There’s still some time left for contenders to make August deals. (You can still trade in September, but acquired players aren’t eligible for the post-season.) But we already have seen a decent number of sturdy veterans moved this month.
So, let’s take a quick poll. The question is simple: which of the following additions over the month of August made the biggest positive difference for a team hoping to bolster its chances at qualifying for and moving through the postseason?
- Mets acquire lefty Eric O’Flaherty from Athletics for minor league righty Dawrin Frias. New York needed a southpaw specialist, and liked how O’Flaherty was throwing, but he’s struggled since heading to the Mets.
- Rangers acquire first baseman Mike Napoli from Red Sox for PTBNL or cash. The resurgent Napoli returns to his former club to add a big right-handed bat to a lefty-heavy lineup, and he’s mashed in limited action.
- Blue Jays acquire infielder Cliff Pennington from Diamondbacks for minor league infielder Dawel Lugo. Pennington provides depth for Toronto. He hasn’t hit all year, and that has yet to change since the move.
- Astros acquire lefty Oliver Perez from Diamondbacks for minor league lefty Junior Garcia. Houston was pleased that it was able to win the claim for Perez and work out a deal to add the veteran LOOGY. He’s been strong so far.
- Rangers acquire outfielder Will Venable from Padres for minor league righty Jon Edwards and minor league catcher/outfielder Marcus Greene. Texas has a range of outfield options, but with Josh Hamilton a near-constant injury question, the versatile Venable represents flexibility for the surprising club.
- Dodgers acquire second baseman Chase Utley from Phillies for minor league outfielder Darnell Sweeney and minor league righty John Richy. While Utley’s play has dropped off this year, he’s been better of late and has an impeccable track record.
- Giants acquire outfielder Marlon Byrd from Reds for minor league righty Stephen Johnson. We’ve heard for some time that San Francisco wanted an offensive-oriented outfield bat, and the team finally landed a sturdy, veteran option in Byrd.
- Twins acquire lefty Neal Cotts from Brewers for PTBNL or cash. The Minnesota pen has been badly in need of some upgrades for some time, and Cotts looks like a good add, but did the team wait too long to make a move?
(Listed earliest to most recent; randomized in poll. Bear in mind that most of these deals also included salary offsets; see links for details. Note: Utley was mistakenly omitted from the original version of the poll and was not an option for the first ~2,400 voters.)
Best August Trade By A Contender Thus Far?
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Giants acquire Marlon Byrd 38% (4,420)
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Rangers acquire Mike Napoli 24% (2,775)
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Dodgers acquire Chase Utley 14% (1,604)
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Rangers acquire Will Venable 6% (747)
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Astros acquire Oliver Perez 6% (652)
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Blue Jays acquire Cliff Pennington 5% (629)
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Twins acquire Neal Cotts 4% (492)
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Mets acquire Eric O'Flaherty 3% (404)
Total votes: 11,723
None of the above, but if pressed, Oliver Perez.
I’ll Take J.A. Happ, 2-1 in 4 starts 2.08 ERA after losing AJ Burnett
That was agreed to before the deadline, so wouldn’t qualify. (But he has been quite good!)
Utley to the Dodgers should at least be an option to vote for.
Yeah, yeah he should. Whoever put this poll together is an idiot. (Me.)
I updated it to add him. Obviously will skew the results, but what’re you gonna do. Sorry!
It’d be Fiers. I’m a Brewer-in-Law and watch these idiots blindly try to be liked by giving away talented players with team-friendly contracts.It’s too bad the Angels don’t need any starting pitching. The Brewers just love the latest models from our Dominican shortstop factory. Maybe Fiers talked to Huston Street or Greinke.
Fiers wasn’t an August deal. It was completed a day before the deadline.
The Brewers got some pretty good players in return, Fiers is 30 no guarantee he will still be pitching at his peak when the Brewers are ready to contend again. They need a complete rebuild. Probably the only reason Lucroy wasn’t moved was fear of fans not accepting reality that a rebuild needs to take place, or it just may be easier to deal him in the off season.
I agree, Lucroy, K-Rod, Garza and Lind have no reason to be on that team, and Braun doesn’t really either, but I wonder if anyone will take Braun’s contract this offseason? Oakland has an opening in LF and so far has shown they are down to throw money around at poor targets like Butler, but Braun actually fills that LF need. Taking on Braun would mean taking the 5/100 left on his deal right now for his age 32-36 seasons. That’s not too bad actually, especially if the Brewers throw in say, $20M to get actually good prospects in return. I think a fair amount of teams would sign Braun to 5/80 right now, honestly. Milwaukee has a great farm but going full rebuild is always the best move, and getting rid of those guys would ensure an Astros-level return to form a lot faster than letting Braun rot on non-contenders.
The A’s don’t take on $16MM AAV contracts (Assuming like you said the brewers kicked in 20M). Unless the brewers want to pay at least half or more there is no way that deal happens.
The A’s signed a washed up terrible Billy Butler for $30M, anything is possible in 2015.
If there’s one thing you can say about Billy Beane and the As, it’s that they’re totally unpredictable. Trading Russell for Samardzija, signing Billy Butler, trading Donaldson, etc. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if they acquired Braun.
I think it’s Napoli. He seemed largely a victim of BABIP this season, and some of that luck is starting to turn around. He’s hit consistently well for years and will most likely continue that. By far the best hitter acquired.
I think Byrd is a safer bet to play a huge impact. Pagan has been absolutely terrible this season and Pence can’t seem to stay healthy. Down the road, a RH power bat that can hit anywhere in the lineup seems likely to be a difference maker. May I throw out a Cody Ross 2010 comparison?
I think a less-safer bet, but a potential bigger impact could be Utley. Hes off to a slow start, but hes a grinder.
I have to say, its a little unfair to say O’Flaherty has struggled. It’s hardly his fault that Collin’s doesn’t understand the concept of a LOOGY. Granted he had a terrible 1st outing, but since then (when used correctly) he’s been solid.
It’s certainly too early to judge with any finality, but he’s hardly thriving in the small sample thus far. He’s been charged with earned runs in 3 of 7 appearances and has just 2 K’s in 4 2/3 (though no walks).
He certainly was torched his first time out, then put together a nice string of clean appearances, and then was misused in Colorado (facing Reyes who promptly turned one around for a homer. I don’t think hes been excellent, and it is early but I think he will be victimized by misuse, much the same way Jerry Blevins was last year in Washington.
Byrd is such a Giants-y move, he just screams “5 HR in the playoffs”.