The Aftermath of the MLB Trade Deadline: Blockbuster Deals and Moves in the League
It’s August, and baseball fans know that means the deadline for the 2023 Major League Baseball trade has come and gone. Moved from July 31st to August 1st, this trade season was a wild ride ending with some blockbuster deals and duds, like the New York Mets trading the league’s two highest-paid players – that’s around $86 million for anyone who’s keeping count. Keep reading to see which MLB trade rumor rang true, what teams came out on top, and which ones struck out.
7 Teams That Came on Top
Houston Astros
The Astros were all about reunions this season, getting back three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander back from the NY Mets. We know 40-year-old Verlander will be comfortable in Houston, and the city will be happy to have him back. Verlander’s MLB contract was signed back in December for two years, earning him a cool $43.33 million per year.
Instagram Post 1: Justin Verlander
New York Mets
The Mets impressed with their deadline pivot by becoming the MLB’s biggest seller, trading out Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer. These moves opened the team to more spending in 2024. But don’t write off their additions just yet. With pitcher Ronald Hernandez and infielder Marco Vargas, the Mets are looking for top prospects and are playing the long game.
Los Angeles Angels
When the Angels finally decided to put the MLB trade rumor mill to rest by keeping Shohei Ohtani, they were ready to buy. The trade season was good for them, and they were able to patch some holes in their roster with Reynaldo López, Lucas Giolito, Randal Grichuk, C.J. Cron, and Dominic Leone.
St. Louis Cardinals
Even though the Cardinals didn’t have the selling experience, they still managed to nab infielder Thomas Sagesse and pitcher Tekoah Roby from the Texas Rangers with the Jordan Montgomery trade. While Roby’s breakout season was cut short with a shoulder injury, he and Sagesse, who has been having a good run, give us high hopes for this new lineup.
Texas Rangers
Texas is having a good day with the 39-year-old Max Scherzer joining the Texas Rangers, with the Rangers paying $22.5 million – half of Scherzer’s annual salary. But that is just one of the upgrades the Rangers have made to their rotation, as the MLB trade rumors predicted. They also added Jordan Montgomery, Chris Stratton, C Austin Hedges, and Aroldis Chapman to the team. Even though the Rangers haven’t reached the playoffs since 2016, things are looking up.
Instagram 2: Aroldis Chapman
Arizona Diamondbacks
In a surprise move, the Diamondbacks were able to secure premium late-inning reliever Paul Sewald without trading anyone who would affect their roster too much. Then with the addition of Jace Peterson, Peter Strzelecki, and Tommy Pham, the team is looking even better.
Chicago White Sox
The White Sox were smart to start early, setting most of its big trades at the start. In the end, they got Edgar Quero, Korey Lee, Luis Patiño, Trayce Thompson, Nick Nastrini, Juan Carela, Jake Elder, and Ky Bush, trading out Lance Lynn, Reynaldo López, Lucas Giolito, Keynan Middleton, and Joe Kelly. Quero, in particular, is a great catch – a promising bat with top-50 potential. While catcher Korey Lee could move up the roster as soon as this season.
6 Teams That Glided By
Atlanta Braves
The MLB trade rumors knew the Braves didn’t need much, they made some smart additions to the bullpen with Brad Hand and Pierce Johnson. They also traded Taylor Hearn for Nicky Lopez, another solid move. Of course, the Brave’s activity was limited by their roster’s quality, so we gave them a pass.
Chicago Cubs
The Cubs decided to buy late, but Jeimer Candelario was the major addition. He is currently the best third baseman, giving the team a real boost in both infield-corner positions. José Cuas is another interesting addition to the bullpen. Sure, the Cubs could have been more aggressive, but they did alright.
Instagram Post 3: Jeimer Candelario
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers are known for star-studded deals, but not this time around. They kept a low profile with some mid-tier additions like Joe Kelly, Lance Lynn, Enrique Hernandez, and Amed Rosario. Even though they couldn’t convince Eduardo Rodriguez to waive his no-trade clause, they still managed to get a late addition of Ryan Yarbrough.
Baltimore Orioles
With Jack Flaherty and Shintaro Fujinami, the Orioles added two new pitchers. The moves will definitely upgrade their roster, but the latest MLB trade rumors right before the deadline suggested a bigger swing, maybe even consolidating some hitting prospects. Unfortunately, none of that happened, but the Orioles still managed to get by.
Instagram Post 4: Jack Flaherty
San Diego Padres
We thought San Diego would do something splashy, but no. This season the Padres made some effective moves adding Garrett Cooper, Scott Barlow, Rich Hill, and Ji-Man Choi. Each addition has merit, no question, solidifying the Padres roster by strengthening the rotation and upgrading the DH position.
Tampa Rays
This time the Rays went for more minor-league trades instead of the big-league ones. The one veteran addition was Aaron Civale, who could be good or bad, depending on how you look at it. On the one hand, he is a good curveball. But on the other hand, his walk rate, strikeout rate, and average exit velocity do not compare to last season. Yeah, the Rays needed a starter, so they should come out the other side OK.
5 Teams That Missed Out
Minnesota Reds
Now this one raised a few eyebrows. The MLB trade rumor mill suggested that the Reds might make a move, taking advantage of their first-place rank, especially given their rotation issues. Then, nada. So they will continue with the same roaster, which is a little disappointing, given they could have upgraded.
San Francisco Giants
The Giants made no major moves this year. The only notable addition to the team is 35-year-old outfielder AJ Pollock, as predicted. While it’s possible that Pollock still has some gas in the tank, it is hard to feint interest. Other teams made much more significant changes in the wild-card race.
Instagram Post 5: AJ Pollock
Minnesota Twins
All the Twins did was swap out Jorge López for Dylan Floro. Sure, this was a good trade, but it seems there was the potential to do so much more, considering how close the AL Central race is.
New York Yankees
Look, Keynan Middleton is a solid addition to the roaster; if he gets his home-run rate up, he will be even better. But in all honesty, we really thought the Yankees would switch it up, either selling or buying. Given its state, doing nothing seems like the worst possible move.
Washington Nationals
Washington only made one trade, trading third baseman Jeimer Candelario to the Cubs for Kevin Made and DJ Herz. MLB trade rumors were running wild, thinking the Nationals would move Kyle Finnegan or Lane Thomas, given the quality hitters available – it looks like the rumor mill was wrong.
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