The Major League Baseball trade deadline came and went on July 31 with a total of 18 trades completed and an estimated 50 players on the move. Among those being former all star pitcher Chris Archer and second baseman Brian Dozier.
Young teams like the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves decided to make small moves impacting the present and future of the clubs while the Dodgers continue to push for back-to-back World Series births.
Classifications to be considered a winner at the deadline usually include an instant impact player or a future star.
Tampa Bay Rays:
The Tampa Bay Rays who traded away ace Chris Archer received former #8 prospect Tyler Glasnow and #17 prospect Austin Meadows according to MLB.com., have been called the biggest winner of the deadline.
On paper, the immediate winner is Pittsburgh. Archer is under team control through 2021 and will be a pivotal part of the Pirates playoff push. The flip side is if the 24 year old Glasnow, who boasts a 15 K/9 stat line, can be valuable out of the bullpen and Meadows can develop into the player he is projected to be, it is a win-win.
Los Angeles Dodgers:
Speaking of immediate impact, two games into his Dodgers career Brian Dozier already has two home runs and five RBI's under his belt. Dozier, who's been on the trade block since 2016, struggled early in the season with the Twins but has the reputation of a second half player. Lucky for Los Angeles, Dozier did struggle opening the door for a small package to be sent to Minnesota rather than the astronomical asking price in previous seasons.
An abysmal season by Logan Forsythe and an injury to Corey Seager open the door for middle infield upgrades. Manny Machado was brought in to likely be a rental but some, like myself, say otherwise. Dozier will presumably join him. Either way, the Dodgers' infield now consists of Justin Turner, Manny Machado, Brian Dozier, and Max Muncy.
Los Angeles added 44 home runs prior to the deadline. Putting that in perspective no other team added more than 15. Acquiring Machado and Dozier has allowed the Dodgers to move Cody Bellinger to center field and keep Max Muncy in the lineup at firstbase. Kike Hernandez and Chris Taylor will likely be statistical starts from here on out meaning 29 home runs and 88 RBI's move to the bench.
Los Angeles decided to add offense to offset the average bullpen and streaky starting pitching. It's an easy verdict still, the Dodgers won the trade deadline.
Small moves that should be considered wins are Boston's acquisition of Ian Kinsler and the Diamondbacks getting Eduardo Escobar to replace injured starters.
Since Dustin Pedroia wont be back any time soon the Red Sox had to make a move and acquired a second baseman who leads second basemen with 121 defensive runs saved since 2007. Kinsler may not be having his greatest offensive season but with the league highest rated offense according to ESPN.com, there was no need to add any more pop.
Arizona knew third baseman Jake Lamb was done for the season after injuring his shoulder. The D-backs quickly acquired Eduardo Escobar from the Twins before news could leak of Lamb's season ending surgery. Escobar is on track to repeat if not surpass his career year in 2017 while filling in at third and bringing power from both sides of the plate.
Major League teams will have one more chance to upgrade their rosters before the August 31 waiver trade deadline.