This was one of the most active trade periods in recent memory. Not only were a number of deals that got done, but a number of high profile players exchanged places. Let's take a look at today's big deals and a couple of ones that had already taken place.
3 Hall of Fame Players -
Manny Ramirez,
Ivan Rodriguez, and
Ken Griffey Jr. were all dealt today. There have been rumors of
Jr. to the
White Sox on and and off for a couple of months. He finally went today, after waving his no-trade clause, for infielder
Danny Richar and pitcher
Nick Masset.
Richar was thought to be the starting 2nd baseman for the
White Sox this season before injury stalled his year. Eventually
Alexi Ramirez made
Richar expendable.
Masset is a mediocre reliever who will just add some depth to the
Reds pen.
Ivan Rodriguez gives the
Yankees much needed punch at catcher while the
Tigers got some much needed help in their bullpen with the acquisition of
Kyle Farnsworth.
By adding
Manny Ramirez to their lineup, the
Dodgers have an excellent shot at overtaking the
Diamondbacks for the
NL West crown. Who ever would have thought Joe Torre would be managing the
Man-child, and for that matter,
Nomar.
The
Red Sox get back a very solid player in
Jason Bay. He's not
Manny, but he's still a good addition. The biggest difference will be no protection for
David Ortiz.
The poor fans in
Pittsburgh, those who actually pay attention to baseball, get back 4 prospects. Reliever
Craig Hansen, who was once thought to be closer material, and outfielder
Brandon Moss, who has tremendous upside. He's a good outfielder with a decent bat, and will be just 25 in September.
From
LA, the
Pirates got
Andy LaRoche, who joins his brother
Adam, and pitcher
Bryan Morris. The younger
LaRoche will see time at 3rd base and eventually could supplant his brother on the other side of the diamond. He's got good power and will finally get the chance to see if he can live up to his hype.
Morris is in just his second minor league season after missing 2007 due to
Tommy John surgery. The 21-yr old's best pitch is his curveball.
The Reigning AL Cy Young Winner -
CC Sabathia has been outstanding since his trade to the
Brewers, going 4-0, 1.82 in 5 starts. The
Indians have the chance for an outstanding bat in
Matt LaPorta who was hitting .288-20-66 in 84 games in Double-A. He's made a slow transition to the
Indians team in
Akron, hitting just .212-1-7 in 14 games. Last year he drove in 31 runs in 30 games.
The Stud -
Rich Harden finally won his first game as a
Cub today. And yes, we are being sarcastic.
Harden hasn't given as many innings as
Sabathia, but his arm has to be cared for a lot more. Nonetheless, he's been outstanding, putting together a 1.11 ERA in 4 starts. He's also struck out 39 batters in 24.1 innings.
Sean Gallagher is in the
A's rotation and projects to be a number 3 or 4 starter. The reports on outfielders
Matt Murton and
Eric Patterson are mixed.
Murton, soon to be 27, did well in 2006, hitting .297-13-62 with an .809 OPS. But he's tailed off since.
Patterson is getting a shot now after tearing the cover off the ball in 14 minor league games after the trade, and has the bigger upside.
The Big Bat -
Mark Teixeira is playing in his second game in an Angels uniform tonight. After going 0-4 against
Boston, he's 2-4 against the
Yankees and drove in his first run in for the Halos. This was a great deal for the
Angels.
Casey Kotchman will be a very solid defender for the
Braves, but the jury is still out on his bat. Pitcher
Steve Marek is a hard thrower, but is pretty much a crap shoot.
So there you have it. Big names, big deals, big difference makers.
Labels: CC Sabathia, Ivan Rodriguez, Jason Bay, Ken Griffey Jr., Kyle Farnsworth, Manny Ramirez, Mark Teixeira, Rich Harden, Trade Deadline Recap
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