The Major League Baseball trade deadline has come and gone, and it sure was a doozy.
Big names like Yu Darvish and Sonny Gray were dealt before Monday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline, and multiple teams helped solidify themselves as World Series contenders. Meanwhile, there were a few teams that left everyone scratching their heads.
So, let’s take a look at a few winners and losers from the trade deadline.
WINNERS
Los Angeles Dodgers
The best team in baseball got even better just before the trade deadline. The Dodgers bolstered their rotation by reportedly acquiring Darvish from the Texas Rangers for three prospects. Sure, Darvish’s numbers haven’t been great lately, but the Dodgers needed to add a pitcher with Clayton Kershaw currently out with a back injury, and they went out and got arguably the best pitcher on the market. Good luck to the rest of baseball.
New York Yankees
The Yankees are locked in a close race in the American League East with the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays, but they appear to have separated themselves from the pack with their moves prior to the deadline. New York was quite busy, as it added third baseman Todd Frazier, relievers David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle, and starting pitchers Jaime Garcia and Gray. The Yankees are all in.
Chicago Cubs
Remember when the Cubs were experiencing a wicked World Series hangover for the first few months of the season? Yeah, times certainly have changed. Chicago suddenly leads the National League Central by 2.5 games, and it has all the momentum. It’s been a few weeks, but the Cubs technically acquired left-handed starter Jose Quintana from the White Sox, and they also added reliever Justin Wilson and catcher Alex Avila from the Detroit Tigers.
LOSERS
Detroit Tigers
The Tigers aren’t very good, and they are on the verge of a rebuild. They did make a couple of deals by sending J.D. Martinez to the Arizona Diamondbacks and Wilson and Avila to the Cubs, but they also kept their biggest assets — Justin Verlander, Justin Upton and Ian Kinsler. Detroit could have received some valuable pieces for the future in trades for either player, but that didn’t happen.
Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles’ moves the past few days have been interesting, to say the least. Baltimore is 6.5 games behind the Yankees in the AL East, yet it still acquired starting pitcher Jeremy Hellickson and infielder Tim Beckham. But perhaps the more puzzling Orioles move was that they held onto closer Zach Britton, who could have landed them a huge haul in a trade. What exactly is Baltimore doing?
Houston Astros
Sure, the Astros are the best team in the AL, and they are destined for a postseason run. However, they could have used another starting pitcher at the deadline, especially with Lance McCullers headed for the disabled list. They added Francisco Liriano, which was a plus, but the Astros could have made a bigger splash to cement their standing in the league.
Thumbnail photo via Ray Carlin/USA TODAY Sports Images
