Mlb trade deadline winners
August 5th 2021, Written by Justin Levine
The MLB trade deadline came and went this past weekend and has reshaped the landscape of Major League Baseball. While there were plenty of frontrunners that made moves to further enhance their championship aspirations, there were also a few middling teams that attempted to gain an edge. All of this led to the most exciting deadline in MLB history.
5. Oakland A’s
The A’s have been stuck in the second wild card spot for quite some time now. GM David Forst struck early when Oakland sent left-hander Jesus Luzardo to Miami for outfielder Starling Marte. Marte was the biggest name that the A’s traded for, however, they added other pieces to amplify their playoff push. The ball club added left-handed reliever Andrew Chafin from the Cubs, and two solid bench players from Washington. Josh Harrison can play all over the diamond and Yan Gomes is a reliable veteran backstop who knows how to handle a pitching staff.
4. Chicago White Sox
The White Sox have their best team in years and have proved that they will not let this opportunity go to waste. They acquired Craig Kimbrel on deadline day, their second trade with their crosstown rivals. After adding Ryan Tepera earlier, the White Sox bolstered their formidable bullpen with Kimbrel. The 8-time all star joins Liam Hendriks at the backend of the pen, allowing Tony La Russa to shorten games. With young sensation Nick Madrigal out for the season (and also now traded to the north side of Chicago), the White Sox went and got Cesar Hernandez from Cleveland to take his place. Now having equally scary Big 3’s in the rotation and the ‘pen, Chicago will be tough to beat come October.
3. Atlanta Braves
The Braves are one of the teams that could have gone either direction at the deadline. While a trade of Freddie Freeman was unrealistic, they certainly could have parted with Charlie Morton for some prospects and no one would have batted an eye. Much to the joy of Atlanta fans, GM Alex Anthopolous decided to go the other direction. With Ronald Acuña Jr. out for the season, the Braves added FOUR new outfielders. Joc Pederson was traded early in the deadline as part of the Cubs overhaul, while Adam Duvall, Jorge Soler, and Eddie Rosario all came towards the end. Stephen Vogt brings veteran leadership behind the dish and relief pitcher Richard Rodriguez was the best trade of them all. Rodriguez sported a 2.82 ERA this season while appearing in 37 games for the Pirates. Atlanta needed bullpen help, and Anthopolous made sure that they got that and much more.
2. New York Yankees
The Bombers were another team that could have gone either way at the deadline. Although owner Hal Steinbrenner and GM Brian Cashman both agreed that this team would buy, their place in the standings had some fans thinking otherwise. A normal Yankee lineup this season consisted of 8 right hand hitters. Cashman went out and changed that fast. He acquired left-handed sluggers Anthony Rizzo and Joey Gallo to balance out the lineup. Two proven lefties that are sure to have success with the short porch in the Bronx. Those were not the only moves though, as the Yankees also added pitchers Andrew Heaney, Clay Holmes, and Joely Rodriguez. The most amazing stat about all of these trades - the Yankees are paying little to none of any of these five players’ salaries.
1. LA Dodgers
When the Dodgers added Billy McKinney and Danny Duffy early on in the deadline, no one would have been surprised if those were the only moves they made. McKinney provides solid outfield depth and a left-handed bat, while Duffy slides right into the rotation behind Buehler and Kershaw. However, they chose to get greedy. GM Andrew Friedman parted ways with his top two prospects to go chase another ring. The Dodgers reward - how about superstars Max Scherzer and Trea Turner? Many see Scherzer as the big fish here and rightfully so. Mad Max has won 3 Cy Young awards and has a career postseason ERA in the low 3.00’s. However, Trea Turner is a very special player. He provides a speed and power combination that is rare in today’s game. Turner is clearly in his prime, as he is on pace for the first 30/30 season of his career. While the Giants and Padres have been perfectly good adversaries in the NL West this season, this blockbuster deal certainly makes the Dodgers World Series favorites yet again.