By the time I'm starting to write this post, the trade deadline has passed, and while the dust is still settling, I'd like to kick it up a little bit more and give my faithful readers my humble analysis of the big moves this year. To see a list of the trades made in the past few weeks, simply go to ESPN's MLB website and find the Transactions tab.
First, the big one that I touched on in my first post: Roy Oswalt finally found a team that was willing to put up with him: the Philadelphia Phillies. After finally deciding to drop his outrageous demand for any receiving team to pay him his $16 million option, the Phils went straight for him. This was not completely unpredicated, though; Oswalt seemed more than happy to go to a team that has a shot at the playoffs instead of the other teams that were more interested in him than he was in them. In return, the Astros got a few minor league prospects and pitcher J.A. Happ, who spent the majority of the season either on the DL or in the minor leagues, only pitching in 4 games this season (2 at the beginning, and 2 in the past week). Of those 4, he only got two decisions, but both were wins, including his debut in Houston. Oswalt lost his first start in Philly. So, let's review: Philadelphia gets a 6-12 pitcher (who, admittedly, not only has a somewhat low ERA but also hasn't been hampered by injury) who promptly loses his first start with his new team (and how; the Nationals won 1 to 8, and Oswalt gave up 5 of those runs in 6 innings), therefore making his record 6-13. Houston, however, gets a 1-0 pitcher who hadn't pitched in the big leagues since April 15th, but he comes in, pitches 6 shutout innings against hard-hitting Prince Fielder and the Brewers, no earned runs, and 6 strikeouts to get his 2nd win in 2 decisions he's factored into this season. Phillies fans, I wouldn't put on that Oswalt jersey just yet if I were you; hell, I wouldn't even rip the tags off, you may want to get your money back soon so Roy can't get his full option.
This next one hurts me a little bit: Lance Berkman, also from the Astros, was traded to the Yankees just this afternoon for a couple of minor leaguers. In his debut down in Tampa, Berkman went 0-4 as a designated hitter (remember a few posts ago when I was discussing a change in New York's first baseman situation? I thought this would affect it; thankfully, I was mistaken). In all fairness, Rodriguez did the same, and he wasn't making a debut (although it would have been nice if home run number 600 could have made a guest appearance), but I think that, in a couple of years, the Astros will again benefit from this trade more than they lose: the minor league prospects are, of course, young and impressionable, and could end up becoming big shots and help lead the Astros not necessarily to the playoffs at first, but at least to a winning record. Hey, anything's possible. And with Berkman, who's 34 and has spent 11 seasons in the major leagues, past his prime (which was certainly just that: he has 326 career homers, 1,090 RBIs, and a batting average just under .300), it seems even more likely.
The San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals, both of whom look to still be playing past late September, made a trade involving the Cleveland Indians (non-contenders in every way) that sent pitcher Jake Westbrook (and his 6-7 season record, not to mention his 4.65 ERA) to the Cards, who in turn sent outfielder Ryan Ludwick to San Diego. Out of all 3 of these teams, 1 benefited. Can you guess who? Here's a hint: IT WAS SAN DIEGO. While his career numbers aren't necessarily incredible considering his time in the league, there's no doubt to any Cardinals fan that he was essential in helping them stay afloat in the standings this season. Of course, when you have a lineup with Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday in it (when they're healthy), you've got a lot to work with offensively. However, going from a team that has a very delicate grasp on their division to one that's surprisingly been in 1st the entire season shows your value. Fans in St. Louie can only hope they'll get along fine without Ludwick...but, as I said, when you've got the hands-down best player in the game, the transition becomes a lot smoother.
Cleveland also sent out another player, relief pitcher Kerry Wood, to the Yanks. Wood, who came off the disabled list almost immediately before being sent to New York, has 8 saves and 1 win this season, but with an ERA of 6.30 (far too high for a reliever to be considered effective), it's hard to see in him what the Yankees do. Clearly, he won't be doing much more than trying to make a clean transition to the final innings, in which Mo will handle business as he usually does, but it seems that this area is where the Bronx Bombers have no firepower: the starting rotation is strong, and there's no closer better than Rivera, but adding Wood to an already-weak string of relievers such as the terrible Joba Chamberlain and the dreadful Chan Ho Park does little to help, at least noticeably. New York fans will simply have to trust the Yanks' judgment and hope that there won't be too many blown saves (1 blown save is 1 too many, if you ask me).
After pitching a no-hitter for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Edwin Jackson is now a member of the hitter-dominant American League (which he's actually accustomed to; this season with the D-backs was his only one in the National League), being traded to the Chicago White Sox on Friday. Believe it or not, this one actually benefits the AL team instead of the NL team: the ChiSox sent over two pitchers of little to no consequence (if I haven't heard of them until this, they can't be too influential) for a pitcher who can throw a no-no with an atrocious team like the one in Arizona behind him. It can't be ignored, though, that his record is 1-4 since then, giving him a season record of 6-10 with a too-high ERA of 5.16, but with some heavy batters who are strong defenders, this could be what Jackson needs to turn this season around.
There are plenty more trades that have occurred recently, but the last one I want to touch on is actually a two-parter: the Texas Rangers got heavy-hitting third baseman Jorge Cantu from the Marlins, and sent troubled catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia (spelled without any help, thank you very much) to Boston. For a team with an 8.5 game lead over the next closest team in their division, the Rangers' playoff hopes just became much more certain: Cantu, who had an impressive hitting streak at the start of the season, comes to Texas eager to help them make the postseason, and he has the power to stand out even in a lineup with massive sluggers Vlad Guerrero, Nelson Cruz, and Ian Kinsler (when he's back in it, that is). The Rangers were also smart to send Jarrod S. (I'm not even attempting that one again) away; since coming off his shoulder injury that made him miss most of the 2009 season, S-Man had a lot of difficulty simply getting the ball back to the pitcher. It will possibly take some more rehab in the minors and more conditioning to get him back to his breakout rookie season numbers, but it's pretty clear that Texas got the better end of this deal.
In response to my own title, it seems like the answer is no, pretty much straight across the board: the richest team in baseball (take a guess) got an old first baseman and an ineffective reliever, and the two-time defending NL champ gets a loss out of their expensive new pitcher's first start, while a bankrupt team adds more power to propel them into the playoffs, and a surprise first place team adds a strong outfielder. Money can't buy happiness, but insurance, which not only leads to peace of mind in this situation, but also a better shot at some strengthened teams, sure seems worth it.
In my next post, I'll briefly discuss (because I'm not fond of him) why David Ortiz is still the best power hitter in the game, why Joe Torre won't win a World Series in Los Angeles (hint: it has a lot to do with the last team he managed), and I'll also stop doing this little "next post preview" at the end of my future posts, making each new one unexpected and exciting. Right?
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