Baseball’s trade deadline always brings some excitement to the MLB’s long summer stretch, but it’s often not worth the hype.
Major League Baseball’s overhyped, yearly, ritual, trade-deadline countdown is approaching, and with every division lead separated by four games or fewer, mixed with some big-spending, non-contending teams (and by “some,” I mean the Mets) that would love to shed contracts, there’s a good chance an interesting trade or two could go down this summer.
The MLB trade deadline has always terrified me, presumably because the team I follow, the Detroit Tigers, has a bit of a history of terrible deadline deals (famously giving away prospect John Smoltz for veteran Doyle Alexander in 1987 or, more recently, acquiring Jarod Washburn and Aubrey Huff in 2009, then watching both slump and promptly help the team blow a division lead). In recent seasons, teams that have made bold moves have undoubtedly been repaid. But, much like the fabled Alexander-for-Smoltz deal, getting too bold is often costly as well. The last five years have proven as much.
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The Good:
2010—Astros trade Roy Oswalt to Phillies: Because of his playoff performance for Texas, Cliff Lee’s trade from Seattle to the Rangers would be a good pick here too. But Texas was already leading its division when the team traded for Lee and its closest division rival in July, the Angels, faded down the stretch. Lee was great in the playoffs, but that deal wasn’t as good as the Oswalt trade for Philly.
Philadelphia was in second place in the NL East when they made the trade. Oswalt went 7-1 down the stretch with and ERA under two and a WHIP under one. Plus, he was signed to a contract beyond just that season. So, like Lee, he strengthened a playoff team. Unlike Lee, he helped spark a late-season run that led to a division title. Without Oswalt, there was no guarantee the Phillies would’ve made the playoffs.
Other July 2010 deals of note: Texas acquires Lee; Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim acquire Dan Haren; Chicago White Sox acquire Edwin Jackson.
2009—Rockies trade Matt Holliday to Cardinals: When the Cardinals traded for Holliday, just 3.5 games separated the top four teams in the NL Central. Both Houston and the Cubs only trailed St. Louis by 1.5 games. After getting Holliday, St. Louis won more than 60 percent of its remaining games, and Holliday had a 1.023 OPS down the stretch. Plus, they were able to re-sign him as a free agent in the offseason, so he was more than just a deadline rental.
Other July 2009 deals of note: Philadelphia acquires Cliff Lee; San Francisco acquires Freddy Sanchez; Boston acquires Victor Martinez; Minnesota acquires Orlando Cabrera.
2008—Indians trade C.C. Sabathia to Milwaukee: Even though Milwaukee had no shot at signing Sabathia as a free agent following the season, he had about as much impact on a pennant race as can be expected out of a starting pitcher (even getting some NL Cy Young consideration despite only pitching half a season in that league). He went 11-2 for the Brewers and helped the team into the playoffs for the first time since 1982.
Other July 2008 deals of note: Cubs acquire Rich Harden; Philadelphia acquires Joe Blanton; Angels acquire Mark Teixeira; Dodgers acquire Manny Ramirez.
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The Bad:
2007—Rangers trade Mark Teixeira to Braves: Not only did Teixeira not help the Braves get into the playoffs, but he also cost them a future All-Star in prospect Elvis Andrus. Unfortunately, this was the only bold trade made during the 2007 deadline (with apologies to Octavio Dotel and Eric Gagne).
2006—Brewers trade Carlos Lee to Texas: It’s not often that a team acquiring a rental player like Lee also happens to nab the best prospect in the trade as well. Lee, a power-hitting outfielder, was about to be a free agent that Milwaukee couldn’t afford. So in a multi-player deal, they shipped him to Texas and received closer Francisco Cordero, outfielders Kevin Mench and Lance Nix, and prospect Julian Cordero in return. Hey, relief pitching is always a necessity, and Francisco Cordero was among the best closers in baseball, so not a bad trade for Milwaukee, right? Well, the Brewers also gave up prospect Nelson Cruz in the deal, who would go on to become an All-Star in Texas.
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Most teams, whether they’d admit it or not, would gladly mortgage the future (read: prospects) prospects for a shot at the World Series. More and more teams each year, it seems, fancy themselves contenders. This season, even perennial doormat Pittsburgh is leading its division. With big names like Ubaldo Jimenez, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, Wandy Rodriguez, and others being discussed, there should be no shortage of deals made with the ability to either influence the pennant race or cause a gambling team years of regret when a prospect pans out elsewhere.
—Photo AP/Ben Margot