The great guys at Baseball-Reference.com have a list of all the big trade made this July and it’s no surprise that a bunch were made on the trading deadline—July 31st. Here’s a recap of all the deadline day trades.
- The Diamondbacks traded relief pitcher Chad Qualls to the Rays for a player to be named later. Until we know who the player to be named later is, we cannot say who the winner in this deal was—but it was probably the Diamondbacks.
- The Diamondbacks traded catcher Chris Snyder, shortstop Pedro Ciriaco and cash to the Pirates for shortstop Bobby Crosby, pitcher DJ Carrasco and outfielder Ryan Church. I’m going to say the Diamondbacks received the better end of the deal. Though Church and Snyder aren’t hitting well, they both provide solid defense. In addition, the Diamondbacks are receiving a semi-dependable middle reliever, who should be an improvement over what they have now. The Pirates are garnering a defensive catcher with solid pop, which is good. However, Ciriaco has an on-base percentage of only .303 in the minors, so there is a good chance he will become a nonfactor at the big league level.
- The Indians traded pitcher Kerry Wood to the Yankees for a player to be named later or cash. Wood has been struggling, so I’m going to say the Indians did better in this deal, even though I don’t know precisely what they are receiving on their end.
- The Pirates traded LOOGY Javier Lopez to the Giants for pitcher Joe Martinez and first baseman John Bowker. Save for his 2009 season, Lopez has been a dependable pitcher since 2006, posting a 3.18 ERA in 222 games since that season. As such, the Giants are the winners in this trade. All they gave up were two aging semi-prospects who to date have not performed very well at the big league level. In 13 career big league games, Martinez is 3-3 with a 6.80. Bowker has a .238 average in three seasons in The Show. There is always the chance they will blossom even though they are getting older—they have both done well in the minors—however for now it is advantage Giants.
- The Red Sox traded pitcher Ramon Ramirez to the Giants for minor league pitcher Daniel Turpen. Both hurlers are having off-years this season: Ramirez’s ERA is 4.46, up from 2.84 a year ago. Turpen’s is 4.09, up from 1.20 in 2009. I’m going to say the Giants won this trade, because Ramirez has proven he can be a dependable relief pitcher. Turpen may end up in that position later in his career—or he may not.
- The Pirates traded relief pitcher Octavio Dotel to the Dodgers for pitcher James McDonald and outfield prospect Andrew Lambo. I’m normally one to side with the team that gets the veteran, however I believe the Pirates won this trade. The 36-year-old, 2010 Dotel is very different than the 2001-2003 Dotel. Though he is still pretty solid, he is not the pitcher he once was. McDonald, on the other hand, is a solid young pitcher who showed flashes of excellence in his 2009 rookie season—he posted a 2.60 ERA in August and from July 30 to September 2 his ERA was only 2.11. Though he strikes out a lot, Lambo is quite young, yet has shown some good power at the plate. Advantage Pirates.
- The Tigers traded outfielder Wilkin Ramirez to the Braves for cash or a player to be named later. Ramirez is your typical high-power, low-average minor leaguer who strikes out a lot (though he has speed, which is a plus). I do not foresee him doing incredible things, so even not knowing what they are getting in return, I think the Tigers got the better end of this deal.
- The Royals traded relief pitcher Kyle Farnsworth and outfielder Rick Ankiel to the Braves for pitcher Jesse Chavez, outfielder Gregor Blanco and minor league pitcher Tim Collins. I have to be honest. I think this might just be the most even trade completed on deadline day. In fact, I don’t think either team “won” it—they both benefit equally from the deal. The Braves’ inclusion of Tim Collins is what evens it out—had he not been thrown in, the deal would have been to the Braves’ advantage. The 21-year-old Collins could do very good things in the major leagues one day. He posts low ERAs and strikes out a bunch as a reliever, and that’s always a good thing.
- The Orioles traded relief pitcher Will Ohman to the Marlins for starter Rick Vanden Hurk. The O’s starting rotation is in shambles, so any help they can get is to their benefit. However, The Marlins are still the winners in this deal. Vanden Hurk won’t be enough to help the O’s—at all, really—but Ohman could be a solid cog in the Fishies bullpen.
- The Rangers traded Jarrod Salta…Salt…Saltala…that catcher with the long name to the Red Sox for pitching prospect Roman Mendez and first base prospect Christopher McGuiness. In short, the Rangers got the best of this deal. Mendez has struggled in the minors this year, however he was excellent in 2008 and 2009. McGuiness has shown good power without striking out too much—shock!—and he’s only 22. Now for Saltalamacchia, apparently he’s supposed to be do well one day, though I have never been too impressed by him—even back when he was a “top prospect.” He has yet to live up to his promise, and to compound his problems he has struggled in the minors this year.
- The Dodgers traded infielder Blake DeWitt and pitching prospects Brett Wallach and Kyle Smit to the Cubs for starting pitcher Ted Lilly and infielder Ryan Theriot. Barely — just barely— had the Dodgers got the best of this deal. Lilly has performed solidly since 2003, averaging 13 wins a year from 2003 to 2009. Though he is only 3-8 this year, his respectable 3.68 ERA is indicative that he is still a solid pitcher—it is the team around him that is not very good. Theriot is speedy—that’s his most notable trait. The Cubs are getting a good young infielder in DeWitt and two prospects to help rebuild later on. They’re not the winners in this transaction—but they aren’t losers either.
- The Indians traded starting pitcher Jake Westbrook to the Cardinals. The Cardinals sent outfielder Ryan Ludwick to the Padres. The Padres sent prospect Nick Greenwood to the Cardinals and prospect Corey Kluber to the Indians. I have to give this one to the Padres, only if Ludwick can re-find his power stroke. Otherwise, it goes to the Cardinals.
