It has only been about six weeks, so it’s too soon to judge with finality how this year’s trade deadline maneuvers will play out. That said, we’re already most of the way through the period — the regular season portion, at least — for which rental players were acquired. Even players with future control are usually added first and foremost for their immediate contributions (though there are some exceptions). It’d be awfully premature to say anything conclusive about the prospect side of any deals, but we do now have some additional information with which to work.
So, that’s why we’re going to take a glance back over our shoulders at the moves (and major non-moves) that organizations made in the run-up to this year’s trade deadline. We already covered the AL Central, NL Central, AL East, NL East, and AL West. Now we’ll finish things off in the NL West …
Dodgers
With visions of Felipe Vazquez as the trade deadline approached, many fans likely came away thoroughly underwhelmed by the Dodgers’ efforts. But if making that deal would’ve cost Gavin Lux, then he wouldn’t be in the lineup right now.
Plus, the Dodgers are awfully good even without another high-end relief arm. The bullpen has some big questions, to be sure, but the L.A. organization is loaded with starting pitching options that can all be deployed in various ways come October. There’s no question that there’s a possibility we’ll look back and think the Dodgers should have done more, but it’s likewise impossible to argue with the organization’s process or results in recent years.
So, what did the team do? On deadline day, the headliner was … trading for lefty reliever Adam Kolarek. That seemed ho-hum, but he has been quite useful, allowing just one earned run in 10 1/3 innings over 21 appearances. Yep, he’s being utilized judiciously, but that makes sense. Kolarek has been bombed by righties this year but has held opposing southpaws to a meager .183/.227/.269 batting line. The player sent out to get him, outfielder Niko Hulsizer, acquired in return, didn’t really have enough action to change his outlook in any meaningful way.
Otherwise, the moves were even lower-stakes arrangements. Utilityman Kristopher Negron has chipped in well since his acquisition and the Dodgers probably won’t miss Daniel Castro, who hasn’t hit much in the upper minors and wasn’t likely to play a significant role this year or next. The Dodgers haven’t gotten anything from Tyler White, but also probably haven’t seen anything from Andre Scrubb to cause major regret from that trade. Jedd Gyorko hasn’t hit well since coming over, but that didn’t cost much either. Young righty Jeffry Abreu, sent in the swap along with the contract of Tony Cingrani, hasn’t yet thrown competitive innings with the Cardinals. The Dodgers also picked up international spending capacity and cash considerations in the deal.
Diamondbacks
The major move came at the very last minute, with the D-Backs parting with veteran righty Zack Greinke. It’s hard to imagine that free agent contract having a softer landing. In addition to shedding much of the remaining financial obligation, the Arizona organization added four high-quality prospects.
Only one of those new players, infielder Josh Rojas, has ascended to the majors. The 25-year-old owns only a .232/.318/.337 slash in 107 trips to the plate, but his monster season in the upper minors still makes him an intriguing player going forward. The other three were even more highly regarded talents. Slugger-in-training Seth Beer struggled after the swap but still holds ample promise. Talented righties Corbin Martin and J.B. Bukauskas will be looking to bounce back, respectively, from Tommy John surgery and a bit of a down season in the results department.
The Snakes figured to take a step back sans Greinke, but they actually managed to stay relevant in the Wild Card race. Young righty Zac Gallen has had a big say in that, having thrown 43 2/3 innings of 2.89 ERA ball since arriving in exchange for touted infielder Jazz Chisholm. That’s immensely promising for the Arizona organization, which will hope Gallen can sustain his breakout year. On the other side of that deal, it’s fair to note that the 21-year-old Chisholm put his struggles behind him to finish with a strong .284/.383/.494 (156 wRC+) run after going into the Miami system.
With a continued eye to making sound baseball decisions for sustainable competitiveness, the Diamondbacks finally hammered out a swap for sturdy but unexciting starter Mike Leake. The veteran righty had a no-trade clause and personal reasons to prefer pitching in Arizona, which may have helped the Snakes work out a solid deal that cost only $6MM in total salary obligations and Jose Caballero. The young infielder struggled to a .256/.339/.333 batting line at the High-A level after the deal.
The D-Backs got some cash in exchange for catcher John Ryan Murphy, but otherwise that was it for mid-summer roster moves. It’s easy to like the overall slate of changes, though we’ll need to track them to see how it all shakes out over the long haul.
Giants
Also busy were the Giants, who faced a tricky deadline situation owing to a hot streak that had the club in Wild Card contention. Ultimately, the team decided not to sell of quality lefties Madison Bumgarner and Will Smith — each of whom might have brought back significant returns. The former is sure to receive a qualifying offer and the latter is a candidate as well, so there are still some paths to achieving future value, but the organization knew it was making some sacrifices by holding on to these pitchers.
The San Francisco denizens did move quite a few other hurlers. Chief among them was righty Sam Dyson (link), who will be eligible for arbitration one final time in 2020. Unfortunately, he has struggled badly in just a dozen appearances with the Twins and is now under consideration for a season-ending shoulder procedure. That doesn’t look great for Minnesota, though questions remain on the other side of the swap as well. Power-hitting outfielder Jaylin Davis laid waste to Triple-A but has struggled in his first, brief foray into the majors. We won’t know for quite some time what the Giants really have in young pitching prospects Kai-Wei Teng and Prelander Berroa.
The well-timed reemergence of southpaw Drew Pomeranz allowed the Giants to package him with power righty Ray Black in a deal that landed long-lauded infield prospect Mauricio Dubon. Pomeranz has been useful in Milwaukee but is a pure rental; Black still hasn’t shown his big heat can consistently retire MLB hitters. Meanwhile, the 25-year-old Dubon has turned in an impressive .302/.327/.547 run in his first 55 plate appearances at the game’s highest level. That showing could make him the favorite to handle second base next year in San Francisco. The club made way by dropping veteran Scooter Gennett, who had been acquired as a buy-low replacement for Joe Panik.
The other significant reliever swap involved high-priced veteran Mark Melancon. It was surprising to see the Giants shed all of the veteran’s remaining salary obligations. He has a strong 20:2 K/BB ratio in 15 2/3 frames since the deal, along with ten saves, but hasn’t consistently kept runs off the board. The Giants have to be pleased with what they saw from the player they added in that swap. Young righty Tristan Beck threw 35 2/3 innings of 2.27 ERA ball, with 9.3 K/9 against 3.3 BB/9, for the club’s High-A affiliate.
Rounding things out for the Giants, the team took a shot on outfielder Joe McCarthy, who has not yet figured things out at Triple-A. The cost was younger prospect Jacob Lopez, who is still in the low minors but generated solid results this year.
Padres
The deadline turned out to be all about one man: Taylor Trammell. Long considered an uber-talented outfielder, the former first-round pick was plainly targeted by the Padres. It took a complicated, three-team arrangement to make it happen, but the San Diego organization now has a player that it views as the center fielder of the future.
Trammell remains an unfinished product. He wrapped up the season on a hot streak but ultimately carried only a .229/.316/.381 slash in his 133 Double-A plate appearances after the swap. The Friars are betting on their ability to finish off his development and surely hope they bought at a relative low point.
Making the deal cost the Pads a few quality assets. Young outfielder Franmil Reyes hasn’t yet settled in with his new team, posting 56 strikeouts in 161 plate appearances, but he comes with loads of cheap control and ample potential. Southpaw Logan Allen has mostly struggled this year, but he is another player that could soon be a quality MLB contributor. The Padres also parted with far-away youngster Victor Nova. Clearly, the San Diego end of this swap will take many years to evaluate in full.
It was otherwise a fairly quiet deadline period. The Padres got nothing from Carl Edwards Jr. after adding him from the Cubs; he seems a non-tender candidate this fall. Meanwhile, lefty Brad Wieck has been a surprising contributor in Chicago since that swap was completed. The 27-year-old has eleven strikeouts without a walk in 5 1/3 appearances. Also heading out of San Diego was righty reliever, Phil Maton, who has thus far been useful but unremarkable in Cleveland.
Rockies
Typically, when a team enters a season intending to contend and finds itself buried by the trade deadline, there’s a sell-off. Not so in Colorado — and for good reason. The club just didn’t have any assets that made sense to move. The higher-priced veterans haven’t performed well enough to generate appreciable cost savings, while the club’s core talent can’t be shipped out without leaving un-fillable holes. While some Charlie Blackmon explorations reportedly took place, that never seemed likely to result in a move and in the end fizzled out.
So … all we’re left with was this stirring blockbuster with the Yankees: the acquisition of right-hander Joe Harvey for minor league left-hander Alfredo Garcia. Harvey is a MLB-ready reliever who has shown some strikeout ability in the minors, though his initial transition to the highest level of the game hasn’t been especially promising. Garcia generated good results on both sides of the swap, but he’s a low-A player who is a long way from the bigs.
JayRyder
The Giants did good. . . Considering there is a human side to things. They were in it slightly with Bochy’s last season. They sold Some assets. I think with eyes towards re-signing Bum & Smith. Probably because there weren’t good enough offers out there. Quite a pickle. But this is a process. Another year of rebuilding. And shedding contracts if they can. New manager, coaching staff. I like the direction they’re heading… And those few weeks they were in “Contention”. Probably the most exciting weeks since 2016s Run… It was fun. More to build on. &, The Triple A team is one win from the AAA Championship. &, The minor league system is ranked about #14 when I checked… Quite the turn around indeed…
JoeBrady
I’d have traded MadBum & Smith. I know the fans love these guys, but you still have to sign them, and they both just turned 30.
OTOH, Pomeranz was a nice score, and I still have no idea how you dumped Melancon’s contract.
Gobbysteiner
I have no idea how they dumped his entire contract AND got a top 30 braves prospect in return. Farhan is just a wizard i guess
Gmen777
All the reports indicate nobody made a good offer for Smith and/or Bum. If the return was gonna be less than what the Jays got for Stroman I’m glad we held on to them personally
SalaryCapMyth
I thought the package the Jays got for Stroman was lite so that same package for MadBum sounds close. We’ve pretty much seen a full season now so I dont think we can expect to much for about 12 or 13 starts from a no.3 pitcher.
DarkSide830
giving up Chisholm was a steep price, but I think the Gallen trade ends up being a steal for Arizona. he’s absurd.
JoeBrady
Great trading season for a team that should’ve been in a rebuild mode.
They also did it right. Instead of just dumping Greinke for salary, they picked up enough of his salary to get some decent prospects in return. It shows the fans that you are still investing in the team. Same with picking up Leake. A lot of rebuilding teams simply cut to the bone, and pocket the savings.
GarryHarris
Definitely ARI and SFG did well during the deadline, they improved their team while unloading huge salary. What was COL thinking?.
I don’t understand the hype over Jazz Chisholm whereas Zac Gallen looks like an ace in the making.
I think MIL doesn’t know what they had in Mauricia Dubon hidden away. Al Avila has spent 4 years looking for MLB ready players in MiLB but can’t seem to land a significant one. Farhan Zaidi scores one in less than a year. Just sayin’
LAD doesn’t need to make a single move outside the organization but acquire Tyler White and Jedd Gyorko who aren’t even the type of players the Dodgers are built around. Dodn’t Farhan Zaidi just leave the Dodgers? Just sayin’
NYY stole Alfredo Garcia from COL.. Fail!
I hope I’m wrong but, I think SDP got an over-hyped CF in Taylor Trammell whom CIN converted to LF for a low contact mega powered DH. Regardless, its the right direction for SDP.
Eightball611
Drew Poms trade was dawged on however he is quietly having himself a good stretch for the brewers.
Gobbysteiner
Yeah but so is dubon for the giants and he’s under control for 6 more years whereas Pomeranz is a free agent
amk3510
Giants did not do good. Trading Pomeranz, Melancon and Dyson were good but stopping there ruined it. Predictably it got them stuck in the middle as we all knew their run was a flash in the pan (this is not hindsight it was said at the time). Getting good pieces for Bumgarner and Smith + a lesser sell of Watson really could have moved the needle. Instead they let their last movable assets expire. No, no one wants Belt, Crawford or Longoria. The movable pieces are gone and what they got is underwhelming for a team that was supposed to “run the market” Potentially re-signing them is not an argument because that could still have happened with a trade. Cashman showed how savy that could be for the team. That Yankees team was better than these Giants too. The Dbacks are the polar opposite of the Giants. Not delusional, sold off an asset and still had a better team.
Gobbysteiner
They didn’t need to “move the needle”. This isn’t 2014 anymore. The farm isn’t nearly as bad as it once was, which is probably a big reason why they didn’t feel like they needed to move some of the bigger pieces. 4 top 100 prospects and a few more like Corry or Canario will probably join them soon. Their future is nowhere near as bleak as it once was.
amk3510
Not as bleak but still no better than 4th in division. They are well behind LA, AZ and SD in young talent
JoeBrady
The Dbacks are the polar opposite of the Giants. Not delusional, sold off an asset and still had a better team.
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The started off the season with a great trade too. One year of Goldy for 5 years of kelly and 5 years of Weaver is a steal.
kenleyfornia2
Well at least Kolarek has been a good LOOGY and the pen has has positive regression
frankiegxiii
True, I wanted more at the deadline but now I’m happy with who we got. Dyson and Watson look like they’re done for the season, Melancon hasn’t been too good, we dodged a major bullet with not getting the Pirates closer, Kimbrel hasn’t provided half the firepower I thought he would, Shane Greene is looking pretty good but I’d rather have Maeda and Gonsolin for free rather than give up whatever the Tigers were asking for for Greene, the one thing I didn’t like was giving up Andre Scrubb, I was a fan of his.
BlueSkyLA
If that trade had happened I wonder if the Dodgers might not have had legitimate grounds for filing a grievance. These things usually don’t happen without any warning. Of course we’ll never know now, which is just as well.
Sadler
I can’t imagine the Giants extending a qualifying offer to Will Smith; considering he’d likely have to accept it. He had a relatively poor second half and the Giants don’t need veteran bullpen arms at the back end. They aren’t close enough to being a contender for an $18M bullpen move to be sensible.
SFGiants4ever
They will definitely offer a qualifying offer to him, and if you don’t think other teams want him you’re kidding yourself.
That being said even a rebuilding team needs a veteran in the back of the bullpen, and I think they can get him for 3 years at around 14 to 15 mil a year. If he is good (which another year away from surgery I don’t think he tires out in the 2nd half again) they can always trade him and pick up a prospect.
BlueSkyLA
With all due respect to Jeff, it is perfectly possible to argue with the Dodgers’ process. We can speculate that Vasquez was going to cost Lux, but we don’t know that for a fact. If the cost was one of their top catching prospects after Smith (meaning, the almost equally-rated Ruiz or Cartaya), and/or any one of their top pitching prospects not named May or Gonsolin, then it would have been a deal very much worth doing, if only because Vasquez came with four more years of team control and would fill a very large void on the Dodgers’ roster. Had they landed Vasquez for anyone but Lux, May, or Gonsolin, the conversation today would be about how many games it would take for them to win the World Series, not whether the bullpen is good enough to carry them though the NLDS. So that’s how you can argue with the Dodgers’ process.
spinach
I disagree. If they had traded for Vasquez I don’t think they’d be better off at all.
luas82
I definitely don’t think he would’ve helped them much. Now it is safe to say that he wouldn’t have helped the Dodgers at all. Career over if allegations are true, yikes.
GarryHarris
That’s for sure considering Felipe Vazquez will be sitting in jail then deported.
BlueSkyLA
So you saw this coming, did you? Got any hot stock tips too?
amk3510
This didn’t age well.
lowtalker1
Trammell also hit the go ahead grand slam to win the Texas league championship.
jbeerj
Padres should get the lowest grade of all 30 teams. They already have a trammel in Manny Margot.
mrpadre19
Margot has underperformed each of the last three seasons.
Obviously the Padres feel Trammell is a better version…and obviously left handed.