Winners and Losers at the Deadline

Just because I can.

Los Angeles Dodgers (>)
They made an instant upgrade offensively in what makes them a favorite in the terrible NL West. They didn't seem to want Andy LaRoche (whether or not they should is a different story), and Bryan Morris seems like an intriguing arm. However, they gave up two prospects for Manny Ramirez and millions of dollars. Sounds like a good deal to me. Now, what are they going to do next year when they still have Juan Pierre and Andruw Jones taking up a spot in the outfield?

Boston Red Sox (-)
Anyone else think they gave up a lot for Jason Bay? Manny Ramirez, millions of dollars, aaaannnddd two prospects. Considering that Bay has the same stats as Ramirez, getting Bay isn't a bad idea, but why are you paying one of the richest teams in baseball to take Ramirez? Obviously, they were desperate. I feel sorry for Bay because no matter what he does, he's toast if they don't win the World Series. They'll say Manny could have done better. In the four games they'll play in the first round and lose, Bay can hit 6-14 with 2 HR and 5 RBI, but everyone will say that Ramirez would have hit 8-14 with 3 HR and 9 RBI even though he hit 1-12 in his series with the Dodgers. In Bay, the Red Sox solve their problems of a power bat in left field for years to come because as long as he does well, he won't be nearly as expensive as Ramirez with about the same production. As for the prospects, Moss is not considered to be more than a fourth outfielder, and Hansen has stunk in the Majors. Therefore, they got a new left fielder who will work hard and still kept all their good prospects.

Pittsburgh Pirates (>)
This could end very badly for Pittsburgh. They were on the verge of being good, and they trade away their best players. Granted, they got some good prospects, but what are the odds of any of them actually being good (especially good enough to lead the Pirates out of the gutter) in the Majors. Something tells me, this team was one or two good starting pitchers from a pretty good team (ok, maybe just okay). They should have traded McCutchen for a young stud starting pitcher. However, they did get a bunch of really good prospects for Nady, Marte, and Bay, so no one can really blame them. At least Huntington is trying. Who's also glad that the Pirates ownership nixed the Braves trade?

Florida Marlins (<)
You had your chance. You're in it in a division where no one really wants to win, and you did nothing except bring in Arthur Rhodes. I like Rhodes, but they gave up essentially a younger right-handed version for him. They didn't address their catching needs. They didn't get a starting pitcher. But they did keep Hermida, Volstad, and Stanton, so that's a plus. But that plus is for the future, not this season.

Atlanta Braves (-)
Got a decent young first baseman for the next three years until Freddy Freeman or Jason Heyward is ready for a guy they didn't need anymore. They also added an intriguing arm for the bullpen. The only part I really like about this trade is the Braves got a MLB-proven guy out of it.

New York Yankees (>)
They got Nady, Marte, and Pudge for four prospects and Kyle Farnsworth. What's not to like about these trades? They essentially switched Farnsworth for Marte, which can't be a bad thing. They got Pudge instead of a Molina or Chad Moeller, which unless last night was an indication shouldn't be a bad thing especially come the playoffs. And they added Nady to give them more offense which they kind of (?) needed. At least, he's a better defender than, well, everyone but Abreu. They still kept their young core of Hughes, Kennedy, and Jackson.

Los Angeles Angels (-)
They added a power bat for 2 months of kicking around the AL West for a young first baseman that they would have had for three years and a young bullpen arm they don't need. If they win the World Series, everything will be justified. Maybe. Because Tex still has to, you know, help win the World Series. He has to do something, and if his performances in Atlanta and Texas are anything, he may not show up. Otherwise, he isn't an upgrade to Kotchman. Also, re-signing him doesn't count as they could do that after the season anyway.

Tampa Bay, Arizona, St. Louis, New York Mets, Minnesota, Colorado (-)
You are all in the race, and you did nothing ... nothing. However, the races remain to be seen, and sometimes, doing nothing is the right thing to do. Yet, some of these teams really needed something. Tampa less so, but it could have used a SP and OF with power. Arizona needed some power, but they refused to part with anything at all (a good move for their future). St. Louis, NYM, and Minnesota have definite needs that they didn't address, and therefore, I don't think any of them will make the playoffs. Colorado needs to get off this "We'll win 30 games in a row again this year" kick and trade Holliday while no one knows he won't hit for power outside Denver and Fuentes before anyone realizes he isn't particularly good, but they look good for next year now.