With the change to Major League Baseball trade rules this year limiting teams to making deals only through July 31, the thought was there would be a lot of big deals made prior to the deadline.
But Houston obtaining pitcher Zack Greinke from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for four minor leaguers was the biggest deal of the day, with teams like the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox sitting out most of the action.
Still, the Astros leaped to favorite status in the American League with the acquisition of the 35-year-old Greinke, who joins Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole to form a terrifying trio of starting pitchers. Greinke is 10-4 on the season with a 2.87 ERA and has struck out 135 while walking just 21 in 146 innings of work.
Cole and Verlander rank 1-2 in baseball in strikeouts, and in the postseason, the Astros could shrink their rotation down to those three if needed.
Houston also acquired right-handers Aaron Sanchez and Joe Biagini and minor leaguer Cal Stevenson from Toronto, sending outfielder Derek Fisher to the Blue Jays. Another deal brought the Astros catcher Martin Maldonado from the Cubs for utility man Tony Kemp.
Big Names Stay
The talk leading up to the trade deadline revolved around starting pitchers Noah Syndergaard of the Mets and Madison Bumgarner of the Giants. But both teams decided to hold onto their veteran pitchers rather than deal them away, hoping that they’ll still be able to make a run at the postseason.
Edwin Diaz was another name mentioned as possibly being moved by the Mets before the deadline, but after New York acquired Marcus Stroman from Toronto a few days before the deadline, it seemed to indicate that the Mets weren’t going to be sellers this year.
Teams that were expected to make deals were also quiet, with the Yankees, Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers all making either minor or no deals to improve their playoff odds.
Going For It
One team that did make a splash, though maybe not as big as Houston, was Cleveland. The Indians may have added a lot of firepower to their lineup with a deal that brings Franmil Reyes and Yasiel Puig to the Indians.
Reyes was batting .255 with 27 home runs and 46 RBI at the time of the deal, while Puig was hitting .252 with 22 home runs and 61 RBI. The two had 21 more home runs than all of the Indians’ corner outfielders combined at the time of the trade.
Cleveland didn’t have to give up much, with embattled pitcher Trevor Bauer going to Cincinnati in the deal. The Indians also received left-hander Logan Allen and a pair of minor leaguers in the three-team trade with the Reds and San Diego.
The Indians have shaved Minnesota’s lead in the American League Central down to three games heading into Saturday’s action, and they’re hoping the pieces they added at the deadline will help propel them past the Twins.
