Front page stories
There are five teams that made moves we’re sure to be talking about come October — bolstering weak positions before the playoffs, flipping a flier on an underrated player or, in the case of the cover models on top of each other, trading for one of best players of this generation. San Diego Padres Title: “Birth of the Power Trio” The Padres have never won a World Series. If they don’t make that fact obsolete in the near future, you can’t blame general manager AJ Preller for a passive approach. Juan Soto is headed to San Diego in one of the biggest MLB trades ever. Here’s what you need to know about the deal. What it means for the Padres — and the rest of MLB » Padres & Nationals Scores » San Diego entered the deadline needing offense, especially in the outfield and potentially at first base. The Friars also needed some help. To say Preller addressed his team’s needs doesn’t do his actions the last two days justice. This is the trade deadline equivalent of having to put together a band and create the Beatles. We still have to work on the pitch. But the Padres now have the game’s most dominant reliever in Josh Hader. Now they present this generation’s Ted Williams in Juan Soto. And when Fernando Tatis Jr. returns to the lineup, the Padres will boast one of the most dynamic big threes we’ve seen in baseball, with Soto and Tatis joined by 2022 MVP candidate Manny Machado. Bottom line: The biggest winner New York Yankees Headline: “Can anyone catch them now?” The Yankees have been making headlines all season with a dynamic heart of the order that will continue to cause buzz around Aaron Judge’s pursuit of historic figures. But the reason the Yankees have gone from really good to great is because of run prevention. At the deadline, the Yankees improved their already elite bullpen, improving their pitching, defense and ability to match up with most any opponent. The pitching: By adding Scott Efross and Lou Trivino to the bullpen, the Yankees have covered in case Aroldis Chapman and Jonathan Loaisiga don’t continue their recent progress. But if they do, that quartet will back up closer Clay Holmes in an October lineup. With the addition of Frankie Montas, the Yankees now have five starters in the playoffs and would have a sixth if Luis Severino can return from the lat. Of course, you don’t need that many starters in the playoffs, and extras can deepen the bullpen even more. And the defense — the Yankees have been near the top of the leaderboard in most defensive metrics all season. But by adding Andrew Benintendi and Harrison Bader (just back from injury), they have an outfield that can pick it with anyone. The Yankees aren’t just a big name team. They are a well-made team and have all the hallmarks of a great team. Bottom line: Winner Houston Astros Title: “Almost a Complete Set” Houston came this close to checking off all the deadline boxes. They upgraded at catcher with Christian Vazquez, a pickup made more necessary with Tuesday’s news that Jason Castro is done for the season. Houston made an even sharper pickup by acquiring Trey Mancini from the Orioles, covering them in case Yuli Gurriel doesn’t move on or Michael Brantley doesn’t get healthy. They added a proven playoff reliever in Will Smith, a lefty for a bullpen that didn’t have one. 2 Related But the Astros didn’t get a center — in fact, they lost one, sending Jose Siri to the Rays in the three-team deal that brought Mancini. Bader would be the perfect pickup, both defensively and as a forward who could exploit the Crawford Boxes. Houston is so close to being a complete team, and maybe they’ll still get there if Jake Meyers and Chas McCormick can man the center. But the margin for error is slim, because any Astros weakness becomes glaring when held against the Yankees’ bright roster. Conclusion: Mostly a winner New York Mets Headline: “Looking for Relief” The good news on Tuesday was the return of Jacob deGrom. He threw five strong innings against Washington, and while it was wise to cut him there in his season debut, he looked more than capable of going deeper. Adding deGrom to a pitching staff is about as long a deadline as a team can get. But then deGrom left and the Mets’ bullpen got hammered, and by the end of the night, Atlanta, New York’s tight end was down by one game. The addition of Michael Givens helps. But will he be enough when we get to October and the Mets are trying to bridge the gap between their starters and their elusive closer Edwin Diaz? Bottom line: More wanted Atlanta Braves Headline: “Hey, it worked last year” Last season, it looked like Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos had lost control of himself as he acquired one outfielder after another in what seemed like a futile quest to fill the giant shoes of injured star Ronald Acuna Jr. Then, of course, some of those outfielders were instrumental in helping the Braves win the World Series. This time around, the Braves didn’t have as big of a hole to fill, but they recently lost Adam Duvall for the season and still don’t know when they might get Ozzie Albies back in the lineup. Which stars moved? Which contenders made the biggest splash? Here’s everything that went down before the deadline. Watch MLB Trade Deadline » Points for each offer » Robbie Grossman is usually a good complementary outfielder, but he’s having a rough season. Maybe the change of scenery helps, but he’s also a 32-year-old craftsman. Meanwhile, Anthopoulos revamped his bullpen dynamic on the fly, removing Smith, bringing in Jake Odorizzi for the back of his rotation (likely as a luxury addition) and trading a true prospect in Tucker Davidson for closer Raisel Iglesias, who has been terribly inconsistent this season. And, by the way, Atlanta already has Kenley Jansen. Anthopoulos has earned the benefit of the doubt after last season. But… this feels far away. Conclusion: Fingers crossed
Short stories
These 13 groups have given us something to work with — but there are many chapters still to be written. Matt Marton/USA TODAY Sports Los Angeles Dodgers Headline: “Standing Pat, Just to Make it Interesting” Fun fact: Entering Tuesday’s game, since the start of last season, Cody Bellinger and Joey Gallo were both hitting exactly .186. But because he’s hit more homers and drawn more walks, Gallo has a 156-point OPS advantage. And his addition was the Dodgers’ biggest move of the deadline. In the end, though — they might still be the best team in baseball. Bottom line: Winner by default Boston Red Sox Headline: “If Yogi Berra Were a Franchise” You trade your starting catcher, you bring in a career backup, you deal a declining, lefty-hitting first baseman even though one of your best prospects is a lefty first baseman in Triple A, you give away one of your best pitching prospects. that you’re short a first baseman and add a veteran outfielder, but fire one of your top lefties and in the end, it’s all sound and fury and it means nothing. All you can say is it’s too late too early here. Conclusion: Who knows? Seattle Sailors Headline: “Big Splash, Little Ripples” Jerry DiPoto landed Luis Castillo, the top starting pitcher on the trade market, and paid a pretty promising price to do it. He also got that business out of the way early, leaving him to focus on finding an injection for an offense that needs it. Instead, DiPoto has spent the past few days pillaging other teams’ waiver wires and injured lists. Bottom line: Incomplete Washington Nationals Headline: “It Could Be Worse” The Nationals’ heyday from last decade is just a memory, and it seems like it went by impossibly fast. Trading Juan Soto is never going to feel good, and no trade of him is going to leave a team as a deadline winner. But there’s no doubt the Padres’ haul adds some elite skill sets to Washington’s system. If you consider the returns from last year’s trade deadline, the Nats have embarked on a rebuild. But the hard part is still ahead. Conclusion: Loser Philadelphia Phillies Title: “Dombrowski doesn’t mess around” Which teams excelled and which failed to live up to expectations in the first half of the 162-game season? Handing out everything from an A-plus to an F Second half preview for all 30 teams Noah Syndergaard, David Robertson and Brandon Marsh were all acquired on deadline day to help the Phillies to a National League playoff spot that didn’t even exist before this season. That was one of the goals of the new format, to entice teams to be in a more win-now mode. If Dave Dombrowski ran every team, it wouldn’t be necessary. Love it or hate it, kids always keep it interesting. Bottom line: Winner Cincinnati Reds Headline: “Okay, They Had a Plan” The Reds have drawn a lot of scorn for their teardown since last season, a process initiated by the stated need to “align payroll with resources”. And while a statement like that doesn’t excite anyone but MBA candidates, you’ve got to hand it to Cincinnati: They’ve got their system in place. Right now, this doesn’t look like a long-term rebuild. Bottom line: Winner Minnesota Twins Title: “Good enough for the AL Central” The Twins needed pitching, starters and relievers. So they got a new closer in Jorge Lopez, a quality reliever in Michael Fulmer and a solid starter in Tyler Malle. The Twins, on paper, have split Chicago and Cleveland in the AL Central race. Bottom line: Winner Toronto Blue Jays Headline: “Better but not enough” It can…
title: “This Year S Mlb Trade Deadline Headlines " ShowToc: true date: “2022-10-30” author: “Judy Fleming”
Front page stories
There are five teams that made moves we’re sure to be talking about come October — bolstering weak positions before the playoffs, flipping a flier on an underrated player or, in the case of the cover models on top of each other, trading for one of best players of this generation. San Diego Padres Title: “Birth of the Power Trio” The Padres have never won a World Series. If they don’t make that fact obsolete in the near future, you can’t blame general manager AJ Preller for a passive approach. Juan Soto is headed to San Diego in one of the biggest MLB trades ever. Here’s what you need to know about the deal. What it means for the Padres — and the rest of MLB » Padres & Nationals Scores » San Diego entered the deadline needing offense, especially in the outfield and potentially at first base. The Friars also needed some help. To say Preller addressed his team’s needs doesn’t do his actions the last two days justice. This is the trade deadline equivalent of having to put together a band and create the Beatles. We still have to work on the pitch. But the Padres now have the game’s most dominant reliever in Josh Hader. Now they present this generation’s Ted Williams in Juan Soto. And when Fernando Tatis Jr. returns to the lineup, the Padres will boast one of the most dynamic big threes we’ve seen in baseball, with Soto and Tatis joined by 2022 MVP candidate Manny Machado. Bottom line: The biggest winner New York Yankees Headline: “Can anyone catch them now?” The Yankees have been making headlines all season with a dynamic heart of the order that will continue to cause buzz around Aaron Judge’s pursuit of historic figures. But the reason the Yankees have gone from really good to great is because of run prevention. At the deadline, the Yankees improved their already elite bullpen, improving their pitching, defense and ability to match up with most any opponent. The pitching: By adding Scott Efross and Lou Trivino to the bullpen, the Yankees have covered in case Aroldis Chapman and Jonathan Loaisiga don’t continue their recent progress. But if they do, that quartet will back up closer Clay Holmes in an October lineup. With the addition of Frankie Montas, the Yankees now have five starters in the playoffs and would have a sixth if Luis Severino can return from the lat. Of course, you don’t need that many starters in the playoffs, and extras can deepen the bullpen even more. And the defense — the Yankees have been near the top of the leaderboard in most defensive metrics all season. But by adding Andrew Benintendi and Harrison Bader (just back from injury), they have an outfield that can pick it with anyone. The Yankees aren’t just a big name team. They are a well-made team and have all the hallmarks of a great team. Bottom line: Winner Houston Astros Title: “Almost a Complete Set” Houston came this close to checking off all the deadline boxes. They upgraded at catcher with Christian Vazquez, a pickup made more necessary with Tuesday’s news that Jason Castro is done for the season. Houston made an even sharper pickup by acquiring Trey Mancini from the Orioles, covering them in case Yuli Gurriel doesn’t move on or Michael Brantley doesn’t get healthy. They added a proven playoff reliever in Will Smith, a lefty for a bullpen that didn’t have one. 2 Related But the Astros didn’t get a center — in fact, they lost one, sending Jose Siri to the Rays in the three-team deal that brought Mancini. Bader would be the perfect pickup, both defensively and as a forward who could exploit the Crawford Boxes. Houston is so close to being a complete team, and maybe they’ll still get there if Jake Meyers and Chas McCormick can man the center. But the margin for error is slim, because any Astros weakness becomes glaring when held against the Yankees’ bright roster. Conclusion: Mostly a winner New York Mets Headline: “Looking for Relief” The good news on Tuesday was the return of Jacob deGrom. He threw five strong innings against Washington, and while it was wise to cut him there in his season debut, he looked more than capable of going deeper. Adding deGrom to a pitching staff is about as long a deadline as a team can get. But then deGrom left and the Mets’ bullpen got hammered, and by the end of the night, Atlanta, New York’s tight end was down by one game. The addition of Michael Givens helps. But will he be enough when we get to October and the Mets are trying to bridge the gap between their starters and their elusive closer Edwin Diaz? Bottom line: More wanted Atlanta Braves Headline: “Hey, it worked last year” Last season, it looked like Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos had lost control of himself as he acquired one outfielder after another in what seemed like a futile quest to fill the giant shoes of injured star Ronald Acuna Jr. Then, of course, some of those outfielders were instrumental in helping the Braves win the World Series. This time around, the Braves didn’t have as big of a hole to fill, but they recently lost Adam Duvall for the season and still don’t know when they might get Ozzie Albies back in the lineup. Which stars moved? Which contenders made the biggest splash? Here’s everything that went down before the deadline. Watch MLB Trade Deadline » Points for each offer » Robbie Grossman is usually a good complementary outfielder, but he’s having a rough season. Maybe the change of scenery helps, but he’s also a 32-year-old craftsman. Meanwhile, Anthopoulos revamped his bullpen dynamic on the fly, removing Smith, bringing in Jake Odorizzi for the back of his rotation (likely as a luxury addition) and trading a true prospect in Tucker Davidson for closer Raisel Iglesias, who has been terribly inconsistent this season. And, by the way, Atlanta already has Kenley Jansen. Anthopoulos has earned the benefit of the doubt after last season. But… this feels far away. Conclusion: Fingers crossed
Short stories
These 13 groups have given us something to work with — but there are many chapters still to be written. Matt Marton/USA TODAY Sports Los Angeles Dodgers Headline: “Standing Pat, Just to Make it Interesting” Fun fact: Entering Tuesday’s game, since the start of last season, Cody Bellinger and Joey Gallo were both hitting exactly .186. But because he’s hit more homers and drawn more walks, Gallo has a 156-point OPS advantage. And his addition was the Dodgers’ biggest move of the deadline. In the end, though — they might still be the best team in baseball. Bottom line: Winner by default Boston Red Sox Headline: “If Yogi Berra Were a Franchise” You trade your starting catcher, you bring in a career backup, you deal a declining, lefty-hitting first baseman even though one of your best prospects is a lefty first baseman in Triple A, you give away one of your best pitching prospects. that you’re short a first baseman and add a veteran outfielder, but fire one of your top lefties and in the end, it’s all sound and fury and it means nothing. All you can say is it’s too late too early here. Conclusion: Who knows? Seattle Sailors Headline: “Big Splash, Little Ripples” Jerry DiPoto landed Luis Castillo, the top starting pitcher on the trade market, and paid a pretty promising price to do it. He also got that business out of the way early, leaving him to focus on finding an injection for an offense that needs it. Instead, DiPoto has spent the past few days pillaging other teams’ waiver wires and injured lists. Bottom line: Incomplete Washington Nationals Headline: “It Could Be Worse” The Nationals’ heyday from last decade is just a memory, and it seems like it went by impossibly fast. Trading Juan Soto is never going to feel good, and no trade of him is going to leave a team as a deadline winner. But there’s no doubt the Padres’ haul adds some elite skill sets to Washington’s system. If you consider the returns from last year’s trade deadline, the Nats have embarked on a rebuild. But the hard part is still ahead. Conclusion: Loser Philadelphia Phillies Title: “Dombrowski doesn’t mess around” Which teams excelled and which failed to live up to expectations in the first half of the 162-game season? Handing out everything from an A-plus to an F Second half preview for all 30 teams Noah Syndergaard, David Robertson and Brandon Marsh were all acquired on deadline day to help the Phillies to a National League playoff spot that didn’t even exist before this season. That was one of the goals of the new format, to entice teams to be in a more win-now mode. If Dave Dombrowski ran every team, it wouldn’t be necessary. Love it or hate it, kids always keep it interesting. Bottom line: Winner Cincinnati Reds Headline: “Okay, They Had a Plan” The Reds have drawn a lot of scorn for their teardown since last season, a process initiated by the stated need to “align payroll with resources”. And while a statement like that doesn’t excite anyone but MBA candidates, you’ve got to hand it to Cincinnati: They’ve got their system in place. Right now, this doesn’t look like a long-term rebuild. Bottom line: Winner Minnesota Twins Title: “Good enough for the AL Central” The Twins needed pitching, starters and relievers. So they got a new closer in Jorge Lopez, a quality reliever in Michael Fulmer and a solid starter in Tyler Malle. The Twins, on paper, have split Chicago and Cleveland in the AL Central race. Bottom line: Winner Toronto Blue Jays Headline: “Better but not enough” It can…
