Analyzing The MLB Trades At The Deadline

The non-waiver wire trade deadline has come and gone, and there were a litany of players that have switched teams. Let's now analyze those trades and see how well each team did at the deadline. Truthfully, we will never know how well trades have turned out until we look back on this day in 2024 (or even later), but that won't stop us from playing Monday Morning Quarterback anyways!

BOSTON RED SOX
GRADE: A+

Key Additions
- 1B/OF Allen Craig
- OF Yoenis Cespedes
- LHP Edwin Escobar
- RHP Joe Kelly
- RHP Edwardo Rodriguez

Key Loses
- LHP Jon Lester
- RHP Jake Peavy
- LHP Felix Doubront
- RHP John Lackey
- LHP Andrew Miller

ANALYSIS
The Red Sox were extremely busy before the trade deadline blowing up their entire rotation (plus Andrew Miller) and playing for next year. While the AL East is decently wide open, I think the Red Sox smartly realized it wasn't worth it to try and make a push, and decided to play for 2015. Jon Lester is a free agent by the end of the year, so the Oakland A's rented him for the final few months, and in exchange, the Red Sox received All-Star Yoenis Cespedes, who is under contract both this year and next year. I believe that Lester will sign with the Red Sox this offseason, which means Boston gets Lester AND Cespedes in a year which they will compete. The Sox also tighten up their outfield with Allen Craig, whose power is sure to come once he leaves Busch Stadium and calls Fenway home.

Not only do the Red Sox bolster their offense for next year, but also their pitching in the future. John Lackey and Jake Peavy are worthy players, but they're expendable as well. They're worthless to the Red Sox, and Boston can get pitchers who are just as good, if not better, than either Peavy or Lackey this winter. By shipping them away, they receive a great back end of the rotation guy in Joe Kelly, and a top pitching prospect in Edwin Escobar. To add to their pitching depth, they traded away failed starter Andrew Miller to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for Edwardo Rodriguez, a player who is surely going to be stable for the Boston rotation in a few years.

The Boston Red Sox solidified their offense and added pitching depth for the future, and is likely to have a strong rotation come Opening Day thanks to moves the team will make in the off season. When you're not playing for this year, it's easy to win the trade deadline.

CHICAGO CUBS
GRADE: A+

Key Additions
- SS Addison Russell
- OF Billy McKinney
- RHP Dan Straily
- LHP Felix Doubront

Key Loses
- RHP Jeff Samardzija
- RHP Jason Hammel

ANALYSIS
When the Jeff Samardzija trade happened, I wrote that it was a huge win for the Cubs. Even though Samardzija is under contract for both this year and next year, the Cubs aren't even remotely going to compete then, so they sold their best two pitching assets in exchange for the Oakland A's first two draft picks from the past two years. Addison Russell is going to be a stud and Billy McKinney could be really good. The Cubs have also had great success turning failed pitchers like Jake Arrieta, Scott Feldman, and Jason Hammel into really good pitchers, and I'm confident either Straily or Doubront (or both) will be the next Jake Arrieta. The Cubs are just stockpiling minor league hitters, can get stud starting pitchers off of the waiver wire and turn them into really good players, and these deadline trades help the North Siders on both accounts.

Analyzing The Samardzija and Hammel for Russell and Straily Trade

Somewhere between the late hours of July 4th and the early morning of July 5th, the Chicago Cubs sent over starting pitchers Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel to the Oakland A's in exchange for star SS prospect Addison Russell as well as OF prospect Billy McKinney and starting pitcher Dan Straily. Even though the Cubs now do not have the best rotation in baseball, I like this trade for both teams. Truthfully, you can't analyze a trade less than a day after it happens, and you need to the gift of hindsight to truly see which team won a trade. The last time the Cubs and A's traded with each other, the Cubs received fantasy stud SP Rich Harden, and the A's got 4 minor leaguers, including a young catching prospect named Josh Donaldson. At the time, it looked like the Cubs stole Harden away and was now in legitimate competition with the Milwaukee Brewers who had just acquired C.C. Sabathia. However, some six odd years later, the acquisition of Harden ultimately did nothing for the Cubs, and now Josh Donaldson is one of the best players in baseball. But with all of that being said, as of the making of the trade right now, I think it's a smart move by both sides.

2013 MLB Preview: AL West

INTRODUCTION

The Houston Astros now move over to the AL West which now means that every team in baseball now has five teams in it. The AL West sent two teams to the playoffs last year: the division winners and then two time reigning pennant winner Texas Rangers and the lonely Moneyball Oakland Athletics. The Angels also gave everyone a run for their money winning 89 games and barely missing the playoffs. The Angels also grabbed another Texas Ranger in the offseason, outfielder Josh Hamilton, making their line up that much closer to murderer's row. The Angels sent 1B/DH Kendrys Morales to the Seattle Mariners, a team who also picked up OF Jason Bay in the offseason in attempt to improve their atrocious line up. They also moved in the fences to help with that as well. This should be another exciting and tight year in the AL West- at least at the top of the division.

MY PROJECTED DIVISION STANDINGS