flex of the deadline, but I will admit that there's two moves that I think are more advantageous. But still, you can't deny that handing Scherz over to the Rangers is a boss move. Eovaldi's hurt, deGrom's hurt, so there's room, but with Scherzer and newly-added Jordan Montgomery in there, it gives Dane Dunning, Martin Perez and Jon Gray even more reassurance, and it takes some of the pressure off of Andrew Heaney. Scherzer may not be what he was in Washington, but he was still throwing pretty well with the Mets, with a 9-4 record and 114 Ks in 19 games. He still has some excellent material to work with, and he could be the force that keeps the Rangers ahead of the Astros, despite their similar deadline tactics. While this does have a tendency to backfire, especially considering Scherzer's age and human-ness lately, it's still a big statement that could heavily benefit the Rangers if all goes well.
Maybe if I were younger I wouldn't rank this so high, but everything about this deal just screams perfection to me. First of all, Candelario came up in the Cubs system, knows it well, and prospered there before being traded for Justin Wilson and Alex Avila [???]. This is another homecoming deal, and it's gotta be cool that Candelario finally gets to get reps in at third in Chicago. But also...Chicago was a seller till a couple weeks ago, and was looking for suitors for Bellinger, Stroman and Steele. Once they got hot, and realized they did have enough to chase the competition this year, they realized they could net an upgrade for Patrick Wisdom at third. Candelario's a perfect fit for this lineup, and a fantastic upgrade from what they already have. I also think that a lot of the Brewers' panicking in the last 24 hours is due to this deal, because they know the Cubs are gonna be even better with Candelario and need to stay above them. I absolutely love this deal, and I hope he keeps his Nats numbers up with the Cubs, cause this could be the last piece they need to sneak into October.
#1: Jack Flaherty to the Orioles, prospects who are not Jackson Holliday to the Cardinals
And so, the #1...it is a pitcher, an extremely good if recently-injury-prone pitcher...going to a market that needs to fight to win a division....but it's not the one you might think.
This, to me, was the smartest move of the deadline. The Cardinals needed to move Flaherty, the Orioles needed a unifying ace, they needed each other. The Orioles pitching, as good as it's been, has been a series of #2 and #3 men in search of a #1. Bradish, Gibson and Kremer have been good this season, but none have felt like an ace. Said ace would have been somebody like John Means, but he's still injured. I was thinking Tyler Wells would fall into that category, but he's fallen apart since the beginning of the season. The O's did try to get Dylan Cease, but the White Sox wanted Holliday in return, so that didn't happen. That's why I'm so won over by them getting Jack Flaherty, because he can be that ace-type guy, and can deliver OMG starts, and the Orioles have needed a guy like that. The injuries do worry me, but I think he's just on a decent enough pace this year, and won't need to sit out as much as somebody like Means. Flaherty might not be the HUGEST piece the Cards could have dealt, but it's an important piece, and it's even more important that Baltimore got him, because this could keep them ahead of Tampa and give them a healthy spot in the playoffs.
Again, I may be wrong about the promise of some of these deals, but this is how they look right now. Tomorrow, I'll reveal the honorable mentions, and why they didn't make the list.
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