MLB trade deadline analysis: Breaking down some of the major deals
Quick-hit analysis of select significant trades completed before Monday's 4 p.m. ET deadline.
Dodgers trade SP Ross Stripling to Blue Jays for two PTBNL (Aug. 31)
In a sense, Ross Stripling's ongoing struggles made him the perfect trade target for the suddenly tenacious Blue Jays, who also added Robbie Ray and Jonathan Villar earlier Monday in an effort to claw their way into October. Owing to his career-worst 5.61 ERA and 7.23 FIP, Stripling's value was depressed enough that his acquisition cost was exceedingly low, yet he still possesses enough upside to take a flier on. And unlike Toronto's other additions, the 30-year-old righty could factor into the Blue Jays' future plans: Stripling, an All-Star in 2018, remains under control for two more seasons after this one. For now, he'll get a chance to sort himself out in a new environment, in a yet to be defined role.
If he rediscovers his form, the Blue Jays will have another highly versatile arm at their disposal moving forward: Stripling crafted a 3.51 ERA as a swingman over the previous four years. If not, all it cost them was a couple yet to be named youngsters, and while those players may not be entirely devoid of upside due to to Stripling's multiple years of control remaining, the Blue Jays likely won't be sending over anyone they'll miss given the Dodgers' minimal leverage in trade talks: Stripling was both struggling and redundant in Los Angeles, and he likely would've been a non-tender candidate this offseason with his second year of arbitration-eligibility looming.
Angels trade OF Brian Goodwin to Reds for SP Packy Naughton, PTBNL or cash considerations (Aug. 31)
Much like their bullpen, the Reds' lackluster offense needed a jolt if the club was to reverse its misfortune, and Goodwin, who has quietly mustered a 110 OPS+ since the start of last season, provides one now and remains under team control through 2023. He isn't a star, but he can hit a little bit, and the Reds gave up nothing of consequence to get him: Packy Naughton is a non-prospect who struck out only 6.9 batters per nine innings in Double-A last year.
As such, it feels like the perpetually disappointing Angels undersold on Goodwin, even with an outfield surplus to sort out. Mike Trout and Jo Adell need to play every day moving forward, to be sure, but Goodwin is a better option than Justin Upton at this point, and it seems as though the Angels - always so desperate for pitching - just gave Goodwin away despite his continued productivity and years of control remaining.
Diamondbacks trade RP Archie Bradley to Reds for OF Stuart Fairchild, IF/OF Josh VanMeter (Aug. 31)
Rather than unload impending free agent Trevor Bauer in the wake of a disappointing start to 2020 that's put them outside the postseason picture, the Reds went in the opposite direction at the deadline, acquiring Bradley, who owns a career-best 2.01 FIP this year, to reinvigorate a bullpen that ranks among the worst in baseball. It's fair to question whether buying was the right approach for the Reds strategically, but there's no quibbling with the addition of Bradley, who remains under team control through 2021 and cost them a prospect with only one plus tool (speed) in Fairchild and a fringy big-leaguer in VanMeter. Neither projected as a meaningful part of the Reds' future. If Cincinnati continues to struggle in 2021, the Reds can offload Bradley and recoup some of that value back. And if they turn it around, either down the stretch or next season, he'll be a key piece of their bullpen.
The Diamondbacks, meanwhile, get two more pieces to dream on while accomplishing their implicit goal of trimming payroll for 2021, which seemed like it might be a priority following the curious Starling Marte deal. Bradley, in his final year of arbitration eligibility, will make upwards of $5 million next year. He also would've been a critical piece for a Diamondbacks team that was ostensibly built to contend now but appears to have transitioned Monday into a fairly aggressive retool.
Red Sox trade OF Kevin Pillar, cash to Rockies for PTBNL, 2019-20 international bonus pool money (Aug. 31)
When the Red Sox signed Kevin Pillar to a one-year deal in February, shortly after trading away Mookie Betts, the suddenly retooling club did so with the implicit hope of moving him at the trade deadline for something. Their plan worked out, and probably even better than they had hoped: In 30 games with Boston, Pillar managed career highs in OPS (.795) and OPS+ (109) while playing plus defense in right field. That was enough to get them both a live body and some international bonus pool money, and they should be pleased with that return.
Pillar's deficiencies are well-known at this point - he doesn't walk, for one, and he's no longer a supreme center fielder - but Pillar is a perfectly adequate role player who gives the Rockies a right-handed-hitting complement to left fielder Raimel Tapia or a potential alternative to incumbent center fielder Garrett Hampson down the stretch as they attempt to lock up a postseason spot.
Diamondbacks trade OF Starling Marte to Marlins for SP Caleb Smith, SP Humberto Mejia, PTBNL (Aug. 31)
Well, this is a strange one, isn't it? On one hand, the Marlins - flirting, against all odds, with a postseason berth - should be applauded for adding an impact player like Marte, a former All-Star and two-time Gold Glove winner who can help them down the stretch and will bolster their fading chances of sneaking into October. On the other hand, the Marlins are still rebuilding, contrary to what their current record might suggest, so it's a little surprising - and perhaps a bit foolhardy - to see them give up two young, controllable starters with a little bit of upside for a short-term addition like Marte, who has a $12.5-million team option for the 2021 campaign.
The deal isn't easily explicable from the Diamondbacks' perspective, either. They're supposed to be contending - they gave Madison Bumgarner a five-year deal and signed Kole Calhoun to a two-year deal this past winter - and yet they just traded away their best position player who can be retained for another season at a reasonable price. Maybe they think that Smith and Mejia, both of whom have big-league experience, can cumulatively be more valuable than Marte moving forward at a fraction of the cost - and it does seem like this deal was financially motivated - but it's still strange to see a team capitulate like this months after reinvesting in its major-league roster.
Marlins trade IF Jonathan Villar to Blue Jays for OF Griffin Conine (Aug. 31)
Just like Taijuan Walker and Robbie Ray, Villar is an impending free agent who fills a short-term need for the suddenly competitive Blue Jays at minimal cost. Since losing Bo Bichette to a knee injury weeks ago, the Blue Jays have rotated between Joe Panik and rookie Santiago Espinal at shortstop, neither of whom are viable options for a team with legitimate postseason aspirations. Villar, an eight-year veteran who does a little bit of everything, will fill that void for now, and he can shift into a utility role - and bolster the Blue Jays' lackluster bench - when and if Bichette returns.
The Marlins, meanwhile, get at least something for one of their soon-to-be free agents, adding Conine to their system without even necessarily jeopardizing their improbable postseason chances: Isan Diaz, a promising 24-year-old infielder who opted out of the 2020 campaign after the Marlins' early-season COVID-19 outbreak, recently rejoined the club and could soon replace Villar at shortstop.
Diamondbacks trade SP Robbie Ray to Blue Jays for RP Travis Bergen (Aug. 31)
As an ascendant team that's simultaneously a tier below the best of the best in the American League and also very much in the postseason mix, the Blue Jays are clearly trying to thread the needle, inclined to add without giving up any players either essential or incidental to the club's bright future. The addition of Taijuan Walker last week evinced that approach, as does Monday's trade for left-hander Robbie Ray, who's in the midst of a disastrous season (7.84 ERA; 31 walks in 31 innings) but comes with tantalizing upside: Ray was an All-Star in 2017, a decent starter in each of the last two seasons, and has still averaged 12.5 strikeouts per nine innings throughout his nightmarish 2020 campaign. Perhaps a change of scenery can benefit Ray, an impending free agent who will fill one of the vacant spots in Toronto's injury-ravaged rotation, at least for now. It's a worthwhile gamble for the Blue Jays; if they can fix whatever's ailing Ray, they get another solid mid-rotation arm for the stretch run (and postseason, potentially) in exchange for a 26-year-old, left-handed reliever who owns a 5.06 ERA across 22 career big-league appearances.
Rangers trade SP Mike Minor to Athletics for two PTBNL (Aug. 31)
It's not clear whether Mike Minor, with his 5.60 ERA and career-worst 4.83 FIP, is actually an upgrade over any of Oakland's incumbent starters, but no contender can have too much starting pitching depth. Worst-case scenario, Minor - a free agent at season's end - gets moved to the bullpen and offers Oakland a second left-handed weapon behind Jake Diekman: Minor has limited same-handed hitters to a .597 OPS this season, and the 32-year-old absolutely slaughtered lefties when he last pitched in relief in 2017, holding them to a .163/.228/.196 line while managing a 35% strikeout rate. In any event, considering Minor's potential upside (he was a very good starter as recently as last year) and high floor, it's a worthwhile pickup for a postseason-bound team at a presumably negligible cost. Given Minor's salary and lousy numbers thus far, the players to be named later likely won't have much upside. That has to be a bit of a disappointment for the Rangers, who likely came into the season expecting to turn Minor into something decent following a 2019 campaign in which he earned his first All-Star appearance and received downballot Cy Young votes.
Indians trade SP Mike Clevinger, OF Greg Allen, PTBNL to Padres for OF Josh Naylor, RP Cal Quantrill, C Austin Hedges, SS Gabriel Arias, SS Owen Miller, SP Joey Cantillo (Aug. 31)
Of course. After brokering four trades over the course of a dizzying weekend to fortify their roster for their first playoff run in nearly a decade-and-a-half, the irrepressible Padres pulled off Monday's first - and perhaps only - blockbuster, landing right-hander Mike Clevinger in a mammoth nine-player deal with Cleveland. There are a ton of moving parts here, obviously, but the crux of the deal is this: The Padres get a legitimate ace to anchor their emergent rotation for 2020 and beyond in Clevinger, who authored a 3.20 ERA (141 ERA+) and 3.58 FIP over parts of five seasons with Cleveland, and do so without giving up any of their most highly touted prospects. Clevinger will slot in ahead of Chris Paddack, Dinelson Lamet, and Zach Davies and should be the bedrock of one of the game's most dominant rotations moving forward, with top prospects Luis Patino and MacKenzie Gore poised to join the rotation as soon as next year. In the meantime, the Padres could very easily win a World Series, having shored up the fringes of their roster and now added one of the game's top 10 starters to their staff.
Meanwhile, Cleveland - apparently privileging quantity over quality - addressed a couple of pressing needs in one fell swoop, using its surplus of starting pitching to grab a major-league outfielder in Naylor and an elite defensive catcher in Hedges, while also nabbing a promising young arm in Quantrill. All three will help the club down the stretch in some capacity, but Quantrill - relegated to a relief role with San Diego in 2020 after a rough rookie campaign - is the only one with much ceiling, and none of the prospects heading Cleveland's way project as future impact players. The return ultimately feels a little bit light, and while the rotation should be fine without Clevinger thanks to the emergence of Shane Bieber and the continued growth of Aaron Civale, it seems like the Indians should've gotten more overall upside for a frontline starter with two years of control remaining beyond 2020.
Mariners trade C/IF Austin Nola, RP Austin Adams, RP Dan Altavilla to Padres for OF Taylor Trammell, IF Ty France, RP Andres Muñoz, C Luis Torrens (Aug. 30)
While the Padres' first three trades leading up to the deadline were neat and explicable - short-term upgrades for a team with World Series aspirations at a negligible long-term cost - this one leaves a bit more room for second-guessing, particularly in the wake of the Jason Castro deal (more on that below). Their prized addition in this trade is Austin Nola, an out-of-nowhere 30-year-old catcher who owns a 125 OPS+ since making his big-league debut last year, who'll provide a massive upgrade behind the plate if he continues to produce. However, Nola's entire big-league career comprises only 377 plate appearances, making him something of a gamble, and the Padres not only added a viable starting catching earlier Sunday in Castro but also seemingly have two catchers of the future already in Francisco Mejia and Luis Campusano. Nola could well be superfluous sooner than later, and while San Diego added two intriguing relievers in the trade, too, Austin Adams hasn't pitched this year after undergoing ACL surgery while Dan Altavilla can't throw strikes (7.71 ERA; 5.4 BB/9).
Yet, the Padres actually gave up some legit long-term pieces in this deal, with outfielder Taylor Trammell, a consensus top-75 prospect, highlighting their package to Seattle. He's easily the best player the Padres traded Sunday, and he figured to be a fixture in their outfield as soon as next year. Instead, Trammell is the latest high-ceiling youngster finagled by Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto, who has to be thrilled he turned a strong 108-game sample from Nola - who, at 30, was never going to be part of the rebuilding Mariners' future - into a solid, if divisive, prospect, as well as Muñoz, a 20-year-old who has 30 strikeouts in 23 innings this year and can touch 104 mph with his fastball.
It's possible Nola ends up in a utility role down the stretch due to his versatility, filling in at multiple positions while continuing to hit, and ultimately bolstering the Padres' already mighty lineup. If he hits like he has, and the Padres manage to win that elusive first World Series title this year, the deal will have been worth it no matter what Nola (or Adams or Altavilla) does beyond 2020, and no matter what becomes of Trammell. Moreover, it's also possible the Padres - with Nola under control through 2025 and two other highly touted catching prospects in their system - include one of Mejia or Campusano in another, more significant trade, perhaps for a top-end starter like Mike Clevinger, who they were strongly linked to Sunday. For now, the deal's a little bit curious, as it's a move the Padres didn't need to make in the wake of the Castro acquisition yet had the highest acquisition cost of San Diego's four trades so far.
Angels trade C Jason Castro to Padres for RP Gerardo Reyes (Aug. 30)
After bolstering the back end of their bullpen and bringing in a new designated hitter in separate deals, the increasingly tenacious Padres - their sights firmly set on that "big cake" - brokered their third trade in a 30-hour span to upgrade perhaps the lone remaining soft spot in their lineup: catcher. Castro, the former All-Star (and soon-to-be free agent) who's delivered on both sides of the ball in 2020, represents a significant short-term upgrade for the Padres, who've watched the woebegone duo of Austin Hedges and Mejia accrue negative WAR so far and have excelled in spite of their miserable production. And like their two earlier deals, the Padres gave up nothing of consequence for Castro, parting ways only with a 26-year-old reliever who was spanked (7.62 ERA) in his first go-around at the major-league level in 2019 and has averaged more than four walks per innings throughout his professional career. Ultimately, it's a slam dunk for San Diego, and a bit surprising the Angels couldn't get more for Castro, even in this weird trade market, especially with multiple contenders - including the Cleveland Indians, Tampa Bay Rays, and Toronto Blue Jays - in need of help behind the plate.
Orioles trade RP Mychal Givens to Rockies for IF Terrin Vavra, IF Tyler Nevin, PTBNL (Aug. 30)
The Rockies' bullpen perhaps needed a little sprucing up coming into the deadline, with Colorado hovering on the precipice of a playoff spot, although a 5.81 ERA belied their relievers' overall effectiveness: Colorado’s relief corps currently ranks seventh in the majors in win probability added and ninth in park-adjusted fielding independent pitching. Still, it feels like the Rockies overpaid for Givens, who's a perfectly fine reliever - and remains under control for 2021 - but isn't exactly elite. And, uh, he's a reliever.
At most, Givens will give Colorado an extra half win down the stretch, and that's assuming Coors Field doesn't zap him of his effectiveness like it did Wade Davis and Bryan Shaw and countless others before him. To modestly improve their bullpen, the Rockies parted ways with Terrin Vavra, their seventh-best prospect, according to MLB Pipeline; another top-15 prospect in Tyler Nevin; and a player to be named later. As good as Givens has been this year, posting a career-best 1.38 ERA over a dozen appearances with Baltimore, that return seems exorbitant, and the Rockies - who weren't a reliever away from being in the top tier of National League contenders - may soon regret this deal.
Red Sox trade 1B Mitch Moreland to Padres for OF Jeisson Rosario, IF Hudson Potts (Aug. 30)
San Diego's offense didn't need more firepower, per se: The club ranks second in the majors in almost every meaningful offensive category. But the Padres are clearly resolved to win the World Series in 2020 and have arguably the deepest farm system in baseball, so they're right to pursue a short-term upgrade like Moreland, who owns a career-high 1.177 OPS this season and is undeniably an upgrade over their incumbent designated hitters.
The Padres didn't have to part with any of their top-10 prospects to land Moreland, who, unlike the recently acquired Trevor Rosenthal, will provide value beyond 2020, as well. Moreland has a $3-million club option for next season, giving the Padres either a full-time DH candidate (assuming the universal DH is implemented on a permanent basis), a cheap but productive bench bat, or a decently valuable trade chip. He makes a good team even better, and the Padres shouldn't miss either of the prospects they gave up to get him.
Orioles trade SP Tommy Milone to Braves for two PTBNL (Aug. 30)
Absent Mike Soroka, who suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in his third start of the season, the Braves’ rotation has been a disaster this year, posting a 5.16 ERA and even more discouraging 5.37 FIP. Right now, their best starter after Max Fried might actually be Ian Anderson, who has precisely one big-league start under his belt. And despite holding strong atop the National League East, the Braves needed help to maintain their division lead and contend for a World Series in earnest. Tommy Milone, a journeyman left-hander who's seemingly turned himself back into a viable mid-rotation starter after four straight miserable seasons, helps more with the former than the latter, but he still helps, even if the Braves wouldn't necessarily feel confident starting him in a postseason game. And the Orioles should be thrilled by their return: they got something - multiple somethings, in fact - for Milone, whose job prospects were so bleak this winter he settled for a minor-league deal with Baltimore.
Jonah Birenbaum is theScore's senior MLB writer. He steams a good ham. You can find him on Twitter @birenball.