The MLB’s trade deadline delivered plenty of excitement on Monday, especially for two west coast teams. One team traded away their ace and the other team went out and got one.
The Oakland Athletics, after numerous offers, finally found a package deal to their liking for their #1 pitcher Sonny Gray. Gray was traded to the first place New York Yankees (as of July 31) for three of their top 12 prospects in their minor league system.
Full trade: Sonny Gray and $1.5M in int’l bonus money to #Yankees; Fowler, Kaprelian, Mateo to #Athletics. On it: @JackCurryYES, @JeffPassan
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 31, 2017
Reports leading up to the deadline speculated the A’s were asking for Clint Frazier or Gleyber Torres from the Yankees. Unfortunately, Oakland could not grab Frazier or Torres. What they did receive were some high ceiling players in outfielder Dustin Fowler, middle infielder Jorge Mateo and pitcher James Kaprielian. All three guys have great talent but carry some questions marks as well. Fowler ruptured a tendon during his first game with the Yankees this season. Kaprielian, who was the top pitching prospect for the Yankees earlier in the year, had Tommy John surgery. Lastly, Mateo has great speed but has played inconsistently.
Dustin Fowler out with knee surgery, James Kaprelian down with TJ, but if both get back healthy, that's a whopper of a return for Oakland.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 31, 2017
The first place Los Angeles Dodgers went out and added another ace to pair with three time Cy Young winner, Clayton Kershaw. The Dodgers traded for Yu Darvish, from the Texas Rangers, in exchange for the Dodgers fourth ranked prospect Willie Calhoun, pitcher A.J. Alexy and shortstop Brendon Davis. His last start in Texas is one he would like to forget. The four time All Star allowed 10 runs in 3.2 innings against the Miami Marlins on July 26. Before that start, Darvish had a nice 3.44 ERA. Once Kershaw returns from his DL stint, the rotation will feature three 2017 All Star pitchers in Kershaw, Darvish and Alex Wood.
Breaking: Dodgers acquire Yu Darvish from Rangers, per @Ken_Rosenthal pic.twitter.com/szNJ8NvpMk
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 31, 2017
Before the Darvish trade on Monday, the Dodgers added more arms to their bullpen with the acquisitions of Tony Cingrani (Cincinnati Reds) and Tony Watson (Pittsburgh Pirates). In these two moves, the Dodgers were able to keep Walker Buehler and Yadier Alvarez in their system.
Dodgers acquire relievers Tony Watson and Tony Cingrani https://t.co/qPzXFSl1sX via @calltothepen pic.twitter.com/wcQDWgcMZa
— FanSided MLB (@FanSidedMLB) August 1, 2017
A team chasing the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West made their big trade earlier in the month. The Arizona Diamondbacks added J. D. Martinez mid-July to bolster their lineup. In regards to the deadline, the Diamondbacks made a little noise on Monday. Arizona acquired two players, infielder Adam Rosales from Oakland and relief pitcher David Hernandez from the Angels. Even though these players lack star power, the D Backs didn’t give up much for the two either.
https://twitter.com/TheRenderMLB/status/891457196537655296
The Mariners are sitting three games back from the final wild card spot but surprisingly were quite on the final day of the trade deadline. Seattle made a couple of moves earlier in the month, but nothing significant.
The San Diego Padres, 27 games back of the Dodgers, had no action during the non waiver trade period. Brad Hand, a 2017 NL All Star selection, stayed put after the 1:00 p.m. deadline. With Hand under control for another two and a half season, the Padres price tag for him may have scared some teams off looking for a top notch reliever.
The San Francisco Giants are sitting in the same position as their neighbors to the east, last place in the division. Looking to move some players, the Giants traded Eduardo Nunez to the Red Sox for pitchers Shaun Anderson and Gregory Santos for their lone trade. It was a decent return for Nunez, who was set to be a free agent at the end of the season. Early on in the process, the Giants made it clear to teams that Buster Posey, Madison Bumgarner and Brandon Crawford were off limits.
The new guys are getting comfortable in Boston! Seven hits combined from @EduardoNunez15 and @Rafael_Devers! #RedSox pic.twitter.com/QgtIkEdtqi
— Red Sox (@RedSox) August 1, 2017
Lastly, the other team in Los Angeles, the Angels, only made one move. They traded away relief pitcher Hernandez to the Diamondbacks for pitcher Luis Madero. Madero, 20-year-old from Valenzuela, was not ranked inside Arizona’s top 30 prospects list.
Did your team get better at the trade deadline? Are you happy with the prospects your team received? Let me know in the comments below.
Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for all your Raiders, Warriors, and Athletics related articles. And don’t forget to bookmark and follow the best west coast sports website, Left Coast Sports!
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
