MLBTR Originals

We ran through the biggest headlining moves of Wednesday’s trade deadline (American League; National League). But what about the trades that didn’t take place?

1. Gun-Shy Big Spenders. They had explanations for their decisions not to add significant talent on deadline day, but it was still stunning to see the Dodgers and Yankees — and, to a lesser extent, the Red Sox — bypass big moves. Both clubs are excellent just the way they are. Each rightly respects the value of young talent and perennial contention. But still … it has been quite some time since either took down a World Series title. And there could well be opportunities to second guess if the roster is lacking that one key piece at a big moment.

2. Mets Withhold Wheeler. On the other side of the coin, this was by far the boldest non-sale. The Mets put a lofty price tag on their rental starter and stuck to it. It’s a bold gambit that could easily backfire. True, there’s value in pressing to contend. And Wheeler could still be issued a qualifying offer. (He might be a nice value on even an expensive one-year deal; if he declines, the Mets would likely recoup draft compensation.) But if the Mets can’t continue their recent run, and/or health issues preclude a QO to Wheeler, this could be regrettable.

3. High-Powered Relievers Stay In Lower-Leverage Situations. Felipe Vazquez. Edwin Diaz. Kirby Yates. Mychal Givens. Raisel Iglesias. Alex Colome. Amir Garrett. Joe Jimenez. Jose Leclerc. There was some firepower and late-inning experience out there! And contenders that could’ve used it, with affordable team control helping to justify any addition. We never expected all of those arms to change hands, but I sure thought at least one or two would.

4. Boyd Not Bought. The Tigers just don’t seem that close to contending, if we’re being honest. Sure, the tide can start to turn more quickly than one might anticipate. But there are a load of questions facing the organization over the next few seasons. Dealing Matt Boyd, whose eye-popping peripherals and three seasons of control are highly appealing, seemed to offer a ready-made path to boosting the Tigers farm in a way that other recent deadline pieces haven’t. It would’ve been foolish to settle for a meager return, and it may be that the offers just weren’t there, but it’s surprising that nothing came together on the breakout lefty.

5. Cardinals Keep Bird In Hand. With an increasingly glaring postseason drought, the game’s model smaller-market team seemed to be positioned to chase glory at the deadline. It was frustrating for the team, and no doubt also for quite a few fans, to come away empty when there were some clear areas to improve on the roster. A division crown is still plenty possible, but the odds would be better with another quality starter and another bullpen or bench piece in the fold.

6. All Smoak, No Fire. As rental pieces go, defensively limited hitters aren’t that exciting. But man, Justin Smoak is a pretty good one. He’s a switch-hitter on an affordable deal. His power is down a bit, but it’s still there and he has been walking like a man possessed. Plus, he’s a Statcast darling, with a lofty .389 xwOBA.

7. That Dog Don’t Hunt[er]. Ditto Hunter Pence, who came back from the dead and turned in an All-Star first half. He’s swinging a hot stick. He’s cheap. And he’s pure fire in the clubhouse. It feels like we’re all missing out not having Pence giving color to high-leverage moments by stalking the dugout steps and entering the batter’s box in a big moment or two.

8. Frazier Not Freed: Quite apart from the Yanks’ generally quiet outcome was the fact that the club didn’t manage to find a deal involving Clint Frazier. He could still have an impact in New York, at least once rosters expand, but the club has passed over multiple chances to bring him onto the roster and wouldn’t seem to be increasing his trade value by keeping him stashed at Triple-A. It seemed to make an awful lot of sense for Frazier to be cashed in somehow on or before July 31. But he’s still in New York (err, Scranton).

9. Middle Relievers Marooned. So … why exactly didn’t these guys end up on the move? Prices were said to be frustratingly lofty by several contending GMs. Many ended up bypassing the top of the pure rental market, going to second or third-tier rental pieces (e.g., the Nationals) or nabbing controllable, somewhat under-the-radar arms (Nick Anderson, Joe Biagini, Jake Faria, Adam Kolarek). But if those players moved, why not guys like Francisco Liriano, Craig Stammen, Greg Holland, David Hernandez, Jared Hughes, and Cory Gearrin?

10. Buy/Sell Blurred. While the aggregate amount of talent moved ended up being rather typical, the deadline lacked much in the way of decisive action as between contending and rebuilding, buying versus selling. The Mets and Reds made stunning trades that improved their still-middling chances this year, but mostly did so with an eye to the future. Both clubs went on to perform a bit of corresponding payroll/roster management that partially offset their lone acquisitions. The Astros went big, while the Cubs and Braves made substantial adds (particularly when you include their mid-season free-agent expenditures). But on the whole, tepidity abounded on the buy side. It was even more remarkable to see so few teams go for broke in a selling direction. The Giants did some reshuffling but clearly chose to walk a line. Many teams that found themselves in potential selling position after hoping to contend decided against deep cuts, such as the Angels, Rangers, Pirates, Rockies, and Padres. (San Diego’s one major swap did bring in a prospect, but didn’t meaningfully impact the team’s expected contention timeline.) The Marlins and Blue Jays sent out a few pieces, but the Tigers, Royals, and even the Orioles held their most interesting MLB assets (Boyd, Whit Merrifield, Givens, Trey Mancini, etc.). The White Sox did nothing of note. Even the Diamondbacks, who surprised with their Zack Greinke deal, also acted to bring in multiple MLB pieces to stay afloat this year and prepare for a reasonably competitive 2020. What does it all mean? Who can say? Perhaps it’s just how things shook out this time around. Or it may be that the rise of prospect clutching and cheap extensions will usher in a new era of mainly “homegrown” teams, for better or worse.

We previewed the upcoming offseason’s qualifying market for potential free-agent hitters earlier Friday. We’ll do the same here with pitchers who may become free agents in a few months (bear in mind that possible Dodgers free agents Hyun-Jin Ryu and Kenley Jansen are ineligible because they’ve both received QOs in the past)…

Starters

• Gerrit Cole, Astros: This is an easy one for the Astros, who acquired Cole from the Pirates entering 2018 and have since gotten elite production from the former No. 1 overall pick. Cole, who will turn 29 in a month, is the only player in the upcoming free-agent class with a realistic chance at a $200MM contract. The strikeout-heavy right-hander has notched a 2.87 ERA/3.07 FIP with 12.9 K/9 and 2.33 BB/9 in 150 2/3 innings this season.
• Stephen Strasburg, Nationals: Another former top pick, Strasburg still has four years and $100MM left on his current contract. Howeve, he’ll have to seriously consider opting out at this rate. If he does, the Nationals will qualify him. Strasburg, a 31-year-old righty, owns a 3.26 ERA/2.93 FIP with 10.75 K/9, 2.18 BB/9 and a 50.9 percent groundball rate through 140 2/3 frames.
• Madison Bumgarner, Giants: For most of the season, it looked as if the Giants were going to trade Bumgarner, which would have exempted him from a qualifying offer. The club’s recent charge up the standings led it to retain the franchise icon at the deadline, though, and it’s sure to qualify Bumgarner if it doesn’t sign him to an extension before free agency. The left-handed Bumgarner, who turned 30 onThursday, has worked to a 3.74 ERA/3.66 FIP with exemplary strikeout and walk rates (9.02 K/9, 1.87 BB/9) over 139 2/3 innings.
• Zack Wheeler, Mets: Like Bumgarner, Wheeler looked like a strong trade candidate for most of the season, but he didn’t move before the deadline. Barring an extension, the flamethrowing righty, 29, is another QO waiting to happen. While Wheeler has only logged a 4.45 ERA in 131 1/3 innings this year, he has registered a 3.51 FIP with 9.87 K/9 and 2.33 BB/9.
• Cole Hamels, Cubs: Hamels has been out for more than a month because of an oblique strain, but he’ll be back Saturday. Assuming he picks up where he left off prior to the injury, a qualifying offer looks clear-cut for the Cubs, who are currently paying Hamels $20MM. When healthy, the soon-to-be 36-year-old Hamels has justified that lofty price tag. The accomplished southpaw has recorded a 2.98 ERA/3.59 FIP, posted 8.76 K/9 against 3.16 BB/9, and put up a 51.1 percent grounder rate in 99 2/3 frames.
• Jake Odorizzi & Kyle Gibson, Twins: These are highly debatable cases, but it’s inarguable the two righties have acquitted themselves well for a terrific Twins team this season. Odorizzi, playing his age-29 season, has seen his average fastball velocity rise to a career-high 92.9 mph, helping him to a strong 3.73 ERA/3.92 FIP with a personal-best 9.36 K/9 (against 3.06 BB/9) in 108 2/3 innings. Although Odorizzi has always had difficulty generating ground balls (including this year, having done so at a 32.5 percent clip), home runs have never really haunted the former Royal and Ray since his career began in 2012. Gibson, who will turn 32 in October, has also clocked an all-time best mean fastball velo – 93.4 – en route to his top strikeout rate (9.13 per nine, to go with 2.55 walks). Unlike Odorizzi, Gibson has always been solid at inducing grounders. While he has done so 48.2 percent of the time this year, his home run-to-fly ball rate is sitting at an unappealing 18.4 percent. Still, Gibson has managed a respectable 4.10 ERA/3.98 FIP over 116 1/3 innings.

Relievers

• Aroldis Chapman, Yankees: In order for Chapman to receive a qualifying offer, he’ll have to opt out of the remaining two years and $30MM left on his contract. It’s a realistic possibility for the high-velo left-hander, though he’ll turn 32 in February and will have to keep in mind that fellow star closer Craig Kimbrel struggled mightily to find a contract in free agency last winter after getting a QO. However, Kimbrel eventually pulled in a three-year, $43MM guarantee from the Cubs. Chapman has slumped of late, and he has blown five saves – his most since 2013 – in 32 chances. But Chapman has still notched a 2.81 ERA/2.52 FIP with 12.74 K/9 and 4.32 BB/9 in 41 2/3 frames.
• Will Smith, Giants: Smith joined his teammate Bumgarner in looking as if he’d change uniforms prior to the deadline for the past few months. The 30-year-old lefty is still in San Francisco with the deadline having come and gone, though, and is likely to land a QO as a result. Long a quality reliever, Smith has enjoyed one of his most effective seasons this year. He has pitched to a 2.66 ERA/2.73 FIP with 12.74 K/9, 2.09 BB/9 and 26 saves in 28 tries.
• Dellin Betances, Yankees: Qualifying the four-time All-Star setup man may have looked likely a few months back, but Betances has since missed the entire season because of shoulder and lat injuries. The Yankees expect Betances back before the campaign concludes, though there may not be enough time for the hard-throwing 31-year-old to make a QO case.

With this year’s trade deadline having passed, we have a better idea of which pending free agents could receive qualifying offers in the offseason. Yasiel Puig and Nicholas Castellanos were both dealt, so we know they’ll reach free agency unfettered once the season ends. But there are several other position players who are on track to have the QO weighing them down once they reach the open market in a few months. The offer was valued at $17.9MM last offseason, so teams will be judicious when doling it out. Here’s where things stand…

Catchers

• None. The Brewers’ Yasmani Grandal is the most appealing catcher who’s heading for free agency, but because the Dodgers slapped him with a QO last winter, he’s not eligible to get one again.

First Basemen

• None. It’s not a great class for first basemen. As explained on Thursday, the White Sox’s Jose Abreu hasn’t performed well enough this year to put himself in QO consideration.

Second Basemen

• None. Longtime third baseman and newly minted second basemen Mike Moustakas, yet another Brewer, would be a possible candidate had the Royals not given him a QO a couple offseasons ago.

Shortstops

• Elvis Andrus, Rangers: This is a borderline-at-best case, and it depends in part on whether Andrus decides to opt out of the remaining three years and $43MM left on his contract once the season ends. The soon-to-be 31-year-old Andrus hasn’t been much of an offensive threat dating back to last season, having hit .269/.313/.388 (80 wRC+) with 14 home runs and 27 stolen bases in 852 plate appearances. He could stick with his current deal as a result.
• Didi Gregorius, Yankees: Although Gregorius has missed a large chunk of this season after undergoing Tommy John surgery last fall, he’s a strong bet to collect a QO from the Yankees. The 29-year-old has been among the majors’ most productive shortstops in recent campaigns, though this season’s .271/.305/.465 line (98 wRC+) with seven HRs in 164 PA represents a notable step down compared to the career-best numbers Gregorius managed in 2018.

Third Basemen

• Anthony Rendon, Nationals: This will be a no-brainer for the Nationals, as Rendon’s the premier position player without a contract for 2020. A consistently excellent producer since he broke out in 2014, the 29-year-old Rendon’s amid his top season at the perfect time. He has slashed .317/.404/.609 (155 wRC+) with 23 home runs and 4.4 fWAR in 411 trips to the plate.
• Josh Donaldson, Braves: Because the Blue Jays traded him last summer, Donaldson was ineligible to receive a qualifying offer when he entered free agency at the conclusion of the season. He then signed a one-year, $23MM deal with the Braves, and has since raked to the tune of .256/.367/.520 (128 wRC+) with 25 HRs and 3.0 fWAR over 447 PA. Age isn’t on the side of Donaldson, who will turn 34 in December, but the Braves are sure to stick the former AL MVP with a QO.

Outfielders

• J.D. Martinez, Red Sox: As with Andrus, whether Martinez gets a QO will depend on if he opts out of what’s left of his contract. Martinez has three years and $62.5MM remaining, and walking away from that would be quite risky for a defensively challenged soon-to-be 32-year-old. But Martinez is enjoying his sixth straight high-end season at the plate, where he has teed off on pitchers for a .297/.369/.544 line (132 wRC+) and smashed 24 dingers through 451 PA. Martinez is still far from certain to opt out, but if he does, Boston will qualify him.
• Marcell Ozuna, Cardinals: Ozuna, who will turn 29 in November, hasn’t played in over a month because of finger injuries. Before that, the ex-Marlin was on track for his fourth straight above-average season. Ozuna has hit .259/.331/.515 (118 wRC+) with 20 homers and a personal-high .256 ISO in 326 tries. He may not be a slam dunk to earn a QO, but it’s more likely than not.

This was once the point where we’d remind everyone of the August trade rules — that set of convoluted procedures by which players could still be swapped even after the “trade deadline.” Confusing as that was, it was a key backstop for contenders that saw needs arise. Increasingly, that second bite at the apple had provided a significant source of talent movement, giving teams opportunities to re-think their earlier decisions.

No more! We’ve already examined the new trade deadline rules in a detailed rulebook reading. But that’s not for everyone. What you want to know is: how can my team get new players from here through the end of the season?

Here are the remaining ways in which players can still move from team to team the rest of the way:

• Waiver claims: Teams can no longer trade players who have been designated for assignment, but they can still be placed on outright waivers. This is the only way to nab a player on a Major League contract until after the end of the World Series. August 31st is still the deadline for postseason eligibility — that limitation applies also to all classes of players discussed below — but otherwise teams can claim a contract just like usual. It’s a simple and direct way to add a player, but entirely uncertain and often undesirable when the deal includes substantial guaranteed money. Note that the priority order is determined by lowest winning percentage on a leaguewide basis. League status (NL/AL) no longer matters, except in the event that two teams placing a claim have the same record.
• Signings of outrighted/released players: Nothing says ’ya can’t ink a guy who’s a free agent. That’s not generally notable, but it could well work in a different manner than it has in years past. It used to be that we’d talk about revocable trade waivers — again, click here if you want to walk down memory lane — but they’re now a non-entity. Now, we’re talking about outright or release waivers. If a team obtains waivers on a well-compensated veteran — say, Asdrubal Cabrera, who was designated after failing to draw deadline interest and may well clear — it’s quite likely that said player will end up on the open market. Even if they’re outrighted, players with five or more years of service can elect free agency without sacrificing any guaranteed money. At that point, they’d be free to sign with any team. Their prior organization would at least stand to recoup a bit of cash for any time said player ends up spending on a MLB roster, earning a pro-rated portion of the league minimum. Point being: there is a way that some high-cost veterans could end up moving to contenders, even if their contracts are too spendy to be claimed.
• Dealing for veterans on minor-league deals: Before you ask, no, this doesn’t include players whose MLB contracts have already been outrighted. Why do you think Dan Straily and John Ryan Murphy were dealt on deadline day? (Yes, I’m bragging that I called it.) But there are plenty of veteran types playing on minors deals who’d at least represent worthwhile fill-in assets. There are frankly too many to list. You can scroll the Triple-A leaderboards to find some plausible guys who’ve been performing well this year after settling for minors arrangements. In many cases, such players won’t come with significant future value for the clubs that control them. Getting a little something in return, and logging some marketplace goodwill by facilitating an opportunity for such a player, might well make a trade worthwhile.
• Dealing for prospects: Who knows? We may even see some higher-end talent moved if a contender gets desperate and sees an opportunity. That used to happen all the time … albeit generally not with the pre-MLB piece moving to a contender. The reason major August trades were possible in the past was that non-40-man talent could be swapped without having to pass through waivers. Remember when the Astros sent three quality prospects to the Tigers for Justin Verlander (whose big contract had cleared revocable trade waivers)? That particular deal couldn’t happen any more, since Verlander couldn’t be traded, but all such prospects can be dealt as freely as ever. It’s conceivable we’ll see prospect-for-prospect arrangements happen this August. It’s hard to imagine elite players being shipped around, but not impossible. More likely, perhaps, would be a move involving a fast-moving, recently drafted collegiate reliever or lower-ceiling starter who hadn’t yet been placed on a 40-man roster.
• Acquiring players from abroad: Remember this move, Orioles fans? That particular mid-season MLB deal for a player that had been playing in Japan didn’t work out, but it showed a potential (albeit limited) path that could be followed now. Due to roster restrictions, only so many players are suiting up in the Asian professional leagues, so there aren’t all that many players. And most are not only earning well, but are playing key roles on their teams (with championship schedules that generally align with that of MLB). That might limit the field to players that aren’t playing all that well or those that can be made available through some inducement to their current team. Still, it’s definitely a possible avenue for digging up potentially necessary pieces. MyKBO provides a helpful table of foreign players in Korea. You can browse the NPB rosters and statistics for possible finds. And there are also quite a few names of note over in Taiwan, as CPBL Stats tracks.
• Scouring the independent circuit: It’s not the sexiest way to find talent, but cultivating depth is cultivating depth. The Twins already nabbed some outfield depth with such an addition earlier today, and it won’t be terribly surprising to see the Long Island Ducks, the Sugar Land Skeeters, the St. Paul Saints or the Milwaukee Milkmen (yes, that’s a franchise) have a few players poached over the course of the month. Those types of signings are often met with an eye roll, but we’re also nearing the four-year anniversary of Rich Hill’s signing with the Red Sox (out of the Atlantic League).

Here’s the roundup of what the NL’s teams did on trade deadline day…

Zac(k) Attack In ’Zona: It wasn’t clear for weeks whether the Diamondbacks would be buyers or sellers at the deadline, but they ended up making the day’s biggest trade, sending ace Zack Greinke to the Astros for four of Houston’s top prospects — right-handers Corbin Martin and J.B. Bukauskas, first baseman Seth Beer and infielder Joshua Rojas.  It’s a franchise-altering move that instantly gets $53MM of Greinke’s large contract off the books, and adds even more young talent to a farm system already bolstered by a huge draft class.  It remains to be seen if other veterans like Robbie Ray or David Peralta could be shopped in the offseason after not being dealt at the deadline, though GM Mike Hazen has long resisted a full rebuild, and Arizona’s made two other deadline moves that are also indicative of a desire to stay competitive.

The D’Backs dealt shortstop prospect Jazz Chisholm to the Marlins for rookie right-hander Zac Gallen, adding a controllable young arm who has already had some success at the Major League level into the rotation.  The Snakes further added to their starting five by acquiring Mike Leake (and just $6MM of Leake’s remaining salary through 2020) from the Mariners for young infielder Jose Caballero.

Cub-Stellanos: The Cubs acquired southpaw Brad Wieck and some international bonus money from the Padres for Carl Edwards Jr., then dealt backup catcher Martin Maldonado to the Astros for second baseman/outfielder Tony Kemp.  It was a pair of useful pickups for players who no longer seemed like roster fits, but the Cubs saved their biggest trade for last with the addition of Nick Castellanos.  Chicago sent Paul Richan and Alex Lange to the Tigers for Castellanos, whose production has taken a step backwards this season after three very solid years in Motown, though it wouldn’t be surprising if Castellanos hits better now that he is free of the trade rumors that have swirled around him for months.

Not Done Yet: The Padres and Reds each swung their biggest move of deadline season on Tuesday night, in the huge three-team trade with the Indians that saw Trevor Bauer, Yasiel Puig, Franmil Reyes, and Taylor Trammell all switch uniforms.  But San Diego wasn’t quite done trading, as per the aforementioned deal that brought Carl Edwards Jr. from the Cubs.  Cincinnati had an even busier day, both in trading Gennett to the Giants and then moving Tanner Roark to the Athletics for outfield prospect Jameson Hannah, a second-rounder from the 2018 draft.

Giant Steps: If you learned a month ago that the Giants were going to make five deadline-day trades, you wouldn’t have at all been surprised — San Francisco had been pegged as deadline sellers for months.  But while the Giants did move out some excess pieces, their recent surge up the standings also made them buyers, acquiring Scooter Gennett from the Reds for cash in an attempt to upgrade at second base.  Time will tell if the Giants will remain in the wild card hunt, or if their hot streak was ultimately rather ill-timed, and the team cost itself a chance to trade some veterans and add some much-needed young talent into the pipeline.

The Giants did move some pitching, but Madison Bumgarner, Will Smith and Tony Watson remain, while Sam Dyson (who went to the Twins) was the only premium arm dealt.  San Francisco also sent Drew Pomeranz and Ray Black to the Brewers for intriguing young infielder Mauricio Dubon, and Mark Melancon to the Braves for Tristan Beck and Dan Winkler.  While Melancon was pitching well, the fact that Atlanta is covering all the roughly $18.6MM owed to Melancon through next season is an unexpected boon for San Francisco.

The Braves’ Bullpen Blowout: After getting Chris Martin from Texas on Tuesday, the Braves swung two more deals that brought Tigers closer Shane Greene into the fold, as well as former Giants closer Mark Melancon.  Dan Winkler and Tristan Beck went to San Francisco, while left-hander Joey Wentz and outfielder Travis Demeritte went to Detroit.  While none of Atlanta’s top prospects were dealt, the Braves paid a rather unexpected cost of another kind in absorbing Melancon’s hefty salary.  Melancon hasn’t been a true difference-maker since his heyday with the Pirates), and all advanced metrics suggest that Greene’s startling 1.18 ERA is due for some big regression.  Still, even good production from these two veterans will help Atlanta’s relief core.  The Braves were linked to some starters and position players in recent days, though a minor depth deal for Diamondbacks backup catcher John Ryan Murphy marked the club’s only other swap.

The Nationals’ Trifecta: Not to be outdone in the NL East bullpen sweepstakes, the Nationals added three new pitchers to the relief corps.  Washington sent three minor league hurlers to the Mariners in a pair of trades that brought Roenis Elias and Hunter Strickland to D.C., while Daniel Hudson was acquired from the Blue Jays for right-handed prospect Kyle Johnston.  This isn’t the first time even this season that the Nats have overhauled their inconsistent bullpen, and they’re hoping that this final shakeup will at last smooth the late-inning path to closer Sean Doolittle.

Phillies Add Corey Dickerson: The Phils have been hurting in the outfield ever since Andrew McCutchen suffered a season-ending injury, so the team replaced one former Pirates outfielder with….another Pirates outfielder, grabbing Dickerson from the Bucs for international cash and a player to be named later.  Philadelphia also took a flier on Dan Straily in a minor trade with the Orioles, to see if Straily can recapture any of his Marlins form now that he’s back in the NL East.

Dodgers Focus On Depth: Rather than add a Yu Darvish or a Manny Machado like at past deadlines, the Dodgers avoided blockbusters in favor of two small deals.  L.A. supplemented its left-handed bullpen depth by acquiring Adam Kolarek from Tampa, and then brought yet another multi-position infielder into the mix in the form of Jedd Gyorko, as part of a trade with the Cardinals that also saw Los Angeles add international funds and cash considerations while Tony Cingrani and Jeffry Abreu went to St. Louis.  With a big lead in the NL West, the Dodgers are just tinkering for October at this point, though do they finally have the right mix to claim that elusive World Series?

Marlins Reel In Position Player Prospects: Miami dealt a young asset in Gallen for an even younger and perhaps more questionable asset in Chisholm, a top-100 prospect who has struggled in 2019.  But the Marlins also completed another trade involving moving young pitching for a young position player, as they also moved right-handers Nick Anderson and Trevor Richards to Tampa Bay for outfield prospect Jesus Sanchez and right-hander Ryne Stanek.  Like Chisholm, Sanchez is also having a subpar year, so the Marlins are hoping they’ve been able to buy low on a couple of potential everyday players for the future.

Pitching Depth In Milwaukee: The Brewers were linked to a number of notable pitchers on the rumor mill, though they ended up adding mostly depth arms between Pomeranz, Black, and Jacob Faria, who was acquired for struggling first baseman Jesus Aguilar in a deal with the Rays.  The addition of Jordan Lyles ended up being the Brewers’ biggest move, as the team decided to wait for its injured starters (Brandon Woodruff, Jhoulys Chacin) to return rather than make a splashier rotation fix.  It could be a risky tactic for the Brew Crew, given how tight the NL Central race is between Milwaukee, Chicago, and St. Louis.

The Quiet Deadlines: Even with the Pirates in sell mode, Dickerson and Lyles were the only notable pieces moved by Pittsburgh, despite a lot of chatter surrounding Felipe Vazquez.  The Mets also had a lot of late rumblings about Zack Wheeler, though in the end, they didn’t make any deals.  The Rockies didn’t do anything apart from one minor trade with the Yankees, and the Cardinals also stood pat apart from the Gyorko trade.  St. Louis’ lack of action was perhaps the most surprising given the tight NL Central race — the front office was certainly annoyed at the inability to complete any major deals, yet the Cardinals will have to hope their current roster (plus some players returning from injury) are enough to reach the postseason.

Here’s a recap of some of the biggest moves made by American League teams on what ended up being a very busy day of trade deadline action…

Astros Add Arms: It was no surprise that Houston was looking to acquire starting pitching, but the Astros struck the day’s biggest trade just minutes before the 3pm CT deadline, acquiring Zack Greinke from the Diamondbacks for a four-prospect package.  While the Astros gave up some of their best minor leaguers to make the deal happen, the idea of a Greinke/Justin Verlander/Gerrit Cole trio atop the rotation (and, of course, the idea of another World Series trophy) was just too tempting for GM Jeff Luhnow to pass up.

If that wasn’t enough, the Astros also picked up right-handers Aaron Sanchez and Joe Biagini from the Blue Jays, with minor league outfielder Cal Stevenson also coming to Houston while Derek Fisher went to Toronto.  Biagini’s addition will bolster the relief corps while Sanchez will add even more depth to what now looks like a truly fearsome rotation, though Sanchez could potentially also be used out of the bullpen down the stretch.  Finally, the Astros acquired a familiar face behind the plate to help guide these new pitchers, sending Tony Kemp to the Cubs for catcher Martin Maldonado in what marks the second straight year the Astros have traded for Maldonado at the deadline.

Twins Land Sam Dyson: After adding Sergio Romo earlier in the week, Minnesota continued to augment its bullpen by acquiring Dyson from the Giants for three low-level prospects.  While relief pitching was a need, the Twins arguably needed just as much help in the rotation, yet the club couldn’t land a starter despite talks with multiple teams about some very notable names.

Athletics Trade For Tanner: While the A’s are still counting on some of their young arms to return from the injured list and make an impact on the postseason race, Oakland supplemented its rotation with a veteran in Tanner Roark.  The Athletics got Roark and $2.1MM in cash considerations for outfielder Jameson Hannah.  Despite a pretty solid year in Cincinnati, Roark was something of an odd man out after the Reds picked up Trevor Bauer on Tuesday, and the A’s pounced on the opportunity to add a rental player to their starting mix.

The Rays’ Shuffle Continues: Tampa Bay continued to be one of the deadline season’s most active teams, facing the need to both add reinforcements for the wild card chase and also pare down some names from a forthcoming 40-man roster crunch.  To this end, the Rays picked up the right-handed bat they had been seeking in Jesus Aguilar, landing the former All-Star first baseman from the Brewers in exchange for righty Jake Faria.  Another deal with the Marlins also saw the Rays bolster their their injury-riddled rotation with a regular starting pitcher (Trevor Richards) and also add a young and controllable reliever (Nick Anderson), though these adds came at a steep cost — top outfield prospect Jesus Sanchez and erstwhile “opener” Ryne Stanek are headed to Miami.  In other moves, the Rays sent Adam Kolarek to the Dodgers and, in a swap of minor leaguers, outfielder Joe McCarthy to the Giants.

Rangers And ChiSox Swing A Deal: The White Sox and Rangers combined on an interesting under-the-radar trade that saw Nate Jones and $1MM in international bonus pool funds head to Texas in exchange for two minor league pitchers.  The deal may have been more about the int’l signing money in the short term for the Rangers, though Jones could help the club next season if he gets healthy.  From Chicago’s perspective, the Pale Hose save some money in getting the oft-injured Jones’ contract off the books.

The Rebuild Continues In Detroit… Matt Boyd, Shane Greene, and Nick Castellanos were the three biggest trade chips on the Tigers’ plate, and while the controllable Boyd is staying put, Greene and Castellanos were shipped out.  The Tigers acquired minor league outfielder Travis Demeritte and lefty Joey Wentz from the Braves for Greene, and Castellanos went to the Cubs for two more young arms in Paul Richan and Alex Lange.

…and in Seattle… After weeks of speculation, the Mariners finally dealt Mike Leake, sending the right-hander to the Diamondbacks for prospect Jose Caballero.  The M’s will also eat roughly $12.66MM of Leake’s remaining salary (through the 2020 season) in the trade.  Roenis Elias and Hunter Strickland also departed the Emerald City, going to the Nationals in a pair of trades that netted the Mariners three minor league pitchers.

…and in Baltimore… The Orioles found a taker for the recently-outrighted Dan Straily, as the Phillies acquired the struggling right-hander.

…and in Toronto: In addition to the aforementioned Sanchez/Biagini deal with the Astros, the Blue Jays also sent Daniel Hudson to the Nationals for high-A ball right-hander Kyle Johnston.  The Jays were such clear deadline sellers that it’s also worth noting who they didn’t trade, as veterans Justin Smoak and Freddy Galvis are still with the team.  Ken Giles received some late buzz, though as expected, the closer’s elbow problem all but erased his trade candidacy.

The Quiet Deadlines: The Yankees and Red Sox almost entirely stood pat, so the arch-rivals will head down the stretch with major question marks still remaining on the pitching front.  Boston’s acquisition of Andrew Cashner two weeks will mark its only noteworthy new arm of the summer, while the Yankees were linked to virtually every pitcher on the market but came away empty-handed.  New York is still one of the league’s best teams simply by dint of its incredible lineup and bullpen, though the Astros’ big pitching additions stand in stark contrast to how the Yankees didn’t address their most prominent weakness.

The Angels were another team with a need in the rotation, though since the Halos are only on the fringes of the playoff race, they opted not to make any big moves and only added backup catcher Max Stassi from the Astros.  The rebuilding Royals and Orioles also stayed quiet on Wednesday, while the Indians took it easy after their huge three-team blockbuster on Tuesday.

We explained recently that this year’s run-up to the trade deadline has been among the quietest in recent memory. We have seen several swaps since, but the most significant players to change hands — Trevor Bauer (Reds) and Marcus Stroman (Mets) — didn’t even land with prime contenders. With the deadline just hours away, numerous clubs in obvious position to strike for the postseason still have unmet needs.

[RELATED: Top 75 Trade Candidates At The Deadline]

Here are a few of the possible target areas for the game’s contenders. Not all will be fulfilled, while other creative swaps will be struck. But these are the general areas that stand out:

Clear Contenders

• Astros: rotation upgrade; bullpen upgrade/left-handed depth; catching upgrade
• Athletics: rotation upgrade; bullpen depth; second base upgrade
• Braves: rotation upgrade; bullpen upgrade; corner outfielder
• Brewers: rotation upgrade/depth; first base upgrade; shortstop upgrade
• Cardinals: rotation upgrade/depth; bullpen upgrade/depth; center field upgrade
• Cubs: lineup upgrade (outfield/second base); left-handed reliever
• Dodgers: bullpen upgrade
• Indians: rotation depth; second base upgrade
• Nationals: multiple bullpen upgrades/depth; rotation depth
• Phillies: rotation upgrade; third base and/or outfield upgrade; bullpen upgrade/depth
• Rays: rotation and/or bullpen upgrade; right-handed DH/corner OF bat
• Red Sox: bullpen upgrade/depth
• Twins: rotation and/or bullpen upgrade
• Yankees: rotation upgrade; bullpen upgrade; first base insurance?

Uncertain Contenders

• Angels: rotation upgrade/depth
• Diamondbacks: rotation upgrade/depth
• Giants: second base upgrade; outfield upgrade
• Mets: bullpen depth; shortstop/center field upgrade
• Reds: bullpen upgrade; second base upgrade