Trade Deadline

[Bronx Yankees]

The A's and Tigers are in an "arms race" the likes of which have not been seen since the Cold War!

Lester, Samardzija, Gray and Kazmir vs. Scherzer, Price, Sanchez and Verlander (or Porcello)

Wow!

Mike

[BK METS]

Yanks get Prado?

[DOUGHBOYS]

Good stuff.
The A's and Tigers are all in for this year.
Scherzer, Price are short term pitchers...VMart short termed, Cabrera looking like his best years are behind him against a small market team who is short an outfielder, but loaded on pitching to combat the Tigers in a short series.
Just great stuff.


To all the Pirates fans....
I told you so
They're too cheap to sign Burnett. To adequately fill 1b. To move a difference maker up to the major leagues.
The writing is on the wall that the Pirates will NOT do what it takes to win.

Don't just pick on the Pirates; what about the Phillies? Did they really keep Howard, Utley, Rollins, Burnett, Byrd, Papelbon, Lee, Hamels? Could they really go the entire week/day without making a single move to get younger? Hell, a corpse could do what Ruben Amaro accomplished today!

Shifting gears, is it just me or does Smyly and Franklin seem like a light haul for Price? Given that Price is under contract this year and next year, compared to Lester who is a free agent this off-season, I was expecting the Rays to get much more for Price.

Mike

Buyers for Phils players were probably short.
Really, would you like those contracts on your fav team?
I did expect them to get something for Byrd and they probably still will.
But the Phils were at a yard sale with old 45's and selling them for twice as much as the vendor next to them.

[Deadheadz]

So many trades...

my mind is blown.

[DOUGHBOYS]

The Yankees get Drew and Prado along with an 'extension' for Drew is the rumor.
Bogaerts goes back to Shortstop next year? Geccini at 3rd?
What a new look for the Red Sox.
Drew, heir apparent to Jeter and Prado takes over for Brian Roberts?

[Edwards Kings]

Prado and McCann....together again!

And Arizona gets a first base prospect...because they need one SOOOOO bad.

I do not get that one at all.

[DOUGHBOYS]

Prado and McCann....together again!

And Arizona gets a first base prospect...because they need one SOOOOO bad.

I do not get that one at all.

Salary dump?

[Edwards Kings]

Prado and McCann....together again!

And Arizona gets a first base prospect...because they need one SOOOOO bad.

I do not get that one at all.

Salary dump?

I guess, but $11M a year for Prado through '16? Not a crushing amount for a versatile player like Prado. Hill makes $1M more per year and is pretty much locked into second base.

[Edwards Kings]

BRAVES TRADE!

"FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports that the Braves have acquired Emilio Bonifacio and James Russell from the Cubs.
We're still awaiting word on what the Cubs will receive in return. Bonifacio will be a jack-of-all-trades for the Braves, filling in at second base some and in the outfield. Russell gives them the left-hander reliever that they've been looking for."

Not sure what the Cubs got, other than a guarantee they wouldn't have to get Uggla. Bravos get their left-hander.

[DOUGHBOYS]

The Cards gave up on Allen Craig too.
In that way of thinking, it had to be a bonanza to think that they could dump his salary and get a guy like Lackey.
Lackey is only due $500,000 next year. It gives them a hammer if they want to extend Lackey for a couple more years at a reasonable price.

I like it that prospects were more or less left out of deals today. Most of the deals were mano a mano with money also, of course, being a determining factor. But mostly, it was teams like the A's, Tigers, Cards, etc trying to get better, while sellers like Boston, Tampa, etc are looking to the near term future and not selling rainbows in the future.

[DOUGHBOYS]

Prado and McCann....together again!

And Arizona gets a first base prospect...because they need one SOOOOO bad.

I do not get that one at all.

Salary dump?

I guess, but $11M a year for Prado through '16? Not a crushing amount for a versatile player like Prado. Hill makes $1M more per year and is pretty much locked into second base.

Are we so conditioned to large money in the Big Leagues that we think Prado is cheap at 11 million bones?
The Mets signed Chris Young for 8 million and alot of folks didn't think it was THAT much.
It is.
It's an expensive roster spot for a player not playing up to the salary.
Maybe Prado will with the Yankees. Either way, they can better afford him.

Prado has five homers this year and really has not been a factor of any kind for the Diamondbacks. Even the staunchest Diamondback fan will tell you that they won't contend again before 2016.
Prado is good to get off their books.

[Bronx Yankees]

Good stuff.
The A's and Tigers are all in for this year.
Scherzer, Price are short term pitchers...VMart short termed, Cabrera looking like his best years are behind him against a small market team who is short an outfielder, but loaded on pitching to combat the Tigers in a short series.
Just great stuff.


To all the Pirates fans....
I told you so
They're too cheap to sign Burnett. To adequately fill 1b. To move a difference maker up to the major leagues.
The writing is on the wall that the Pirates will NOT do what it takes to win.

Don't just pick on the Pirates; what about the Phillies? Did they really keep Howard, Utley, Rollins, Burnett, Byrd, Papelbon, Lee, Hamels? Could they really go the entire week/day without making a single move to get younger? Hell, a corpse could do what Ruben Amaro accomplished today!

Shifting gears, is it just me or does Smyly and Franklin seem like a light haul for Price? Given that Price is under contract this year and next year, compared to Lester who is a free agent this off-season, I was expecting the Rays to get much more for Price.

Mike

Buyers for Phils players were probably short.
Really, would you like those contracts on your fav team?
I did expect them to get something for Byrd and they probably still will.
But the Phils were at a yard sale with old 45's and selling them for twice as much as the vendor next to them.

Sorry, Dan, if you are letting the Phillies off the hook, then I disagree. The Phillies are a really old team that needs to get younger and more athletic. Yes, many of the contracts are horrible, and the GM is to blame. But, having already committed to paying those contracts, they also should be willing to eat some of that money to move old players for younger players. Look what the Red Sox got for Lester and Lackey. If the Phillies could get half of that value for Burnett, why wouldn't they do it? With many teams needing help in the bullpen, they could eat some of Papelbon's contract and unload him. Howard, Utley and Rollins would have some value to competing teams if the Phillies were willing to assume money on the contracts. Why hold onto Byrd when you are going nowhere this year or next? Hamels is extremely marketable, and probably could return a nice haul, although I can understand them wanting to hold onto him.

I can understand the Phillies not moving some or even many of their old vets. I cannot understand them moving no one (or virtually no one if Byrd does get dealt). It just seems like either they overvalue their assets, refuse to eat parts of contracts they're already committing to paying, and/or are scared to pull the trigger. Meanwhile, next year they will be another year older with no relief on the horizon.

Mike

[Bronx Yankees]

BRAVES TRADE!

"FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports that the Braves have acquired Emilio Bonifacio and James Russell from the Cubs.
We're still awaiting word on what the Cubs will receive in return. Bonifacio will be a jack-of-all-trades for the Braves, filling in at second base some and in the outfield. Russell gives them the left-hander reliever that they've been looking for."

Not sure what the Cubs got, other than a guarantee they wouldn't have to get Uggla. Bravos get their left-hander.

Bonifacio is a nice pickup. Definitely can add some speed to the lineup. Probably didn't have to give up much to get him.

Mike

[DOUGHBOYS]

Mike,
I am not letting them off the hook. Phils, Royals, Rockies, and Pirates managements are the bottom feeders of good management in Major League Baseball.
We don't know if Amaro tried hard or not. At the same time, he could only lead the other teams to his water, he can't make them drink.
Most of the Phils contracts are horrid. Again his fault.
And worse, those players are a shell of themselves which makes them as appealing as Rosanne Barr standing naked in your living room serving as a lamp holder.

The Phils need to do something more than just sell their players. They have to fire Amaro and put the team in somebody else hands. It is clear that Amaro has not only let their team go rancid, but has lost about 20,000 fans per evening in Philadelphia.
That he has a job at this stage is a slap to the face of every Phils fan.
Phils ownership should be deeply ashamed for letting this man 'run' this team for so long.

[Bronx Yankees]

Mike,
I am not letting them off the hook. Phils, Royals, Rockies, and Pirates managements are the bottom feeders of good management in Major League Baseball.
We don't know if Amaro tried hard or not. At the same time, he could only lead the other teams to his water, he can't make them drink.
Most of the Phils contracts are horrid. Again his fault.
And worse, those players are a shell of themselves which makes them as appealing as Rosanne Barr standing naked in your living room serving as a lamp holder.

The Phils need to do something more than just sell their players. They have to fire Amaro and put the team in somebody else hands. It is clear that Amaro has not only let their team go rancid, but has lost about 20,000 fans per evening in Philadelphia.
That he has a job at this stage is a slap to the face of every Phils fan.
Phils ownership should be deeply ashamed for letting this man 'run' this team for so long.

Dan, now I agree with you 100% (as I work to get that Roseanne Bar reference out of my head forever).

I guess I'm just surprised that given all of the Phillies' circumstances, they apparently couldn't unload a single player/contract in an effort to get younger and seemingly are standing pat.

Given the Royals' Myers-for-Shields trade, you also would think they would be doing everything possible to make a play-off run this year before losing Shields.

That the Pirates did nothing is a shame, but not a surprise given their lousy job heading into the season. Good luck with that Ike Davis/Gaby Sanchez 1B combo!

I am surprised the Rockies did nothing. Seems like they have a wealth of outfielders and a swap of an OF for a SP would make sense, even if they are scared to trade Tulo and Cargo.

Mike

[DOUGHBOYS]

Mike,
I am not letting them off the hook. Phils, Royals, Rockies, and Pirates managements are the bottom feeders of good management in Major League Baseball.
We don't know if Amaro tried hard or not. At the same time, he could only lead the other teams to his water, he can't make them drink.
Most of the Phils contracts are horrid. Again his fault.
And worse, those players are a shell of themselves which makes them as appealing as Rosanne Barr standing naked in your living room serving as a lamp holder.

The Phils need to do something more than just sell their players. They have to fire Amaro and put the team in somebody else hands. It is clear that Amaro has not only let their team go rancid, but has lost about 20,000 fans per evening in Philadelphia.
That he has a job at this stage is a slap to the face of every Phils fan.
Phils ownership should be deeply ashamed for letting this man 'run' this team for so long.

Dan, now I agree with you 100% (as I work to get that Roseanne Bar reference out of my head forever).

I guess I'm just surprised that given all of the Phillies' circumstances, they apparently couldn't unload a single player/contract in an effort to get younger and seemingly are standing pat.

Given the Royals' Myers-for-Shields trade, you also would think they would be doing everything possible to make a play-off run this year before losing Shields.

That the Pirates did nothing is a shame, but not a surprise given their lousy job heading into the season. Good luck with that Ike Davis/Gaby Sanchez 1B combo!

I am surprised the Rockies did nothing. Seems like they have a wealth of outfielders and a swap of an OF for a SP would make sense, even if they are scared to trade Tulo and Cargo.

Mike

The media made umpteen trades for the Dodgers.
UMPTEEN!
The Dodgers made none.

[DOUGHBOYS]

In the end, the buyers and sellers did well today.
I think all teams involved in trades, pretty much, got what they wanted.
The losers, as Mike may have pointed out, may have been the wall flowers.
Pirates, Dodgers, Royals, and the Angels as buyers.
Rockies, Phillies, Mets, and Rangers as sellers.

[Bronx Yankees]

The media made umpteen trades for the Dodgers.
UMPTEEN!
The Dodgers made none.[/quote]
********************************************
True, but I don't have a major problem with the Dodgers standing pat. They have one of the most talented teams in baseball. Yeah, they could have added another arm in the bullpen, or unloaded an OF for some help, but they are stacked (compared to most teams), and have the resources to do more in the off-season. If I'm the Dodgers, I'm willing to make a move if there's something out there to improve the team, but I can understand them walking away if the asking price is too much. (Although I wonder if they will regret not beating the offer for David Price; you don't want to give up too much in terms of prospects, but they seemingly could have beaten a Smyly/Franklin package without giving up the farm. A Kershaw/Greinke/Price/Ryu play-off rotation would have been VERY tough to beat.)

Contrast the Dodgers with a team desperately in need of rebuilding (a la the Phillies) or teams seemingly on the cusp of the play-offs (Pirates, Royals) that also did nothing. To me, that's more egregious. Look at the Yankees. Yes, I know, they have more money than almost every team and they probably won't win anything this year and may not even make the play-offs. As a Yankees fan, however, I have to give some kudos to Cashman. They gave up very little to get Brandon McCarthy, who has pitched really well for them. Chase Headley is a nice rental to boost the offense a little. Today they traded Kelly Johnson and dumped Brian Roberts for Stephen Drew and Martin Prado - two more upgrades. Thus, they've added McCarthy, Headley, Drew and Prado in an effort to get over the hump and make the play-offs this year and, other than Prado, aren't spending a ton of money, nor did they give up much in the way of talent (not that they have top-tier prospects to give up at the moment). At least they are not simply staying pat with a team going nowhere.

Not sure why I get so worked up over this, but it has been an interesting day. Also nice to have some interesting posts to respond to - the Boards have been too quiet lately.

Mike

[DOUGHBOYS]

For as much money as the Dodgers have, I expected them to 'go for it' like the A's and Tigers.
Price on their team would have made them the odds on favorite for any short series in the National League.
They gave their competitors a door that was ajar instead of slamming it in their face.

[Bronx Yankees]

For as much money as the Dodgers have, I expected them to 'go for it' like the A's and Tigers.
Price on their team would have made them the odds on favorite for any short series in the National League.
They gave their competitors a door that was ajar instead of slamming it in their face.

Good point. Although I don't find the Dodgers standing pat as egregious or annoying as teams that really needed to do something but did nothing, failing to land David Price may come back to haunt them. They still should have enough pitching (and hitting) to get through the NL if they play up to their capabilities (Kershaw, Greinke and Ryu is nothing to sneeze at). Now it would be interesting to see the Tigers and Dodgers matched-up against each other in the World Series, with the Dodgers having to go up against Price when he could have been theirs (I still think the Smyly/Franklin haul for the Rays was underwhelming, and probably could have been beaten by the Dodgers by only one of their top three prospects and some other, lesser players/prospects). Also, while I can see teams shying away from giving up too much for Price for a season plus two months, the Dodgers have the resources to sign Price long-term, and they essentially would have had exclusive negotiating rights until the end of next season to try to do so.

Mike

[Bronx Yankees]

I guess my prior criticisms of the Rays' haul for Price were not totally accurate. Looks like they also got a young but pretty good prospect as well. I never heard of the guy, but it seems he was an integral part of the deal. Should've suspected there was more than just Smily and Franklin coming back, as the Rays' front office usually is pretty astute, but I didn't see this guy mentioned in the early trade reports that I saw.

Mike

[Yah Mule]

I guess my prior criticisms of the Rays' haul for Price were not totally accurate. Looks like they also got a young but pretty good prospect as well. I never heard of the guy, but it seems he was an integral part of the deal. Should've suspected there was more than just Smily and Franklin coming back, as the Rays' front office usually is pretty astute, but I didn't see this guy mentioned in the early trade reports that I saw.

Mike

I think Friedman is great, but this was a terrible trade for the Rays.

[Outlaw]

I guess my prior criticisms of the Rays' haul for Price were not totally accurate. Looks like they also got a young but pretty good prospect as well. I never heard of the guy, but it seems he was an integral part of the deal. Should've suspected there was more than just Smily and Franklin coming back, as the Rays' front office usually is pretty astute, but I didn't see this guy mentioned in the early trade reports that I saw.

Mike

I think Friedman is great, but this was a terrible trade for the Rays.

Totally Agree, its amazing they did not get more for him. They had him under contract for next year too, its not like this was the last chance to trade him.. Maybe they see something in Smyly no one else has so far.. Franklin, who knows....

Prado was a salary dump by AZ.... he really did not do much in 1 1/2 years in the snake pit, which is a hitters park too...

St Louis was praised the past 2 years for having so many great young arms on the farm... that's now debunked..

A's and Tigers, going for it... fun to see them play each other in the playoffs now...

Fun Trade day and as Dough said, lots of rumors and almost all of them were BS speculation by the Media Mules... They are like Weather man, never right unless they look out the window and report what they see....

[GetALife]

Allen Craig and Joe Kelly for John Lackey?

The Red Sox may have Cespedes, Craig, and Betts in the outfield next year.

Interesting....

Can't understand what Betts is doing in the minors now? JBJR bat hasn't been great. I know he is really good defensively though.

[GetALife]

The Cards gave up on Allen Craig too.
In that way of thinking, it had to be a bonanza to think that they could dump his salary and get a guy like Lackey.
Lackey is only due $500,000 next year. It gives them a hammer if they want to extend Lackey for a couple more years at a reasonable price.

I like it that prospects were more or less left out of deals today. Most of the deals were mano a mano with money also, of course, being a determining factor. But mostly, it was teams like the A's, Tigers, Cards, etc trying to get better, while sellers like Boston, Tampa, etc are looking to the near term future and not selling rainbows in the future.

They could have kept Craig, and at least tried to play Taveras in CF over a longer period of time to see if he could make it there. They never really gave Taveras much time there.