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Well… that was something.
Once again, having a real commercial deadline created the last days of frenzied offers. And when the dust settled, exchanges involving a three-time Cy Young Award winner (Max Scherzer), National League MVP (Kris Bryant) and two reliever of the year (Craig Kimbrel) were just the tip. of the iceberg.
We knew, from the names discussed among executives, that this deadline had the potential to get pretty crazy. Still, we can say that it exceeded our expectations. Here are seven storylines that, we have to admit, caught us off guard.
1) The Cubs and Nats REALLY blew it up.
No half measures here. You knew these two clubs were going to be very different when they faced each other this weekend. But now they are virtually unrecognizable.
Once the Nats were swept away by the Orioles last weekend, it was clear Max Scherzer would be treated before his free agency, and the Dodgers have always been seen as a likely landing spot. But the Nats also distributed All-Star shortstop Trea Turner, who isn’t a free agent until 2022, to the Dodgers was a real surprise. Washington general manager Mike Rizzo also moved Kyle Schwarber (who had a mutual option for 22), as well as pending free agents Jon Lester, Daniel Hudson, Josh Harrison and Yan Gomes. It wasn’t quite all that wasn’t nailed down, but it was pretty close.
As for the Cubs, there had been so much speculation about overtime with Anthony Rizzo and Javier Báez that it seemed unlikely that they would move their waiting big three free agents. But lo and behold, Bryant, Rizzo and Báez – mainstays of the 2016 curse breakers – have all been dispatched, along with relievers Craig Kimbrel, Ryan Tepera and Andrew Chafin and starter Trevor Williams. And Kimbrel driving through town, while perhaps not as shocking as it would have been if the Cubs and White Sox hadn’t made the José Quintana-Eloy Jiménez trade in 2017, was still pretty wild.
2) The Twins traded José Berríos… but didn’t totally blow him up.
At first, it would have been hard to imagine the Twins trading their ace to Berríos, who had an extra year of contract control, without however moving Michael Pineda, who is a pending free agent.
It would have been assumed that a Berríos deal would have been part of a larger scale overhaul, possibly involving Byron Buxton or Kenta Maeda or Josh Donaldson. Instead, the Twins moved three expiring assets to Nelson Cruz, JA Happ and Hansel Robles… as well as their top pitcher. Toronto sent them two Top 100 prospects with shortstop / outfielder Austin Martin (No.16) and Simeon Woods Richardson (No.68), but it will be fascinating this winter to see what that tact of the trade deadline is. means for Minnesota approaching around 2022.
3) The Rockies were very, very calm.
We’ll assume they weren’t wrong and believe the deadline was still July 31 of this year. Rather, they refused to budge on the pricing of their most notable future free agents – Trevor Story and Jon Gray.
Acting GM Bill Schmidt led the Rockies Draft for a long time, so he knows the value of compensation for draft picks. And the Roxes hope to extend Gray. But with the next collective agreement negotiation, it’s unclear what the Story market or the pay angle will look like. So it was a risky (non-) move.
4) The Braves did not stand idly by.
You could argue that the Yankees, Blue Jays, and Phillies were all more active than many imagined, given the work ahead of them in the standings. But the activity of the Braves, while not in the realm of blockbusters, was still particularly notable. This club has had so many issues this season, including losing MVP candidate Ronald Acuña Jr. to a season-ending knee injury, ace Mike Soroka to a second Achilles tear and outfielder Marcell Ozuna, who came out with a finger injury and also faces potential penalties for domestic violence allegations which are still under investigation. It is not known if he will play again this season.
But leave it to Alex Anthopoulos to keep trying the old college. He landed one of the most coveted backup weapons by this trade deadline at Richard Rodríguez of Pittsburgh, and he also added the mighty bats from Adam Duvall, Jorge Soler and Eddie Rosario (having already acquired Joc Pederson more early in the month). The Braves came in on Friday with just a 9.6% chance of reaching the playoffs, according to FanGraphs odds, so give them credit for making it at a time when they could easily have kicked or held on.
5) Injured guys were key business pieces.
Nick Madrigal had hamstring surgery that ended the season, but the Cubs targeted him in their White Sox deal for Kimbrel. And the Cubs weren’t afraid to call on Mets prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong in the deal that sent Báez and Williams to Queens, even as he recovers from surgery to fix a tear in the labrum of the shoulder.
Meanwhile, Schwarber could be back within a week or so for the Red Sox, but his hamstring issue didn’t make him a sure thing he would be treated. The Braves have taken care of Rosario, who has been out since early July due to an intercostal strain.
6) No blockbuster for Padres GM AJ Preller.
Well, okay, Preller added Pirate Star Adam Frazier. But come on. It was days since. You know how this guy works. He doesn’t take these added opportunities lightly.
Preller almost landed Scherzer. He also had views of Berríos. Ultimately, the only additions for the Friars in the 24 hours leading up to the deadline were for reliever Daniel Hudson and outfielder Jake Marisnick, who won’t serve as the starting pitcher for San Diego (we don’t think so). The way it all turned out only made the Frazier deal more interesting, as it became widely believed that Preller would move Eric Hosmer to free some batsmen in the roster. As it stands, Frazier is a good play, but a little odd on this club.
7) Jesús Luzardo for a rented player.
Luzardo was the No.12 prospect in all of MLB at the start of 2020, and he was the A’s Game 1 starter in the AL Wild Card series last October. He’s had a rough year – he broke his little finger after hitting his hand on a table while playing video games and played poorly in a relief role upon his return.
Either way, it was amazing to see him sold to the Marlins for a rental player, even though that player has as much of an impact as Starling Marte. The Marlins recovered the remaining $ 4.6 million from Marte’s contract in 2021, which was certainly factored into the decision.
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