MLB Trade Deadline Winners and Losers: Padres go all-in, Angels fold

By Pedro Moura
FOX Sports activities MLB Author

Baseball’s most aggressive common managers made probably the most aggressive strikes of the deadline.

San Diego’s A.J. Preller acquired celebrity Juan Soto and a bunch of different impression gamers, and Seattle’s Jerry Dipoto went all-in so as to add right-hander Luis Castillo.

Everybody else tinkered in response to their positions within the standings — besides the Rockies, in fact, who made no trades in any respect. They might qualify as losers in our record of groups that follows, however can you actually lose for those who do not take part?

Of the groups who made trades forward of the annual deadline, right here is our fast learn of who fared finest and worst.

Winners

1. San Diego Padres

In Soto, they acquired a celebrity at little value to their present squad. All their different additions characterize clear enhancements, too, regardless of the Padres’ unconventional maneuver of primarily parting with the incumbent in change for his alternative.

New first baseman Josh Bell is a much better hitter than both Eric Hosmer or Luke Voit, each of whom the Padres surrendered Tuesday. New nearer Josh Hader is a greater pitcher than Taylor Rogers, whom he changed. Late-blooming utility man Brandon Drury is not any certainty, however he is a superb wager to at the very least hit left-handed pitching, and the Padres look adequate now that these marginal enhancements may make the final word distinction come October.

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2. New York Yankees

They did it in considerably much less flashy style, however the Yankees additionally buttressed their roster with out considerably hindering their future. The truth is, there’s an argument that they aided it.

Proper-hander Frankie Montas, their prize acquisition, has pitched like an elite No. 2 starter at occasions, and if he is wholesome, New York has an ideal match to observe Gerrit Cole within the playoff rotation — this 12 months and subsequent.

What the Yankees wanted was pitching upside, not pitching depth. So it made sense, then, that they traded Jordan Montgomery to St. Louis for injured outfielder Harrison Bader. Evidently, they had been assured they might not need Montgomery to begin a playoff sport for them.

Bader’s acquisition is smart for a similar purpose. He could not play till September, however the Yankees needn’t care about August. Twelve video games up of their division, they care about October.

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3. Cincinnati Reds

That is the primary time the Reds are even arguably deadline winners in a very long time. Normal supervisor Nick Krall operated from a robust place, and he wielded it properly to deal each Luis Castillo and Tyler Mahle for important packages of prospects.

The expertise pool they introduced again is sufficiently big that it might alter the Reds’ trajectory — not this 12 months or subsequent, however maybe in 2024 or 2025. Castillo and Mahle weren’t leases, however Krall was good to understand that they weren’t going to be a part of the subsequent good Reds workforce with out signing extensions. 

Losers

1. Chicago Cubs

Inexplicably, Chicago traded solely relievers. And never solely rental relievers, both. Breakout right-hander Scott Effross has many extra years of management remaining, however it’s the Yankees who management his rights now. If he turns into one other New York aid ace, the Cubs should clarify why they held onto gamers who won’t be a part of their future as a substitute of gamers who might.

Conserving outfielder Ian Happ is not loopy, relying on what the Cubs do that offseason. However holding Willson Contreras defies straightforward rationalization. It is troublesome to imagine he couldn’t have fetched greater than the compensation decide the Cubs will get when he leaves this offseason.

2. Los Angeles Angels

The Angels acted late and decisively in buying and selling Brandon Marsh, Raisel Iglesias, and Noah Syndergaard in a two-hour span simply forward of Tuesday’s deadline. The choices netted them a pair prospects, most notably catcher Logan O’Hoppe, however principally monetary flexibility. The strikes would encourage extra confidence in the event that they weren’t the exact inversion of strikes that had been meant to encourage confidence final offseason. 

5 months in the past, then-manager Joe Maddon was talking of Marsh because the membership’s heart fielder of the longer term, performing as if Mike Trout would quickly transfer to a nook. Iglesias, simply signed to a four-year deal, was presupposed to turn out to be the middle of the membership’s bullpen. Normal supervisor Perry Minasian spoke of Syndergaard, a high-priced gamble, as if he had been the identical stage of expertise as Trout himself.

As a substitute, Marsh did not hit however did play elite protection whereas Iglesias and Syndergaard every fell considerably wanting expectations. Minasian hit reset Tuesday. However is there sufficient time for one more retool earlier than Shohei Ohtani turns into a free agent?

3. Baltimore Orioles

It made little sense to choose now, probably the most thrilling time for the franchise in six years, to commerce away the workforce’s hottest participant and lone All-Star. Positive, they netted a number of pitching prospects for outfielder Trey Mancini and nearer Jorge López, however did they meaningfully enhance? And both manner, at what value? López stays underneath membership management for 2 extra seasons. Is not the purpose to win someday quickly?

Pedro Moura is the nationwide baseball author for FOX Sports activities. He beforehand coated the Dodgers for 3 seasons for The Athletic and, earlier than that, the Angels and Dodgers for 5 seasons for the Orange County Register and L.A. Instances. Extra beforehand, he coated his alma mater, USC, for ESPNLosAngeles.com. The son of Brazilian immigrants, he grew up within the Southern California suburbs. His first ebook, “How one can Beat a Damaged Recreation,” got here out this spring. Observe him on Twitter @pedromoura.

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