Year: 2010

MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith wrote a primer last year on August waiver trades.  Give it a read to get ready for the month.

Even with all of the moves that occurred prior to this afternoon's non-waiver trade deadline, there are still plenty of players that did not change teams even though we thought they would. Let's recap the guys that did not move this year…

• Adam Dunn: Nationals GM Mike Rizzo wanted to be blown away in any Dunn deal, and even though several clubs inquired, he never found an offer to his liking. Dunn isn't a lock to clear trade waivers in August.
• Jose Bautista: The Major League homerun king drew plenty of interest for obvious reasons, but his versatility gave him even more value than your typical slugger. The Blue Jays are content keeping their top hitter after no one was willing to meet their demands.
• David DeJesus: Nothing but a case of bad luck here, DeJesus tore a ligament in his thumb crashing into the wall last week, ending his season prematurely.
• Joe Beimel: Lefty relievers are always on the move at the deadline, but Colorado couldn't find a taker for Beimel. He could easily be on the move next month.
• Brett Myers: Even though Houston gutted their team by dealing Roy Oswalt and Lance Berkman, they chose to not only hang onto Myers, but they're close to giving him a multi-year extension.
• The Blue Jays Bullpen: The trio of Scott Downs, Jason Frasor, and Kevin Gregg were very much available, but the Matt Capps trade set the market, and no one was willing to go there for any of these guys.
• Adam LaRoche & Kelly Johnson: The Diamondbacks held a mini-firesale, but the right side of their infield stayed put. Both could be had in August, LaRoche more likely than Johnson.
• David Aardsma & Brandon League: Seattle was expected to shop their end-game bullpen duo, but with both players under team control for a few more seasons, the Mariners weren't desperate to move either. No one blew them away with an offer, so Aardsma and League stayed put.

For every team that made a move to improve, there was another that didn't do anything. Here is a look at the clubs that were unable to pull the trigger on a deal…

• Red Sox: Even though the Sox picked up Jarrod Saltalamacchia, GM Theo Epstein told ESPN Boston's Gordon Edes that it was an "empty feeling" not being able to add a reliever or outfield depth.
• Mets: The Amazins were reportedly after both rotation and bullpen help, but they didn't make a single move before the deadline.
• Giants: GM Brian Sabean did add some reinforcements for his bullpen, but he did not add any offensive help despite casting a wide net.
• Brewers: Milwaukee's deadline plans took a big hit when Corey Hart injured his wrist, keeping him on the bench for the last week or so. Even though Prince Fielder's name was mentioned in rumors, he was unlikely to be moved unless someone offered GM Doug Melvin a package he couldn't refuse.
• Athletics: Like the Brewers, the A's deadline plans were sabotaged by injury. Ben Sheets hit the disabled list with an elbow issue, though the team didn't seem interested in moving him anyway. GM Billy Beane never seemed fond of moving Coco Crisp either.
• Reds: Cincinnati was a somewhat surprise contender for both Cliff Lee and Dan Haren, but GM Walt Jocketty ended up sitting on his hands and making no trades before the deadline.
• Rockies: Stuck trying to figure out if they were buyers or sellers, the Rockies didn't move any of their veterans: Aaron Cook, Brad Hawpe, and Melvin Mora among others.

There are sure to be plenty of moves made during the waiver period in August, so these teams will still have ample opportunity to fill these holes. If you're unclear how post-July 31st trades occur, make sure you check out our primer. Last year we saw players like Scott Kazmir, Jim Thome, Carl Pavano, Alex Gonzalez, Brad Penny, Aubrey Huff, Billy Wagner, Jon Garland, and Ivan Rodriguez change teams in August, so there are definitely going to be quality players available on the market next month.

There was certainly no shortage of moves not just today, but in the several days leading up to this afternoon's non-waiver trade deadline. The dominoes started to fall when the Rangers beat out the Yankees for Cliff Lee and Dan Haren landed with the Angels, and the action hasn't stopped since. Here's a recap of all the major moves that were made recently…

AL East

• The defending World Champs made as many trades as anyone over the past two days. First they acquired Lance Berkman and cash from the Astros for minor leaguers Mark Melancon and Jimmy Paredes, then they pounced on Austin Kearns at the cost of a player to be named later or cash. Today they added Kerry Wood, sending Cleveland a player to be named later and cash considerations.
• The Rays responded by strengthening their bullpen with the acquisition of Chad Qualls, who cost them a player to be named later.
• Boston acquired Jarrod Saltalamacchia from the Rangers for minor leaguers Roman Mendez and Chris McGuiness, a player to be named later, and $350,000.

AL Central

• The White Sox fortified their rotation by acquiring Edwin Jackson from Arizona in exchange for Daniel Hudson and David Holmberg.
• Even with Jon Rauch doing a fine job in the interim, the Twins solidified the ninth inning by acquiring closer Matt Capps from the Nationals. They gave up Wilson Ramos and Joe Testa. 
• After suffering a string of injuries, the Tigers acquired Jhonny Peralta from the Indians for minor league lefty Giovanni Soto.

AL West

• The first place Rangers continued to position themselves for a playoff run. With Lee and Bengie Molina already aboard, they went out and acquired Jorge Cantu from the Marlins in exchange for minor league arms Evan Reed and Omar Poveda.They also brought in Cristian Guzman, sending minor leaguers Ryan Tatusko and Tanner Roark to the Nationals. Texas also received $2MM in the deal.

NL East

• The division-leading Braves added depth to their bullpen and outfield by acquiring Kyle Farnsworth and Rick Ankiel from the Royals for Jesse Chavez, Gregor Blanco, and Tim Collins. Atlanta also acquired Wilkin Ramirez from the Tigers in a minor deal.
• A few days before the actual deadline, the Phillies made a huge splash and acquired Roy Oswalt and $11MM from the Astros in exchange for J.A. Happ and prospects Anthony Gose, and Jonathan Villar. 
• The Marlins bought instead of sold, receiving lefty reliever Will Ohman from the Orioles in exchange for Rick Vanden Hurk.

NL Central

• The most complicated trade of the deadline involved three teams and four players. The Cardinals received starter Jake Westbrook and prospect Nick Greenwood, the Padres outfielder Ryan Ludwick, and the Indians prospect Corey Kluber.
• The Pirates took advantage of the Diamondbacks' sale, acquiring Chris Snyder, minor leaguer Pedro Ciriaco, and $3MM in exchange for Bobby Crosby, D.J. Carrasco, and Ryan Church.
• After trading away Oswalt, the Astros turned around and flipped Gose to the Blue Jays for the suddenly well-traveled Brett Wallace.

NL West

• The division-leading Padres added a veteran presence in Miguel Tejada, sending minor league pitcher Wynn Pelzer to Baltimore. They also acquired Ludwick in the three team trade mentioned above.
• Despite perceived payroll constraints, the Dodgers were one of the deadline's most active teams. Their first move was to acquire Scott Podsednik from Kansas City for minor leaguers Lucas May and Elisaul Pimentel. They then added Ted Lilly and Ryan Theriot, sending Blake DeWitt and minor leaguers Brett Wallach and Kyle Smit back to the Cubs. The final move was to bring in Octavio Dotel, surrendering James McDonald and Andrew Lambo.
• The Giants acquired a pair of arms for their bullpen. They picked up Javier Lopez from the Pirates for John Bowker and Joe Martinez, plus Ramon Ramirez from the Red Sox for minor leaguer Daniel Turpen.