AROUND THE HORN: A LOOK AT EACH TEAM’S DEADLINE ACTIVITIES

MLB / Baseball

Written by Gus Cousins

Now in the post-deadline world, I take a look at each team’s moves - or lack thereof, in some instances - and go over a number of the big moves that have transpired. Maybe next year the Rockies will actually do something!

Source (Background photos): Getty Images

NEW YORK YANKEES - A+

Not only did you manage to acquire an OF addition in Benintendi, a #2 Starter in Montas, and what is essentially a replacement for the injured Michael King in Scott Effross, Anthony Volpe (#1 Prospect) and Oswaldo Peraza (#2 Prospect) weren’t moved - plus, Joey Gallo is gone! Absolutely terrific work by GM Brian Cashman.

BOSTON RED SOX - C

Confusing Xander Bogaerts, Christian Vasquez, and your fans all at once isn’t a recipe for success. Are you buying or selling? Both? McGuire will replace Vasquez, and the prospects from Houston and San Diego aren’t bad, but the rest don’t make much sense. Why Pham and no pitching? Getting a lead is great, but being unable to hold it has been one of Boston’s many kryptonites this year.

BLUE JAYS - C+

Striking out on Montas, Syndergaard, Iglesias and Happ isn’t a good look, nor is trading for someone who is not legally allowed to enter Canada. The Merrifield situation is fluid, but if the ex-Kansas City Royal refuses to get his shots then Atkins and Shapiro have some serious explaining to do. Pop and Bass are good additions to the ‘pen, but an injured Stripling (and Springer) may open up another can of worms. Mitchell White isn’t a bad pickup either, although he’s no Montas - and certainly no Stripling.

TAMPA BAY RAYS - B-

In typical Rays fashion, it’s easy to forget about their under-the-radar moves. LHP Garrett Cleavinger has all the makings to be a Kevin Cash specialty, Jose Siri is an ultra-fast defence-first Outfielder, and David Peralta was acquired for next-to-nothing. There were no flashy moves, but then again there usually aren’t any by Tampa. We should all know by now not to question the Rays’ Front Office, thus the high grade for minor moves.

BALTIMORE ORIOLES - B

As disappointing as it is to be sellers after the club’s recent hot streak, I don’t think the Orioles got hosed as much as others do. The losses of Mancini and Lopez will certainly be felt, but the rest of Baltimore’s outstanding bullpen remains. RHP Seth Johnson, although having Tommy John Surgery, and LHP Cade Povich are both extremely intriguing arms - plus picking up Brett Phillips is, if nothing else, a fan-pleasing move.

MINNESOTA TWINS - A

Minnesota did exactly what I had hoped Toronto would do this deadline - load up on arms. Jorge Lopez and Michael Fulmer will considerably boost a questionable ‘pen, with Tyler Mahle helping sure up the rotation. Christian Encarnacion-Strand is the biggest give-up prospect wise in my opinion, as he heads to Cincinnati. Headed for an AL Central clash with Cleveland only one game behind the Twins, Minnesota helped boost the likelihood of a divisional title without giving up too much.

CLEVELAND GUARDIANS - C

Technically, Cleveland made a trade in acquiring RHP Ian Hamilton from Minnesota for Sandy Leon…but practically, neither player will change the course of either team’s season. Arguably the least-talented division in baseball, if the Guardians manage to catch the Twins for first then they’ll do it with the roster they’ve had all season.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX - D-

This is a dysfunctional team with dysfunctional management. The only move Chicago made was a one-for-one swap with Boston, sending Reese McGuire to Beantown in exchange for lefty reliever Jake Diekman. Their rating would have been exponentially higher if they’d fired Manager Tony La Russa - one of the most common-sense moves that haven’t been made.

KANSAS CITY ROYALS - B+

The Royals had a sneakily excellent deadline, acquiring a slew of young talent. RHP Max Castillo might be the biggest highlight, as the ex-Jay rookie has quite the first month-plus in the show. LHP TJ Sikkema, a Yankees first-rounder who was acquired in the Benintendi deal, is another quality pickup who’s dominated in Hudson Valley (A+) this year. INF Samad Taylor and OF Brent Rooker are interesting too, and if Luke Weaver can return to his former self then Kansas City has made out really well. Plus, no more Merrifield and all his destructive baggage!

DETROIT TIGERS - F

Al Avila needs to go. Sawyer Gipson-Long is the only noteworthy piece that’s heading to Detroit, and even he isn’t all that promising. Soto, Skubel, and Jimenez stay…Detroit is not looking good.

HOUSTON ASTROS - B+

Houston, to a slightly lesser extent than the Yankees, is also all-in on improving - Trey Mancini, Christian Vasquez, and enemy-turned-ally Will Smith will all boost an already great Astros team. Prospects Wilyer Abreu and Emmanuel Valdez were a hefty price to pay for Vasquez, but there’s no denying the level of offence he brings. Smith was dominant in the playoffs for Atlanta last year, and he hopes to rekindle that fire in Houston too. All in all, not bad additions for a team hoping to knock off the mighty Yanks in October.

SEATTLE MARINERS - C-

Listen, I get it - Castillo is a premier arm, and he’ll help you in your quest to get to the playoffs for the first time in forever (and then in the playoffs too!). That said, holy moly you gave up a TON. All four prospects - Marte, Arroyo, Moore, and Stoudt - all have legitimate chances at being productive MLB’ers for the Reds in the future, so hopefully, Castillo is worth it. The other moves for INF Jake Lamb, C Curt Casali, and LHP Matt Boyd are minor in comparison but should help with Seattle’s depth.

LOS ANGELES ANGELS - D+

It’s yet another year in which the Angels have been a disappointment, with rumours of Ohtani possibly being traded swirling. That didn’t happen, and Los Angeles’ second generational talent will have to finish (at least) this year with the club. Syndergaard, a shell of what he once was, Closer Raisel Iglesias, and OF Brandon Marsh were all shipped out for…not much. Jesse Chavez won’t do much for the future, and LHP Tucker Davidson isn’t the prospect he once was. Former 1st overall pick Mickey Moniak could, and the same with Logan O’Hoppe - a Top-100 MLB prospect. Perhaps this grade takes into consideration the way the season’s gone too, but their deadline deals weren’t overly good either.

TEXAS RANGERS - C

After a massive offseason, Texas hasn’t lived up to the meagre expectations provided for them this year. Only one deadline deal - acquiring INF Mark Mathias and LHP Antoine Kelly from Milwaukee for RHP Matt Bush - doesn’t do much to help, and they’ll look to grab some pitching before next season begins. Oddly enough, they were linked to some of the bigger names with regards to trade rumours - although none panned out.

OAKLAND ATHLETICS - L(as Vegas)

John Fisher, sell the freaking team. LHP Ken Waldichuk is a good pickup from the Yankees, but only getting Medina, Bowman, and Sears as other pieces in the Montas deal is lacklustre. But seriously, sell the team. Fans deserve better.

NEW YORK METS - B

Steve Cohen’s gang had a good little deadline, although not being ‘in’ on any of the big-name players. I really like Tyler Naquin, and although they gave up a lot for Darin Ruf he too is an under-the-radar pickup. All in all, I’d be very happy if I were a Mets fan.

ATLANTA BRAVES - B+

Likewise, with the Mets, Atlanta had quite the deadline - once again - without relinquishing a bunch of prospects. Trey Harris, Tucker Davidson, and Kris Anglin were the only Minor Leaguers sent away, a small price to pay for Raisel Iglesias, Robbie Grossman, Ehire Adrianza, and Jake Odorizzi. I’m shocked they made a deal with Houston, but I think it’ll pay off for both sides.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES - A

The Phillies got a little bit of everything this deadline - a Starter (Syndergaard), a Reliever (Robertson), an Infielder (Sosa) and an Outfielder (Marsh). Mickey Moniak was inevitably going somewhere, along with OF Jadiel Sanchez and C Logan O’Hoppe being sent to the Angels. I still believe Syndergaard has some dominance left in the tank, enticing enough for a high grade.

MIAMI MARLINS - C+

I understand not moving more pieces - especially SP Pablo Lopez - but Jordan Groshans was the best you could get. Perhaps I just don’t see it, but Groshans is not the top prospect he once was - a severe lack of power has made sure of that. Both Bass and Pop are under control, which makes this even more questionable.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS - IMPOSSIBLE TO KNOW

This one’s tricky. On one hand, I’d say an F simply because of Washington’s inability to keep stars with the team - Soto is added to a long list of Scherzer, Rendon, Turner, Harper, etc. who are flourishing with other organizations. On the other, Gore, Abrams, Wood, Hassell, and Susana could all be great for the Nats in the future…I don’t believe anybody really knows what to think. For fans’ sake, I hope at least a couple of them pan out.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS - D

Milwaukee loaded up on pitching at the deadline, and then promptly DFA’d one of the arms they traded for in Dinelson Lamet. The loss of Hader is a big one, a questionable move that undoubtedly annoyed the clubhouse (see Devin Williams, for instance). Stearns is smart, and perhaps he’s justified in sending Hader to San Diego…but it doesn’t feel like it right now. Trevor Rosenthal hasn’t pitched in ages, and Matt Bush is volatile at best - but both throw decently hard. The Brewers still sit in 1st in the NL Central too, which makes me dislike the Hader move - in the short term - even more.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS - C

Refusing to include Dylan Carlson and/or Jordan Walker took them out of the Juan Soto conversation, disappointing but not completely unexpected. Acquiring three lefties in Quintana, Montgomery, and Romero will moderately help the staff although don’t expect any of them to be life-altering. Harrison Bader was a lot to give up for only Jordan Montgomery, one of the reasons a C-grade makes sense. Plus, striking out on some of the bigger names doesn’t help John Mozeliak’s relationship with the fanbase.

CINCINNATI REDS - A+

Cincinnati had arguably the best deadline of any non-contending team, acquiring a boatload of prospect talent over the span of six trades. 10 prospects, a PTBNL, and Austin Romine (uh…ok?) isn’t half bad, especially with the likes of OF Noelvi Marte, INF Christian Encarnacion-Strand, and RHP Andrew Moore to name a few. Yes, there are management issues and yes, losing the likes of Mahle, Castillo, and others do hurt - but looking at the organizational depth as a whole, the Reds had a fantastic deadline.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES - B-

The Pirates get a B- simply because they struck silver with Jose Quintana’s signing, and managed to flip him for a couple of young, controllable pieces. Oviedo has upped his velocity this year, and AA Infielder Malcolm Nunez has hit 17 bombs thus far - both have a fair share of upside. Chris Stratton was sent to St. Louis too - the only other player leaving town via trade - with the hopes that he’ll regain some of his 2020-21 magic. For half a season of Quintana with only a 2 million dollar contract, Pittsburgh did very well to flip him.

CHICAGO CUBS - C-

The Cubs had a very awkward trade deadline, amounting in…not much happening beyond the complete and total sell-off of the bullpen. They overplayed their hand with Ian Happ and Willson Contreras - both of whom are staying in Illinois - after many thought, they were surefire movers. Mychal Givens, Chris Martin, David Robertson, and Scott Effross were all shipped out, leaving Rowan Wick, the Bullpen Catcher, David Ross, and my buddy Trevor to eat innings. RHP Hayden Wesneski is probably the most intriguing arm the Cubs got back, a mid-tier ex-Yankees prospect who’s put up good numbers all throughout the minors.

LOS ANGELES DODGERS - B

The Dodgers were in the mix for Juan Soto but ended up opting for not making a big splash - somewhat surprising, given their aggressive history. A reclamation project in Joey Gallo, they scooped him up from the Yankees along with Reliever Chris Martin (whose numbers project very nicely in L.A.’s ‘pen) from Chicago. Nick Frasso, a pitching prospect from Toronto in the Mitchell White deal is also quite the pickup as he’s dominated since joining professional ball. Not the biggest names, but upgrades for the NL’s scariest team.

SAN DIEGO PADRES - A

Everyone’s aware the Padres gave up a ton of really, really good prospects - but nobody will care if you win the whole damn thing anyways, something that San Diego is more than capable of pushing for. Josh Hader is an elite arm, Brandon Drury - who crushed a grand slam in his first AB with San Diego - is having a fantastic season, Juan Soto is Juan Soto, and Josh Bell is an impact player too. AJ Preller can worry about the future when it comes, but for now, he’s built an incredibly effective team that can compete with anyone.

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS - A-

Keeping Rodon and Peterson means that you’re not fully capitulating to sell, and we’ve seen what the Giants can do at times. Convincing Milwaukee to take Trevor Rosenthal prior to him throwing a pitch for San Francisco in exchange for a decent 22-year-old prospect in Tristan Peters is a work of art, and getting four pieces for Darin Ruf is outstanding as well. With the level both the Padres and Dodgers are playing at in the division, I doubt the Giants have much of a shot - but if you’re able to extend Rodon and keep Pederson, next year could be a good bounce-back opportunity.

COLORADO ROCKIES - N/A

Not much to say here, except I just don’t get it.

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS - C+

As much as I hoped that Toronto would trade for Joe Mantiply, I can understand why Arizona kept him - and some of the veterans - too. Luke Weaver just didn’t work out, although he’ll certainly get his chances in Kansas City. Infielder Emmanuel Rivera has shown a little bit of potential at times, and he’ll get a fair share of opportunities throughout the rest of the season with the D-Backs. Realistically, they’re the same team as before - with their prospects rising, it shouldn’t be too long until they’re competitive again.