Kind of a weird, anticlimactic trade deadline this year honestly. Because there was all this hubbub about all these big pieces that might be moving, people like Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Garrett Crochet, Luis Robert, Tarik Skubal and Tyler Anderson, and the big tussle of the finishing moments is 'who's gonna land Tanner Banks??'. Like, I remember the 2011 trade deadline coming down to 'who's gonna get Mike Adams', and I'm sitting there going 'THIS can't be the stakes, man.'. And that's where we were this year. A lot of relievers, salary dumps and pawn-offs lining the last moments of the deadline, with the big pieces, for the most part, feeling anticlimactic.
I am gonna do posts not only on the honorable mentions of the deadline, but also the ones I didn't really get, but I was able to pin down a solid Top 10. And somehow, this is a pretty strong Top 10. Y'wanna know how strong? THIS IS NUMBER TEN:
I was initially a little caught off guard with this move, not only because I was unsure where exactly Chisholm would play, as the outfield was stocked and we kinda had 2nd base filled, but I was unsure of how will Chisholm would mesh with this team. This team already has a lot of big personalities, people like Alex Verdugo, Marcus Stroman and Juan Soto, and Chisholm is another entity entirely given that the Marlins have already had meetings over how much of a wild card he can be. So yes, the Yankees were getting another really nice piece with a lot of perks, but it could backfire tremendously. He's been pretty strong through his first few games, and already has his first two-homer game as a Yankee [AND HIS SECOND], so I think he's the kind of extra bat this team desperately needed.
#9: Tanner Scott, Bryan Hoeing to the Padres, Adam Mazur, Graham Pauley and 2 prospects to the Marlins.
This was the big nail biter of this deadline. WHO'S GONNA GET TANNER SCOTT? And while it could have gone a ton of ways, the Padres pulling the trigger, and doing so in the most explosive way, did impress me. Not only do they get Scott, they get the other really good Marlins reliever, Bryan Hoeing. That's two really excellent bullpen pieces right there, and they're joining people like Jeremiah Estrada and Robert Suarez and Yuki Matsui in that Padres bullpen. The Padres have a lot going for them already, and they've already gotten a big piece from San Diego in Luis Arraez. But now they've taken the best relief piece off the board, and they're going into a NL West picture where they need to outlast the D-Backs and [a little] the Dodgers. This is a really good move. It's just this low because...I can only be so wowed by 'well we're gotten a good reliever, huzzah'.
One year after trading Cole Ragans to Kansas City, the Rangers essentially get a just return for him. There is something a bit odd about a competitor losing a vital starter, but considering that they're getting a lot of people back, and have already gotten Cody Bradford back, it doesn't worry me as much. Besides, Lorenzen was a depth starter for them anyway, got off to a great start and became an issue when people were on the way back. So now Lorenzen is a low-but-still-mighty starter for the Royals, who just needed one more great rotation piece to fully become a competitor. I hope Lorenzen conserves his arm better than he did with the Phils, and I hope his strong year persists. Cause if so, the Royals just made their wild card case even juicier.
It is...bizarre how many Phillies pitchers wound up on the Orioles this deadline. Eflin, Seranthony Dominguez, Gregory Soto. In addition to Craig Kimbrel, who's already over there. Eflin is a very crucial starting addition for the Orioles. One would put Trevor Rogers into this category, but I'll get to my issues with that move eventually. Eflin, however, is a proven starting standout, with great years under his belt with Philly and Tampa, and he's coming off another strong year for the Rays. The Orioles have Burnes, Rodriguez and Kremer nailed down, but with Bradish and Means hurt those last two spots need to be better, even with Albert Suarez's surprise year. Eflin is an excellent pick for a rotation spot in Baltimore, and has the probability to succeed where Jack Flaherty failed in Baltimore last year.
Even if the Orioles tried to rival them this year, the Angels continue to be the most frequent trade partner for the Philadelphia Phillies. Brandon Marsh and Noah Syndergaard came over thanks to them, and now Carlos Estevez comes over from Anaheim as well. This is a great move to me because I genuinely predicted that it needed to be made. The Phillies lack of a closer has gotten them into trouble this year, and Jose Alvarado has really struggled in the ninth. To me, the most logical 9th inning man for the Phillies to chase was Estevez, as he's been an awesome closer this year, and seems to be the kind of guy that would succeed here. Sure enough, they made this move, and now we've got a great closer finally. There's a chance he lets us down, but he had a really strong run once he really got going, so hopefully he stays on that foot.
#5: Jorge Soler and Luke Jackson to the Braves, Tyler Matzek and a prospect to the Giants.
I'm not normally one for nostalgia moves, or salary dumps, but this one is very useful for both teams. The Giants could still feasibly compete, and clearing the DH position actually helps them more than it wounds them. It also clears up the payroll so they can work on locking up the big pieces. The Braves also needed a surefire power boost after the injuries, and Soler is a great power bat, especially in the postseason, as the Braves found out firsthand. Soler and Jackson were celebrated members of the 2021 team, and while it did take giving up a 2021 player in Matzek to get them back, and it may very likely cost fellow 2021 Brave Eddie Rosario a roster spot, it gives the Braves more to work with as they battle for a playoff spot.
Okay. Only mega-deal in the bunch and it's only #4. So...this deal doesn't really change much, honestly. The St. Louis rotation has an average age of like 32, and Fedde's 31 so he only helps a bit, even if he's a much more reliable and consistent arm than a lot of the older options. Pham obviously hits well in St. Louis, he'll keep doing his thing. Kopech is a nice asset for LA, Edman's yet another utility guy joining the Dodgers this month. It...changes things up a little I guess, and Fedde is the big exclamation point here for sure. But all that it really does is slightly reaffirms the Cardinals as a playoff threat while...ridding them of another excess young player, which they seem to be doing a lot lately [would not have called O'Neill, Edman and Carlson all leaving in a span of like 8 months]. I think it does help the Cardinals a lot, but I don't know if it's enough to really establish them as the alpha in the wild card race.
And speaking of the Dodgers' subtle retooling:
#3: Jack Flaherty to the Dodgers, prospects to the Tigers
Well, Skubal didn't leave, and Flaherty didn't land in the Bronx, so this is kind of a disappointment by comparison. Not that the Dodgers didn't need Flaherty; they clearly needed pitching help rather than keep rolling out rookies, and Flaherty is definitely sturdier this year than he was in 2023. He will be a reliable, consistent arm that will hopefully stay healthy through to the postseason and give them at least something to work with. It just feels like the Dodgers getting Flaherty is kind of the boring option. Like, the Yankees deal fell through, the other teams wanted too much, let's just go with LA. I think this is a very good move, and could be the most crucial one by year's end. But there's two that I think are game changer moves if all goes according to plan.
Much higher than I thought. The Pirates have gotten so good recently, are now ahead of the Cardinals in the standings, and are definite wild card players this year. They need more lineup pieces in order to really come through in this race, especially considering the fact that the Astros stopped them from hitting for a while the other night. Getting Isiah Kiner Falefa, while it didn't make the list, is a great contact boost, but getting Bryan de la Cruz, who's had great power AND contact moments for the Pirates, is an excellent move. This is the kind of exciting, powerful player the Pirates needed more of, and putting him in that outfield alongside Reynolds and Taylor makes me feel a ton better about their chances going forward. De la Cruz could struggle, as he has in Miami, but I have a feeling he could spark fire in Pittsburgh.
However, they didn't need a lineup boost as badly as one team, and my god they got one...
#1: Randy Arozarena to the Mariners, 3 prospects to the Rays
This shot to the top of the list when it happened early in the week, and fought opposition from so many bigger moves from bigger teams. But honestly, the Mariners getting an incredible power hitter and multi-tool player in Arozarena, right when they desperately need lineup pop as Crawford and Julio go on the IL, was the game changer for me. Randy's struggled this year, but he's still capable of so much, and everyone knows it. It was really only a matter of when the Rays would pawn Arozarena off, and maybe it needed to be now. In his first few games, Arozarena has been very trustworthy for the M's, and there's already been a shift upward for the team. I do think this was the guy they needed, because if he can keep performing like this beyond the return of the other guys, this team could battle back to the top of the division. Or at least it'd be nice if they did.
So, coming up in the next few days, you'll see some more posts about deals I also thought were noteworthy, and deals that puzzled me.
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