The busiest day in baseball has come and gone as the 2019 MLB Trade Deadline has given way to August. Take a look at the biggest moves from July 31st.
Blockbusters
Puig/Bauer Trade
Yasiel Puig was traded from the Reds to the Indians the night before the MLB trade deadline. Cleveland sent Trevor Bauer in return. The Padres’ Franmil Reyes was also sent to the Tribe as part of a three-team deal with San Diego.
Brawl in Cincinnati:
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 31, 2019
For the 2nd time this year, Yasiel Puig is in the middle of a Reds-Pirates altercation.
This happened just moments after it was announced that Puig was traded to Cleveland on Twitter. pic.twitter.com/7j4zhoFODC
Puig went out with a bang after taking part in a massive brawl against the Pirates.
Dyson To Twins
The Twins got a hold of reliever Sam Dyson from the Giants. In return, San Francisco got prospects Jaylin Davis, Prelander Berroa and, Kai-Wei Teng. The 34-year-old veteran arrived in the bay in 2017 after being acquired from the Texas Rangers.
Greinke To The Astros
This was by far the biggest move of the 2019 MLB trade deadline. Zack Greinke was traded to the Astros for top prospects. The price to pay was hefty as Houston gave away three out of their top five prospects for the Cy Young winner. First baseman Seth Beer was sent to Arizona alongside pitchers J.B. Bukauskas and Corbin Martin. Greinke will join the Astro rotation alongside Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole.
Winners And Losers
Winner: Cleveland Indians
Cleveland made a trade on what was not technically considered deadline day (but was close enough). Puig will add needed power and offensive contribution in the middle of their lineup. His 130 lifetime home runs are certainly a guarantee of power hitting. Furthermore, Puig’s cannon of an arm will prove useful in the right field as. To sweeten the deal, they gave away Bauer, who had turned into an annoyance rather than a trade chip for the team. It was a smart move
Loser: New York Mets
The Mets once again had an opportunity to propel their rebuilding process by trading Noah Syndergaard. Not only that but, they were in talks with two of the best farm systems in the league in San Diego and Atlanta. Nonetheless, they once again got gun shy on deadline day and stuck to their guns. You’ve done this twice, Mets.
Winner: San Francisco Giants
The Giants kept their promise of being sellers during the deadline. They sold and they did it well. To start with, they kept Madison Bumgarner and Will Smith, so both their rotation and bullpen cores are still intact. San Francisco gave away Drew Pomeranz to the Brewers. They also dealt Mark Melancon to Braves. Don’t forget the trade mentioned above. Their return wasn’t bad at all: Scooter Gennett and a bunch of prospects are a good bundle for the Giants. They are deadline winners as well.
Loser: Boston Red Sox
Boston hasn’t had the greatest of seasons. They are in the AL Wild Card race thanks to a recent good stretch. The Red Sox could have used some pitching help as their team ERA for starting pitchers sits at 4.82. Relievers are not doing that well either with a 4.54 ERA. Their arms won’t stand what’s left of the season and they did nothing to help them.
Winner: Houston Astros
The Astros don’t seem to stop improving as their rotation welcomed another top-class addition in the form of Greinke. They did so by giving away top prospects, but there’s no real reason to worry about that. If these were the Rockies or the Rays, there would be a reason for concern, but Houston has remained competitive after winning the World Series back in 2017. Adding another ace to their staff makes them a strong contender for this year’s postseason as well.
Loser: New York Yankees
The Yankees may lead the AL East, but they traded like a last-place team at the deadline. New York wanted a big arm and certainly tried to get one as they were linked to pitchers like Marcus Stroman, Bauer, Bumgarner, and Syndergaard. Time (and options) ran out and all Brian Cashman could get was the Rockies’ Alfredo Garcia, a Class-A lefty from Venezuela. It’s pretty safe to say he won’t step into Yankee Stadium anytime soon.
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.