MLB Trade Deadline: Five Losers at the Deadline
The MLB trade deadline has come and gone, some teams did well and others did not. Let’s take a look at this year’s MLB trade deadline losers.
It was like Christmas morning in the MLB today. One of the most exciting days in baseball is finally over, and there were some big time surprises and big time blockbusters that went down before 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
While it wasn’t the last possible day to acquire talent (there is still the waiver wire), it was probably the last day to acquire a big name player to truly help a team down the stretch.
Every year we see massive deals that help shape either October for one team or the future for another team. Last year, we saw Yoenis Cespedes be dealt to the Mets and Johnny Cueto to the Royals, two teams that found themselves in the October classic. Those are two trades that could most definitely be considered wins.
In the contrary, last year we saw deals like Carlos Gomez to the Astros and Jonathan Papelbon to the Nationals, two trades that were wildly unsuccessful and the two teams are now stuck with those players and their contracts.
Although it’s hard to determine whether a trade is a success or not just hours after it’s made, we are able to determine whether or not a team was able to fulfill a need, move a player they don’t need, and gain prospects in return.
With that in mind, we are able to determine who won and who lost the trade deadline. If you’re a George Steinbrenner type and want winning, check somewhere else. This article will be popular amongst the Jose Canseco fans of the world as we break down this year’s MLB trade deadline losers.
Next: Nothing Doing
Kansas City Royals
It looks like the Royals are waving the white flag. They currently sit in fourth place in the Central and are 12 games back, and made no moves. The Royals could have been viewed as sellers or optimistic buyers, but ended up being neither.
They needed to add a starting pitcher, given that they are currently ranked 22nd in ERA and 27th in quality starts in the MLB. I expected them to make a run at pitchers like Matt Moore, Jeremy Hellickson, Shelby Miller, or Ivan Nova. Instead, they made no moves and sat quiet.
Doesn't look like the #Royals made a move. That isn't a good thing
— Joel Wagler (@jawsrecliner) August 1, 2016
The Royals also desperately need help at second base. Christian Colon isn’t a very good solution as he’s hitting just .245 with no home runs and nine RBIs. In addition, there is almost no infield depth after Colon. Going after players like Danny Valencia or Steve Pearce could have been affordable and a major acquisition.
It’s now clear that the Royals don’t think they can contend in 2016, which raises the question: why weren’t they sellers? It was an extremely unproductive trade deadline for KC. With a tough division, the Royals could have at least built for the future, but decided to make no moves at all.
Next: Blame Yan Gomes
Cleveland Indians
The Indians made a really good trade with the Yankees on Sunday to bring Andrew Miller to the back of their pen, and give them a legitimate closer to shut down batters in the ninth. Unfortunately for them, I think they needed a good catcher to push them a little further.
And they traded for one…kind of. It’s not often that a player actually vetoes a trade with his no-waive clause, but that’s exactly what Jonathan Lucroy did. The Indians put the deal in motion, and it was reported that he was headed to Cleveland.
But then the Brakes were hit, and there were reports that Lucroy didn’t want to play in Cleveland. The front-office spoke with Lucroy to convince him to come, but made no progress of changing his mind.
In fact, it’s rumored that they didn’t even promise Lucroy, the second best catcher in baseball over the last two years, a starting position in 2017. Supposedly, it was said they he would be splitting time with Yan Gomes. Lucroy decided to sit in Milwaukee until the Rangers dealt for him.
Per @bnightengale, #Indians told Lucroy he would be backup C/1B/DH in 17, with Gomes regular C. Team says it simply made Lucroy no promises.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 31, 2016
Now the Indians have to deal with the fact that Roberto Perez and Chris Gimenez will be starting for them until Gomes can get healthy again. Perez has just 294 career at-bats, and Gimenez is hitting just .202.
If the Indians play the Rangers in the playoffs, they may really regret not pushing harder for another catcher besides the one who didn’t want to play for them.
Next: Can't Cut His Way Out
Chris Sale
It seems like all Chris Sale really wants to do is win. He even went as far to become the weirdest guy in baseball by cutting up his team’s jerseys to get that message across.
Deep down, I think Chris Sale really wanted to be moved at the deadline. Although he never came out and said it directly, he’s mentioned he just wants to win, pulled a very weird stunt, and bashed manager Robin Ventura in the media.
The Chicago #Whitesox say that unless something dramatically changes, will keep Chris Sale and Jose Quintana.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) August 1, 2016
Sale is one of the best pitchers in the majors, and has been for the past few years. This year he’s won an AL high 14 games and boasts a 3.17 ERA. He’s been an All-Star over the last five seasons and has finished in the top six of Cy Young voting in the last four seasons.
Chris Sale is a top pitcher in this league and would have really helped a team trying to contend in October. At times, it looked like the Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox were close to making deals for the lefty, but the White Sox were asking way too much for Sale.
He might be a crazy man, but I kind of feel for Chris Sale. He probably knows his prime will only last so long, and he doesn’t want to spend it on a bad White Sox team that doesn’t look like a contender for the next few years.
He wanted out of the Windy City, but didn’t get his wish.
Next: No love for Puig
Yasiel Puig
It’s now clear that the love in Los Angeles for Yasiel Puig has come and gone. The once loved, Cuban phenomenon is going to get a lot of bench time for the Dodgers in the coming months.
Early in the day, it looked like the Dodgers were doing everything they could to trade Puig, and it looked like the Chicago White Sox came close to dealing for him. When it fell through, the Dodgers decided to just upgrade on their own.
They traded for Josh Reddick, a right fielder from the Atheltics, who has had a much better year than Puig, and it seems as if he will be starting for the rest of the year.
Reddick is hitting .296, which is almost 30 points better than any other Dodger outfielder this season. Reddick has a better OBP, OPS, and slugging percentage than Puig.
Puig is just 25-years-old and it seems like his main issues on the field comes from above the shoulders. I think if he can tap into some of that potential and really focus on baseball, he will be a very good ballplayer. The only concern for him is that it won’t be for the Dodgers.
mets need an rhh OF. i asked about interest in yasiel puig. quick answer: "No."
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 31, 2016
Puig can look at the trade deadline in one of two ways: No one wanted to trade for him, or the Dodgers didn’t want to lose him. Considering they traded for another starting right fielder, it looks like the latter option isn’t the viable one.
Next: Dumping the farm