There are many ways to break out the bunches of deals we see at the trade deadline every year, and the division of teams into buyers and sellers may no longer mean quite what it did before the addition of a second Wild Card. But it nevertheless remains clear that a good number of teams can be placed into those two camps, at least now that the moves are in the books, and we didn’t really see any club pull off the balleyhooed “buy and sell” (even if some tried).
Let’s focus here on the buy-side. Adding players for the stretch (and a possible post-season run) requires teams to identify needs, evaluate internal options, and value their own future assets in structuring deals. Needless to say, there’s far more to it than just getting the best or best-known player you can.
So, here’s the poll question: looking at the teams that made moves to bolster their current rosters, which one made the best additions, all things considered? I’ll organize the teams into rough groupings for ease of reading:
High-Cost Rentals
Two teams pushed their trade chips squarely toward the present, acquiring multiple players who will all become free agents after the season.
Royals acquire Johnny Cueto, Ben Zobrist — This seemed like the moment to push the chips in for GM Dayton Moore, and he did just that, adding two of the most hotly-pursue players. But those big adds came at the cost of appealing arms like Brandon Finnegan and Sean Manaea.
Mets acquire Yoenis Cespedes, Tyler Clippard, Juan Uribe & Kelly Johnson — After adding some solid pieces in areas of need, GM Sandy Alderson pulled the trigger on a marquee rental in Cespedes. The Mets’ overall mix looks much better right now, but they won’t own the rights to the futures of young pitchers Michael Fulmer and Casey Meisner.
Major Moves – Rent And Buy
Those weren’t the only clubs that paid high prices for rentals, but these teams also picked up significant players who will be controllable after 2015.
Astros acquire Scott Kazmir, Carlos Gomez & Mike Fiers — We’ve seen GM Jeff Luhnow as an accumulator of young talent; now, we got to see him spend it. He opted to add a high-upside rental arm, a year and a half of the excellent Gomez, and a controllable arm in Fiers, dealing from the team’s young depth (including high-rated youngsters like Brett Phillips, Josh Hader, and Jacob Nottingham) to do so.
Cardinals acquire Brandon Moss, Steve Cishek, Jonathan Broxton — While the relievers were available for little more than some salary relief, the reasonably affordable and controllable Moss cost highly-regarded pitching prospect Rob Kaminsky. But nobody knows young arms like St. Louis, and they filled a clear need with the slugger.
Blue Jays acquire Troy Tulowitzki & LaTroy Hawkins, David Price, Ben Revere, Mark Lowe — Toronto added some big names despite facing a large deficit in the AL East, and parted with a long list of pitching prospects to get things done, including highly-regarded young hurlers Daniel Norris and Jeff Hoffman.
Dodgers acquire Mat Latos, Alex Wood, Jim Johnson & Luis Avilan — Los Angeles took on a good bit of salary to add a group of solid arms to the big league roster (while also picking up future years of Wood as well as prospect Jose Peraza), and gave up Hector Olivera in the process.
Multiple Veteran Pieces
These teams bulked up on depth pieces who will fill particular roles on their clubs, generally keeping the acquisition costs down in the process.
Angels acquire David Murphy, David DeJesus, Shane Victorino — Los Angeles added three veteran platoon candidates to address its need for bats. It was an interesting strategy, but certainly added plenty of experience and clubhouse presence at a reasonable price.
Pirates acquire Joakim Soria, J.A. Happ, Aramis Ramirez, Michael Morse, Joe Blanton — Pittsburgh added veteran rental pieces at the spots that were in need of shoring up, and didn’t have to part with its best young talent to do so.
Cubs acquire Dan Haren, Tommy Hunter — Chicago reportedly pursued some more impactful moves, but ultimately settled for veteran depth that did not require the team to part with significant future assets.
Single Shots
Several buyers made targeted buys of specific assets that, they hope, will fill a specific need.
Nationals acquire Jonathan Papelbon — It took some financial juggling and created a bit of controversy due to the presence of Drew Storen, but ultimately the Nats got a quality late-inning arm at the cost of some solid upper-level pitching depth (Nick Pivetta).
Giants acquire Mike Leake — San Francisco parted with righty Keury Mella and third baseman Adam Duvall to bolster its rotation with the reliable righty.
Twins acquire Kevin Jepsen — Despite its strong position in the standings, this was Minnesota’s only move. But giving up youth for veterans may not have made much sense, and the August trade market could present opportunities if the club stays in the hunt.
Orioles acquire Gerardo Parra — To add the solid Parra, who is currently in the midst of a career year, Baltimore gave up a good pitching prospect in Zach Davies.
Padres acquire Marc Rzepczynski — Do we call the Padres buyers? Their only move was to add a veteran middle-reliever, and they held multiple impending free agents, so it’s hard to give any other label.
Looking To The Future?
Rangers acquire Cole Hamels & Jake Diekman, Sam Dyson — It may not quite be fair to consider Texas here, since the main move was heavily driven by future considerations, but the club did have to beat out more obvious contenders to get Hamels. It took quite a haul, with top prospects Jorge Alfaro, Jake Thompson, and Nick Williams among the pieces moved.
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andropov4
Considering the Blue Jays got Tulo and David Price (rental edition) while unloading Reyes’ contract, can there be another choice?
Math&Baseball
Mets- filled 3rd base with Uribe, got Cespedes, and kept their pitching and top prospects.
What the Mets gave up to get Cespedes, Clippard, Uribe/Johnson without trading Wheeler, Matz, Harvey, Syndargaard, Conforto, etc. beats the Blue Jays giving up what they did for Tulo and Price. Hoffman, Castro, Norris were a lot to give up for an injury plagued SS and a rental pitcher.
Portland Micro-Brewers
Everyone here is grading the Mets as winners because of Lucas Duda, Thor and Harvey. Did people really expect them to trade a young cheap pitcher? The Jays beat the Mets in incoming talent and still have Donaldson, Martin, Bautista, etc. You can’t win the deadline by not trading guys no one thought you’d ever trade. Between their trades (for 2nd tier rentals) and promotions it’s hard to find much pitching talent in the Mets system. It’s been years since their pitching talent was this depleted. If they don’t make it to the WC game these moves look bad. If just 4 or 5 of their young pitching studs can stay off the table they should be set in the rotation for a while. Teams like Stl have made a living off of deep pitching because we all know the fragility of pitchers.
billyisgone14
Who in the world thought the Mets were going to part with Harvey and Syndergaard and Matz? Why did you even list guys that are in their everyday rotation (Matz when he’s healthy)? You compared apples to oranges. The Blue Jays traded prospects, not current rotation pieces. Also, Castro isn’t THAT much to give up, a reliever with a long road ahead to being a top tier pitcher.
And also, way to talk up Uribe who won’t matter when Wright gets back. Way to add a backup IF, such a huge deadline win that should be used as comparison for Troy Tulowitzki 🙂
Math&Baseball
The mets could have easily traded Syndergaard or Matz in a block buster deal to acquire someone who’s young and long term like Jorge Soler and prospects or even swapped one in a deal for Puig and prospects. In fact they could have even tried to swap Harvey for Mookie Betts with other pieces moving in the deal. The rental for Cespedes was a lot cheaper than the rental for Price.
A'sfaninUK
Went with the Mets because they were actually winning the east, stumbled, then picked up the necessary pieces needed to take out the Nats, which they now have done as they are back in first place.
Jays needed to add 2 marquee pitchers to get my vote: they’re still 5.5 back from the Yankees and tied with the Orioles. Adding the injury-plagued and massive contract of Tulo, while decimating their pitching ranks (a place of serious need) doesn’t do anything for me.
rct
So have you just been trolling Mets articles? You’ve done nothing but complain about how much you think the Mets have overpaid on their deals. Now, four games later, you think that they made the best moves, ‘by a mile’. Weird.
A'sfaninUK
Uh, both are true? While the Mets did wildly overpay for the Cespedes & Clippard rentals, they did get the guys needed to win the division. Do you understand what context is? Whats really “weird” is you are following my posts to a degree where you felt the need to call me out over what I’ve said about the deals in general, on an article that asks a question with contextual boundaries it.
kingjenrry
Thank you! The day of the Cespedes trade, I complained about having to give up Fulmer and Cessa, and giving up Meisner for Clippard was far from ideal, but at the end of the day, I’m a New York Mets fan. The Binghamton Mets and the Vegas 51s are nice, but I cheer for the big league club and it’s way better than it was 10 days ago.
billyisgone14
2 years ago the Blue Jays decimated their pitching ranks and everyone and their brother lost their minds saying the Jays would take years to undo those losses. 2 years later we had a bunch of highly sought after pitching prospects and we traded some away. Now it’s the same thing. AA is a master of drafting and I’m not at all worried about this. Remember we still have a top pitcher coming back next season (if not this season) in Marcus Stroman, so our future has that piece that everyone seems to be forgetting about.
Brixton
I think Price is the most important. Hes the difference between the Jays contending for the wild card and the division. He makes a mediocre pitching staff into a decent pitching staff because he can now rest the bullpen every 5th day. Didn’t love giving up Norris for him, but its a good win-now move.
I think overall the Mets are the most improved team. They’re legit contenders not only for the division, but for the World Series. Who on this planet would want to face the Mets in a 7 games series. Harvey, Thor, DeGrom with Matz and Niese waiting in the wings.
I think the most underrated move is Mike Leake. 3.50 ERA in Cinci, now moving into a much bigger park.
bruinsfan94 2
I agree! Price and Tulu make that team truly scary! Not too mention Revare and the solid bullpen help. As a Red Sox fan I really hope we can help Toronto and spoil the Yanks. Love that pickup for Cinci too.
Dock_Elvis
Post makes it sound like the Cardinals question Kaminskys ceiling
Jeff Todd
I don’t know how they feel about him, mostly just pointing out a relevant fact for a deal that has widely been called an overpay. But certainly it says something about how they value Kaminsky (as well as Moss, of course).
Dock_Elvis
Absolutely. I was hoping you’d elaborate in the comments. I thought perhaps there was some scout or front office info backing your statement Not that it’s necessary… Find a team that’s high on a player and one that isn’t as high maybe and you get a deal done. That’s the key to a smart front office. That was one of Dayton Moore’s believed flaws. That, being a player development guy, he’d hold all his cards. He.certainly waited, but has atleast has shown in dealing Manaea and Finnegan to a lesser extent, that he’s ready to move players.
Vandals Took The Handles
There is something going on there that I find fascinating. The Indians trade a lot with the Cardinals in moving veteran rentals – or guys with 1.5 years – to get a prospect. So far, the Cardinals have come out ahead on all trades except to some degree when they traded Chris Perez for Mark DeRosa. The Cardinals knew that Perez was alive wire which their organization usually keeps away from. While Perez had 2 or 3 very good seasons with the Indians, he in fact blew up. I’ve never heard that about Kaminsky, but the fact is that the Cardinals know their pitchers better then anyone. And if you look at what they’ve done under Mo, they pretty much would rather hold onto a young pitcher then trade him. Most thought Joe Kelly had the ability to be a #3-4 starter. He got out from under the Cardinals cocoon and look what happened. The only pitcher they’ve traded in the last 5-7 years that did well (as I recall) is Shelby Miller – but with what Jason Heyward has done for them both defensively and offensively, I think they put that under the ‘to get someone good you have to trade someone good’ category. (I expect them to re-sign Heyward – he loves it there.)
I find it hard to believe that the Cardinals give up a top pitching prospect from their minor league system unless they have some major doubts about how high his ceiling is. And the fact that both the media and fans – 98% of whom have never seen Kaminsky pitch – are united in talking about how one of the best farm system for pitchers got snookered made me skeptical about Mo getting ripped off from the moment I read the reaction over the trade.
Portland Micro-Brewers
I saw Kaminsky pitch a few scoreless innings last year against the Dodgers A ball team and he was 92 MPH + with command and a nasty breaking ball. That’s huge from the left side. The Dodgers A team didn’t have much in terms of hitters but I came away impressed. I figured the Cards decided to overpay because they have lefties Marco Gonzalez and Tim Cooney at more advanced levels. Of course Kaminsky’s also the shortest of any of their big name pitchers. Alex Reyes, Jack Flaherty, and Luke Weaver could all be ranked high by season’s end I need to see Reyes but I can’t imagine I’ll like more than Flaherty. Cards just continue to produce great, young pitchers. They have the pieces to overpay here and there.
Dock_Elvis
Jury is out on an overpay…both clubs might have basically agreed he’s likely a bullpen piece as well. Time will tell… It’s what makes it a great game.
Just an FYI… One of the best relievers I’ve ever seen in a game was Donn Roach throwing low A for the Angels….now he’s getting small cups of coffee. Things change.
Dock_Elvis
I’ll say that I never believed Joe Kelly was more than a back end starter…but I’m still holding hole that someone turns him into a late inning option. His stuff is hard and flat…but it’d play with his other offerings late in a game. Maybe he’d take the Wade Davis route.
Jeff Todd
Yeah I’ve got nothing to go on in this case beyond observations from afar. But it will be interesting to hear if someone roots out some info on that — haven’t seen anything yet.
Dock_Elvis
Most likely scenario, to me, anyway, would be a character issue. But if nothing else it points out how subjective prospect rankings are.
Vandals Took The Handles
Found this on a Baseball Prospectus article from may or June of this year…..
“A lack of size and fluidity to his delivery leave Kaminsky without much projection despite being just 20 years old. He shows good pitchability for a player his age, understanding how to add and subtract with both his fastball and curveball and showing a feel for the development of his change-up, which has the potential to be a third above-average offering. None of the pitches showed as potential plus offerings, however, leaving him with a relatively high floor but a low ceiling as a back-end starter.”
Dock_Elvis
Maybe a bullpen arm then?
A'sfaninUK
There’s almost no more of a false warning on a prospect than “lack of size”. You really could make a long list of today’s star SPs (Cueto, Gray) and HOFers (Pedro) who were questioned by a supposed lack of height. That has literally never stopped a good pitcher from succeeding. Its an old-school scouting line of thought that should never, ever, EVER be spoken of.
Vandals Took The Handles
I agree about your point on size, but it’s not that simplistic. If the Cardinals had a problem with his size, they would not have drafted him.
But the scouting report also noted the caliber of his pitches as not being the best. Cueto, Gray and Martinez always threw hard and had a lot of break on their pitches at young ages.
I read another scouting report on him that more or less said that what he was doing in regards to changing speeds and hitting spots works well in the lower minors where hitters do not see that sort of thing from pitchers – many are getting their control down and airing it out. But as Kaminsky moves up the ladder he will need more speed and movement on his pitches. Maybe the Indians can develop him. Time tells.
Keep in mind that the Cardinals are still playing a form of Branch Rickey baseball (Mo even wears box ties out of respect). And one of Rickey’s main points was – trade a player a year too soon rather then a year too late. The Cardinals have been very good about doing that over the years, including Mo – (see the Craig / Kelly trade).
A'sfaninUK
I like your point about “caliber of pitches”, which at this point, coming from that specific organization, it might be that they pushed the bar too high on their own guys and undervalued their own asset!
Moss is a decent piece, and he does scream “postseason hero” from a mile away, but Kaminsky has done literally nothing but pitch very well at every level so far – maybe if he was scuttling this deal makes more sense, and I’m sure Cleveland loves that they traded a terrible prospect in Joey Wendle for a first round blue chipper in Kaminsky.
“Trade a player a year too soon rather then a year too late” – I wish more people would view the Donaldson trade this way. Oh well, both these deals will emerge with clear winners and losers in 5 years or so.
Portland Micro-Brewers
Cueto, Sonny Gray, and Pedro are great company to fall short of. They are all righties too. Low to mid 90’s on a lefty is like mid to high 90’s on a righty. 2 or 3 more inches and he’d project on a path similar to Steven Matz and Julio Urias. The major difference is Matz and Urias had better change-ups and Kaminsky’s curve (?) is his best pitch. Kaminsky has a little Scott Kazmir in him. He just has the make-up of someone who will put in the work to stay in the rotation long term. Interesting scouting report on Rob. Usually you see the exact opposite said about younger pitchers. Most top prospects have the stuff but take years to learn the cerbral side of pitching. If he can continue to improve his understanding of pitch sequencing, + or – speed, and changing hitters eye level and timing maybe he’ll be a number 2 or 3. Greg Maddux did well with those qualities and diminished stuff.
Dock_Elvis
Well, the Cards aren’t getting a.steal for Kaminsky either way…they maybe dealt a year early, but they took on Moss. Someone could argue they could have done better on Kaminskys potential
Dock_Elvis
Small size would need to be coupled with arm action. It’s not Tim Lincecum size that got to him…its his arm action. Ron Guidry was short and got it done as well. I often wish scouts would elaborate more on the height issue… Is it more about mechanics coupled to it?
Portland Micro-Brewers
Sometimes it’s mechanics, like Timmy. Sometimes it’s a 1 or 2 plus pitch repertoire. Other times team’s just lack patience with anyone 6’0″ or under. Teams will give a 6’4″ pitcher like Carlos Frias more time because the reputation tall guys have for developing later. If you’re a SP at 5’11” or smaller you have to prove that you can hack it as a starter and your frame can take a 170-200 innings workload. It seems like every year teams value height on the mound a little bit more. Jharel Cotton has 95 MPH heater, his change is his better pitch and he’s dominating in a similar fashion as Urias and De Leon. He’s on the same team too. Most scouts still have a bullpen tag on him because he’s 5’11” with a 2 pitch combo that would play up in the pen. These things are very fluid and change all the time though. Joc Pederson was a likely 4th outfielder his first season or two, after that many said he’d be a LF. Julio Urias was already maxed out as a slightly chubby, 6’0″, 16 year old hitting 92 MPH. Scouts are wrong a lot and have short memories. They usually lean towards being more cautious than optimistic. Especially with young pitchers. Should scouts assume Urias would grow a couple inches and tone up? At 16, yeah. At 18, maybe. At 20-22, less likely.
Dock_Elvis
Certainly scouts will lean toward predictability… And a guy at 6’5 220 is typically more projectable given his stuff is there
theo2016
Hes tagged as bullpen because he is 24 and got hurt after macing out at 120 innings.
Dock_Elvis
OK…so you might get a few back end seasons or a nice lefty pen arm..that’s solid for Moss
woodhead1986
well its obviously the Jays. so the better question is; who had the 2nd best trade deadline. And to me, thats gotta be the Mets.
Dock_Elvis
Blue Jays made some big moves..but its at a price. Price is a rental and Tulo can hit but that turf is gonna be rough on him.
Cedric Lee
price could be a rental or they might be able to re-sign him. they will definitely have the money to do so if they choose with buehrle, izturis and romero off the books. royals on the other hand for sure will not be shelling out 25-30 mil for cueto after this season.
Baseballholic
the Jays are clearing about 50Mil$ off the books after this season , and with that lineup, and Donaldson, Tulo, Revere as defensive wizards give Price more incentives to re-sign with the Jays, but first. I want to enjoy the ride during the next 50plus games
Cedric Lee
i dunno why everyone complains about the turf. i have yet to see the new turf cause anyone to get injured this season. people were saying the turf could be tough on donaldson but he’s pretty much played every game so far.
price might not be a rental either. jays will have money to re-sign him with buehrle, romero and izturis coming off the books. whether he wants to stay or not depends on a lot of things but it’s not an automatic no like the royals with cueto. royals for sure will not be spending 25-30 mil to retain him.
royals paid a lot for their guys too and they dont get to keep zobrist. jays got rid of reyes’ terrible contract and replaced with tulo. no problems there.
scissormetimbers
As a jays fan, that turf is an emberasment to baseball, in regards to injury, I dunno
Dock_Elvis
It could all work out for the Jays, but Tulo hasn’t stayed healthy and that turf won’t help his legs. As far as Price…its a stretch that the Jays resign him. I’m guessing the Cubs are writing a check there. Royals did give up Manaea, but they do have a clear shot at the playoffs.
cookiemonster
the jays also backloaded russell martins contract: 8 mil increase next year. josh donaldson arbitration: 5 mil increase. they really don’t have the money for price and his 25 mil per year if they were max payroll this year.
MB923
Difference between how much money you have and how much you innvest. Rogers is by far the richest owners in baseball. To say they don’t have the money us 110% false
How much they want to invest in the Jays is another story
billyisgone14
Bang on. Rogers always seems to have a tight purse with the Jays lately and it’s led to them having to be creative in their moves. Hopefully the team can make a great playoff run and the ownership group sees it’s worth the price to have a contender annually.
Dock_Elvis
They have about zero intelligent money spending precedent…. And they’ll have competition on the opein market with Price. It’s fairly clear that Price is a rental. He likely has Chicago and LA in a shootout for him in the winter.
Bronx Bombers
I’d include the Yankees as well in wanting to acquire Prices services.
Dock_Elvis
Certainly
A'sfaninUK
If Donaldson somehow wins the MVP over Trout, he’s looking at about $14-15M next year. Lincecum got $9M for winning the Cy.
A'sfaninUK
Just because they have the money doesn’t mean Price won’t test the market, and if you think if he’ll pick Toronto over the Dodgers you are just kidding yourself.
Draven Moss
Price has never spoke of a high desire to play on the West Coast, so I’m not sure if that matters all that much to him. Also, if he ends up going to the Dodgers, he won’t be as highly regarded because of Kershaw’s superstar status. It more than likely comes down to money for him (and being in a place where it is comfortable and fun, as he has said) and if Toronto is willing to give him a big pay check (which is unlikely IMO), I’d say he is just as likely to sign there than LA. So far, the fans and team seem super excited that he is there. I honestly don’t think he will end up on either team however.
A'sfaninUK
Price has never spoken of any desire to play anywhere.
He’s going to LA. LA has the money, the easier league, the big market and a great team. They are probably losing Greinke so they’ll have even more money to play with. Everything about Price in T-dot smells like CC in Milwaukee. Have fun and be sure to abuse that arm while you got him, put him on a 120 pitch minimum for sure, ha
Dock_Elvis
Don’t underestimate the Cubs on Price
exhibitionstadium
You’re pretty darn sure of yourself, aren’t you? You lay out points in favor of Price going to LA but just remember you don’t know the man personally and don’t know for sure where he’s going… and that’s what bothers me about your post — your arrogant presumption that you just KNOW where he’s going when in fact you don’t.
Portland Micro-Brewers
Playing in Toronto, with games in Baltimore, Yankee stadium, and Fenway. Almost all of his games vs a DH. If I was his agent I’d require more from an AL East team for a pitcher like Price. I think pitching after Kershaw is a plus for most pitchers. His work ethic and professionalism is praised by most players who leaves LA. The big selling point would be no DH and most of his games split between Petco, AT&T, and Dodger Stadium. There’s also the little fact that LA buys anyone it wants. After 1 game with a new team every player likes what they’re seeing. We’d be wise to wait until the honeymoon ends to see where AA and Price stand on a big deal.
Dock_Elvis
Dodgers or Cubs….if I’m laying a bet…I’m placing it on Chicago. There’s a reason they made minimal moves at the deadline
Portland Micro-Brewers
I could see it coming down to the Cubs and Dodgers. Both have huge $ and the Cubs may be more motivated to get the best available. With Greinke, Cueto, and Zimmermann looking like nice consolation options. Red Sox should be looking for a TOR arm too.
Dock_Elvis
I believe Chicago’s interest in Price goes back to Tampa Bay. I’ll actually be a bit surprised if he doesn’t reunite with Maddon
theo2016
Its more than maddon. They have his college pitching coach in the organization as well. And as we saw at the college world series he was quite fond of his time there.
Dock_Elvis
I can’t place it on any one thing with Chicago…just a few scenarios that it makes sense…especially now that Hamels wasn’t acquired. Price has stated that he wants to have fun playing… that could be anywhere… But more than one player has stated that every player should play in Chicago for atleast one season. I’m no Wrigley Homer either…it just makes sense.
A'sfaninUK
I agree with the Cubs being in on Price too, behind LAD – just no way at all he stays in canada. Also no way he looks at what Scherzer’s done and stays in the AL. He’d be on a short route to the HOF if he goes to the NL at this point in his career.
joshb600
Agreed. The turf is known to be hard on people’s backs, not on their legs. Tulo has no back problems so he should be fine.
joshb600
Tulo’s never had back problems which is what the turf is known for. He’ll be alright.
Dock_Elvis
Optimisic….Tulo has hardly EVER been alright
Portland Micro-Brewers
You don’t think turf would help a 30 year old SS with chronic leg, groin, and hip issues?
Dock_Elvis
I’d question Tulos future health on ANY surface…but outside of Tampa he’s now on the worst surface for him.
Dock_Elvis
I’ll go with the Royals. Not the splashiest moves but they addressed two major areas of concern with proven players.
Cedric Lee
i dont get it, if that’s the criteria we’re going with then the jays should win this poll. they addressed 3 major areas of concern (crappy LF fielding, starting pitching and bullpen). they also took care of the poor fielding at ss as well. price being a rental makes no difference as the royals picked up 2 rentals and cueto has much more of an injury history/concern than price. tulo might only play 1 position but he is much better than zobrist.
Sky14
Cueto and Zobrist aren’t splashy?
Dock_Elvis
Yeah…I have to rethink my definition of splashy. I think I was going with predictable. What the Royals did was predictable. Brought in an ace and a utility guy who can slide into second when Gordon is back.
What the Jays did was certainly more exciting.
Dock_Elvis
Best team to lock Dave Stewart in a dark closet at the deadline? Arizona Diamondbacks. Best non moves of all time
Brixton
Who were they supposed to move? Not like they are loaded with rentals.
Dock_Elvis
They were reported in on both Hamels and Chapman and would have needed to send prospects for either or both
iowarockeyes
My vote is the Mets with the Jays right behind them (although part of me puts them ahead). The biggest thing for the Mets was not having to move any of their starting 5. They got a huge bat in Cespedes and makes them legit. Duda is hitting like his life depends on it. They have the pieces to go deep. Offense helps but pitching wins championships. Just ask the Giants
nymlagares
Agree with the top 2. Price was probably a bit of an overpay with Norris’ potential, but AA has to go for it. The Mets will probably reap the most rewards from their deals. They improved so much so quickly, and not just with play, but with confidence.
Draven Moss
In regards with the best deadline moves by a buyer, I’d have to go with the Dodgers. They upgraded their rotation greatly and aided their bullpen by using their buying power. They ate a bunch of money (which seems to be no issue for them) and traded a surplus (infield depth) to get their biggest needs. Seems like the best move to me.
treday
I would also go with LA, mostly because we got better while giving up the least by far. In fact, with the Peraza addition, our farm probably got stronger. If any other team made the same moves though, it would be significantly further down the list; the only reason it worked for LA is because they have the financial muscle to take on the bad contracts of players like Mike Morse without having to restrict spending later.
I also really liked the Mets’ moves, they addressed some needs and kept their power rotation intact. The Jays’ moves were by far the flashiest, but they gave up a LOT to make it happen.
Take it all with a grain of salt though, I’m a Dodger fan after all.
scissormetimbers
toronto by a mile
A'sfaninUK
Mets have literally gone from 2 games behind to 1 in front.
Jays made up half a game.
Mets by a mile, so far.
phillyphanatics
Don’t quite understand all the love for the blue jays, who might not even make the playoffs or could at least need to win a play in game.
Lame duck CEO and possibly lame duck GM forced the wild spending spree of prospects.
For my money, I think the a Royals are awfully close and got the 2 pieces they needed at fair prices.
While I like the Astros and never count out the Giants, my guess is a 30th anniversary all Missouri I-70 series is in our future.
Would Joaquin Andujar throw out a first pitch to Don Denkinger? That would be priceless!!!
Jorge Soler Powered
Don’t worry, Blue Jays fans did this the last time they went “all in” and overhyped moves.
start_wearing_purple
I like what the Jays did though I honestly am more interested now if we can finally answer the question of how good is Tulo. A great slugger or a product of Coors Field.
But I gotta go with the Royals win now approach. It’s gutsy and potentially worth it more.
MB923
I don’t think going from Coors to Rogers Centre will hurt his numbers much at all.
start_wearing_purple
Probably not, but this has been a debate for a while now and it can be put to rest with evidence rather than conjecture.
Portland Micro-Brewers
The away stadiums will be a lot friendlier than the NL West trio of sealevel parks. It’s big change from mile high to the beaches of California.
A'sfaninUK
I’d rather settle the answer of whether or not he’s made of glass.
SheaGoodbye
Given the results of the poll thus far, this post should be re-titled to “Poll: Most Significant Acquisitions By A Buyer” because people don’t seem to understand what the the term “best” signifies.
Without a doubt, the Blue Jays are the most improved team as a result of the moves they’ve made, but that’s not the question here. Given how much talent they gave up to acquire the players that they did, coupled with the fact they are hardly a lock to make the postseason and one of their big acquisitions was for a rental (Price), I find it pretty hilarious that they overwhelming majority of readers thought they were the clear winners. Yes, you could make a case for them being so, but they would have competition in that regard.
Smart money goes on the Mets and Royals (you could also throw the Astros in there along with the Jays). The Mets because they significantly improved their chances of making the playoffs in an even more winnable division without sacrificing nearly as much talent as the Jays did, and the Royals because unlike the Jays, they mortgaged their future as a much better team with a clear path to the playoffs and a strong case to be a World Series favorite.
Not trying to bash what the Jays did at the deadline because I actually liked most of their moves. Just saying going for it under their circumstances shouldn’t make them de facto winners at the deadline.
Dock_Elvis
I took the Royals because the two players they brought in were the best fit as well as being highly coveted on the market. Toronto did well, but did so from a flawed team
dan-9
The Royals did the best. They were already going to win their division. Now they have an ace to take through the playoffs. They jumped from likely ALDS loser to genuine World Series contender.
The Blue Jays did well, but they’re still far enough behind the Yankees that they’re still more likely than not going for the wild card. In which case they will probably use Price in the one-game playoff and not have him available more than once in the division series.
gomerhodge71
No love for Papelbon?
phillyphanatics
While I can understand not wanting to suffer through another Drew Storen October, Papelbon is such a jerk that if he has a few hiccups in the regular season, that clubhouse could fracture in an instant
hojostache
I hope he is the catalyst for an implosion. I kinda wanted to see him pitch against the Mets during the last series, but there was never a need for them to close a game.
Niekro
I liked the Dodgers moves money means next to nothing to them and they bolstered their rotation and strengthened an already strong farm system, it might not be the splashy moves LA wants, but it was still very nice trades, besides money the main player they gave up had no position to play on the dodgers.
Portland Micro-Brewers
I agree. I like Cueto and Price but I’ll take 4 years of the age 24, lefty instead. He has been pretty good throughout his young career. Declines in velo and K rate are concerns, though. Throw in an age 21 prospect at AAA who balances out Corey Seager’s deficiencies with speed, versatility, and right handedness and the future value could prove big. Wood and Peraza should be Dodgers long past the other major pieces mentioned in the post. Mat Latos as a number 5 starter and Jim Johnson for the 7th and 8th innings are the type low cost rentals I can get behind. If you told me before the season, or even the deadline, that we’d get Wood and Peraza for Zach Bird, a 30 year old not on the 25 man, and the Marlins comp I wouldn’t have let myself believe it.
theo2016
Declining k rate, velo and a violent delivery sounds ljke a tj candidate. That 30 year old got a 60 mil dollar deal.
Portland Micro-Brewers
I like Hector, wasn’t downplaying him. Good luck on predicting TJS, because you know how predictable pitcher injuries are. Fans are have the same outlook on Olivera needing TJS also.
luckiest4
i think the Jays made the biggest headline moves but i gave it to NYM because i felt they addressed a lot of need and really only gave up one very good prospect in Fulmer. even then, i thought it was a decent move because they can trade pitching given they have a corps of young arms. i don’t know how it would shake out but i liked the moves Pittsburgh made which are a little under the radar.
BoldyMinnesota
My Rankings
Jays
Royals
Pirates
Mets
Dodgers
Rangers
Giants
Astros
Nats
phantomofdb
53 people voted for the Twins? Was it Terry Ryan and his family? Or maybe some rival fans…
Dock_Elvis
Only way the Twins do well is if they held some prospects and can make some August waiver claims for little more than cash.
phantomofdb
I don’t disagree. But that doesn’t mean acquiring Jepsen would ever qualify as the “best” deadline purchase.
Dock_Elvis
Only way someone makes that claim is if they are voting based off of not shipping prospects for a rental. Because, yeah…Jepsen isn’t getting that vote. That’s pure fan boy vote…not even a rational Twins fan could say they did the best.
ilikebaseball 2
The Cubs for recognizing no matter what acquisitions they may have been able to pull off this year, it wouldn’t of guaranteed a play-off spot much less success in the play-offs. They are a young team that makes a lot of simple mistakes that will get punished in October baseball. Keeping all their young assets was the best non-moves of all the buyers.
Dock_Elvis
Also sharp for AZ not to deal as well
theo2016
The trades they did try to make were for controllable guys anyway.
Dock_Elvis
That’s true if the rumors are accurate. Makes sense for them to go after some players…but it would have damaged the system. They’d be in a place with having marquee players and role players. Probably better trying to spend that cable money in free agency and building a nice core
Dock_Elvis
Arizona gets a special achievement award for not shipping Goldschmidt to SD for Kimbrel. Anyone who believes in the conspiracy theory that holds Dave Stewart is trying to wreck the snakes just got thrown for a major loop.
phillyphanatics
Since SD shipped Rizzo out for Cashner a couple of years back, Preller might be on the hunt for someone dumber than his predecessor
Dock_Elvis
It actually looked like SD won that trade for quite awhile. Rizzo was just so highly touted coming up in the Red Sox system… packed to SD…then dealt for Cashner..who looked alright..but not an ace.
davE 36
now do a poll of “Best Trade Deadline Moves By A Seller” !!!
Dock_Elvis
That’s tough because it comes down to individual team need. I liked what Colorado got…but I also liked Detroit’s return on some trades. Cincy did alright. Phillies surprised some naysayers. I mean…better question was who bombed a deal? Lots of flack over Kaminsky going to Cleveland…but lots of chatter over Kaminskys ceiling as well.
Portland Micro-Brewers
I think the Brewers brought back the most of any seller. They added 4 new guys who made theirtop 15 prospects in . That system has a lot of talent spread out across different levels. Their farm looks deep, particularly at SS, OF and pitching.
joew
Pirates getting Aramis was great..
Pirates getting Blanton for next to nothing whoo hoo…
Pirates lost JaCoby Jones who is going to be a MLB power bat for a pretty good rental.. its a toss up. really needed the arm.. got quite a bit of OF talent still in the system….
Pirates Lost Adrian Sampson who was going to be at the back of the rotation as early as next year for one of the worst pitchers in baseball…. WTF?
I said that about Volquez too and he turned out okay 😉 i duno if a few months is enough time to turn around Happ or if we can afford to wait that long.
phillyphanatics
Pirates’ best move was Soria…that pen needs more depth especially with Burnett going down…too many 6-inning pitchers on that team in the 3-5 (even Liriano at 2 isn’t exactly a workhorse)
Backatitagain
Since the Braves traded eleven guys there must be some reason they are left out of the article.
jtt11 2
Whoa! When was the last time there was poll for any type of player acquisition that both the Yankees and Boston were missing?