This year’s MLB Trade Deadline did not disappoint, which is becoming an exciting patter. A flurry of moves was made, whether it be the hours leading up to the deadline, a day or two before, or anytime in July. All the National League’s playoff contenders made moves to find a secure footing in the playoff race.
The NL is wide-open, with no one dominant team that stands above the rest, which shows the parity and competitiveness in the league. This is unlike the top-heavy AL, which has many more bad teams (and the worst ones) which have allowed for the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Houston Astros, Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics A’s to beat up on them and bump up their record.
The NL teams have their flaws, but they are also beating up on each other. There’s a lot of quality there, which has made it a dogfight. 11 of 15 teams are above .500, and nine of the 15 have legitimate playoff aspirations.
And the trade deadline resembled this craziness. It’s wide-open and setting up to be a crazy playoff race, which the moves made showed. Each team tried to one-up each other, like an arms race, and get ahead of each other. But as it stands, they are still close to each other.
Teams like the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburg Pirates and Arizona Diamondbacks made the most significant moves in the NL. The Dodgers made the most significant move during the All-Star Break when they acquired superstar talent Manny Machado.
The shortstop and third baseman was the center of trade talks all year. Majority of the teams involved in the sweepstakes were from the NL. And the ones who did not get him had to go in a different direction.
The Chicago Cubs focused on reinforcing a strong bullpen and a shaky rotation by acquiring Cole Hamels and Brandon Kintzler. Hamels’ numbers aren’t great, but he had the burden of pitching in what’s considered a hitter’s park, and his splits show that (6.41 ERA at home but 2.93 ERA on the road).
Wrigley is not that much better, but it’s not as bad as the Texas Rangers’ home park. He also has a tremendous track record with postseason success and has something to pitch for, which will no doubt rejuvenate him. And Kintzler is a luxury to have in the middle of your bullpen.
The Pirates made the biggest splash yesterday. They surprised everyone and went after and acquired Chris Archer and Keone Kela. They’re surprisingly only three games back of a wild-card spot so added more ammunition to make a run.
Archer’s reputation precedes him, even though he has struggled this season. Pitching out of the AL East and in a pitcher’s park will help him. And he has something to play for, unlike the Rays who have been rebuilding the past few seasons. He will be the ace they need if they want a serious chance at the playoffs. In Kela, they got a guy to strengthen the bullpen and gives them a setup man to closer Felipe Vasquez
Not to be outdone by their NL Central rivals, the Brewers acquired three different players. Joakim Soria is a dependable veteran reliever with a 2.38 ERA this season. He strengthens an already good bullpen and keeps him away from teams like the Dodgers. Mike Moustakas adds much-needed infield depth and has 20 HR on the season.
Jonathan Schoop was a late but quality pickup. Last season he hit 32 home runs and had a .841 OPS. This year he had a terrible first three months but was on fire in July and now has 17 home runs on the season. In totality, they addressed needs while adding depth in a vital area.
The Phillies are trying to hold off the Braves in the NL East and chose to upgrade at catcher. And they did so in a big way, by acquiring this year’s AL All-Star Game starter Wilson Ramos.
The Braves bought low on struggling, but talented, starter Kevin Gausman to add depth to the rotation. They reinforced the bullpen by Darren O’Day. And Adam Duvall adds outfield depth and another power threat. He has 17 home runs this season, after hitting 64 HR from 2016-2017.
The Diamondbacks acquired Jake Diekman and Brad Zeigler, strengthening the second-best bullpen in baseball, regarding ERA. Diekman, like Hamels, was hurt by pitching at the Rangers’ ballpark. His away numbers were ridiculously good. And Zeigler has a 1.23 ERA in last 29.1 innings
The Dbacks also attempted to fill their infield hole, by acquiring Eduardo Escobar from the Minnesota Twins. The utility infielder is having the best season of his career (127 OPS+) and gives them either a solid starter or an excellent bench bat.
And even after acquiring Manny Machado, Dodgers did not stop. They acquired reliever John Axford, a pitcher that left-handed hitters have not been able to figure out in 2018. Then you have Brian Dozier, who was viewed as an alternative for Machado for the Dodgers, but the boys in blue ended up with both.
Dozier is the ultimate low-risk, high-reward play. Even with his struggles this year, he’s an upgrade over what they were getting from 2nd base. And he has potential to explode into one of the best hitters in baseball if the last two season’s second-halves are to be repeated.
Every team added depth and production in some form or fashion. Some of the players moved are low-key or struggling, but with high potential. There still isn’t a perfect team in the NL (or MLB for that matter) but seeing how each trade pans out and how it affects the NL playoff race is going to be fun.
Featured Image via Flickr/Keith Allison
