MLB Trade Deadline Recap

By: Mike Wagenman

After weeks of MLB trade talk, the trading deadline has come and gone, and like every July 31^st, nothing turns out as expected. Many players who were expected to be dealt, were not; ex. Heath Bell, Wandy Rodriguez, Hiroki Kuroda. But, some teams surprised the baseball world and made unexpected moves to improve their club or their farm system. The trading deadline always creates winners and losers, and this year was no different. Although moves can still be made via the waiver wire, this article will take a deeper look into the biggest winners at the deadline, plus trades that benefitted both parties. Note: I am not a huge proponent of making teams who acquired many prospects as “winners” because very few top prospects actually pan out into what they are expected to become. Please check out MLB.com's 2011 Trade Deadline Tracker for all of the trades that occurred in the past few days, as not all will be listed in this article.

WINNERS (in no specific order):

Pittsburgh Pirates – The Buccos did exactly what they needed to do at the deadline to go from a nice turnaround story, into a legitimate playoff contender. Their division foes (St. Louis and Milwaukee) made a few small moves to fill voids, prompting the Pirates to make two big moves. They acquired first baseman Derrek Lee from the Orioles, and although he is 35 years old and is only hitting .246 with 12 home runs, 41 RBI and a .302 OBP, he provides an experienced veteran presence in the young Pirates locker room. Lee has been in many playoff races with the Cubs, and won a World Series with the Marlins. His bat is also an upgrade over Lyle Overbay, who is hitting .228 and provides little protection or pop in the middle of the lineup. Next, the Pirates went out and snagged outfielder Ryan Ludwick from the Padres. He is another veteran presence to help in the locker room and in the middle of the lineup. One final note about these two players, they both have years of experience in the NL Central, and are familiar with NL Central pitching and playing style.

Texas Rangers – The Rangers addressed their only glaring hole before the deadline; their bullpen. They snagged two of the best relief pitchers on the market. First, they traded first baseman Chris Davis, who strikes out far too many times and did not really see much playing time behind Michael Young and Mitch Moreland in Texas, and starting pitcher Tommy Hunter to Baltimore for Koji Uehara. The righty has a 1.69 ERA and a 0.69 WHIP, and could become the closer if Neftali Feliz continues to sputter. Next, the Rangers sent prospects to San Diego for reliever Mike Adams. Adams, another righty, has a near spotless 1.13 ERA and averages 9.2 K/9. These two lethal arms in the Texas 'pen seem to be the lockdown pair the Rangers were looking for.

Philadelphia Phillies – The Phillies yet again tapped into their Texas pipeline for some stretch run reinforcements at the trading deadline. First Brad Lidge, then Roy Oswalt, and now Hunter Pence. The Astros shipped their All-Star right fielder to Philadelphia for four prospects, including the Phillies top two prospects. With Pence, the Phillies get a bat to protect Ryan Howard in the five-slot, and a hustle machine who can steal bases and play a hard-nosed right field. He is hitting .306 with 11 home runs and 63 RBI so far this season. Pence is a manager's dream because he gives maximum effort on every play, and for the Phillies, this filled a big void. They have the starting pitching, and maybe not the bullpen, but Lee and Halladay go deep into games. They have the left-handed power. They have speed. They have youth. And they have veteran experience. All they needed was a right handed bat, and they got one. Pence solves future problems in Philly as well, because Domonic Brown can slide back into left field once Raul Ibanez's time is up with the Phils, and Pence can stay in right field.

Cleveland Indians – I was a bit reluctant to put the Indians up here, but acquiring two former All-Stars is a win. They gave up some prospects, especially in their monster package to the Rockies, but they got back an ace to pitch along side Fausto Carmona and Justin Masterson. However, the acquisition of Ubaldo Jimenez does not help the fact that the Indians cannot hit. Sure, he does ensure that the other team probably won't score much, but the Indians needed a bat. Ubaldo is a solid starter, and in acquiring Kosuke Fukudome, the Tribe gets a solid outfielder and a decent bat as well. Once Shin-Soo Choo returns, these trades by Cleveland will begin to make more sense.

Detroit Tigers – This is one of my big sleeper winners. Who is David Pauley and who is Doug Fister? Young pitchers, that's who they are. Pauley will pitch out of the bullpen in Detroit, and everyone loves bullpen help. But the big acquisition here is Fister. He is a young talent who got absolutely no run support in Seattle (surprise, surprise), but pitched to a 3.33 ERA with 89 strikeouts. Fister is a Jered Weaver prototype because he steps right at the batter, but delivers from a strange side angle. He is quick to the plate, his stuff is great, and he is fearless. The Tigers desperately needed a pitcher behind Justin Verlander, and they got a good one for the future.

Atlanta Braves – The Braves addressed a big need at the deadline. They matched the Phillies and traded for a Houston outfielder. Atlanta received speed demon Michael Bourn, who is hitting .303 with 39 stolen bases. He will be an instant igniter at the top of the Braves lineup, and dramatically improves their playoff chances. Speed doesn't go into slumps, and with the power bats in Atlanta's lineup, Bourn may find himself scoring an unprecedented amount of runs.

SMALL, BUT HELPFUL DEALS:

Boston Red Sox – The Red Sox quitely snatched up lefty Erik Bedard from Seattle along with infielder Josh Fields. Although they shipped out prospects, none of them really fit into their future plans. Bedard will help fill holes in the rotation from injuries. More importantly, he was a Yankee killer in his last season in Baltimore, when he went 3-0 against the Bombers, and has pitched better in each start since his knee injury. The Red Sox also traded for Kansas City infielder Mike Aviles.

Arizona Diamondbacks – The D-Backs are quietly having a solid season. They traded for Jason Marquis to help Ian Kennedy in the rotation, giving them a better chance to push for a playoff spot. Marquis is always a solid pitcher, and had a 3.95 ERA in Washington this year. Arizona also acquired reliever Brad Zeigler from Oakland.

Toronto Blue Jays – Obviously wanting to get stronger so they can compete in the AL East, the Jays got the hard to coach, but extremely talented center fielder Colby Rasmus from St. Louis. Rasmus plays a great defensive center field, can hit for average and some power, and can steal bases. If he matures a bit, he can be a great player for the Jays.

EVEN TRADES:

New York Mets & San Francisco Giants – Earlier in the week, the Mets shipped off right fielder Carlos Beltran to the Giants and got young righty Zack Wheeler in return. The Giants get Beltran as basically a rental player, unless he wants to sign back in the offseason. In addition, he is a much needed switch hitting bat in the middle of the lineup, and his stats while playing in New York this year already are tops in San Francisco. Finally, the Giants do not have to pay Beltran much, because the Mets have to pay much of the rest of his contract for the season. He will be a key piece in the Giants trying to repeat as champions. Some experts say the Giants gave up too good of a pitching prospect in Zack Wheeler, but their pitching is young and talent as it is, and trading for hitting was necessary. As for the Mets, they opened the door for some of their young players to gain experience filling the right field void with Beltran gone. They knew he would not sign back with the team this offseason, so they wanted to get value for him. They succeeded as they got the 2009 6^th overall pick, Zack Wheeler. He is only 21 years of age, and he throws in the mid to upper 90s with his fastball. A potential top of the rotation pitcher, Wheeler will spend the next couple of years in the Mets farm system trying to lower his walk total and mature.

Los Angeles Dodgers & St. Louis Cardinals – The Cardinals got a top of the lineup hitter from the Dodgers in Rafael Furcal. Furcal has playoff experience with the Braves and is the speedster the Cardinals needed to ignite to offense. He is also a solid fielder at the shortstop position. The Dodgers get a win from this trade as well, because they can promote top prospect Dee Gordon back to the majors. The young shortstop, and son of former relief pitcher Tom Gordon, spent 22 games in the big leagues already this season where he stole nine bases. Gordon is only going to improve, and the Dodgers effectively opened up a spot for him in their every day lineup.

Pitt Stop in First Place

By: Mike Wagenman

Almost four months into the MLB season, there is an unfamiliar face atop the National League Central: the Pirates. That's right, the Pittsburgh Pirates, that is not a typo. At 50-44, the Bucs sit ½ game ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers in the division. This is the latest date that the Pirates have been in first place since July 17^th, 1997, 14 years ago. Can anyone even name five players on Pittsburgh's active roster? Didn't think so.

So, how are the Pirates reeling off win after win with a bunch of minor leaguers, young pitchers, and Andrew McCutchen? Confidence, says closer Joel Hanrahan. “We feel like we're not even playing that good yet, we just keep finding ways to win. We can even be better,” he said Sunday. Pittsburgh even had three All-Stars this year, as Hanrahan, starting pitcher Kevin Correia, and center fielder Andrew McCutchen were all given the call to play in Arizona. That marks the first time the team has had three All-Stars since 1990.

Nobody expected much of anything from the usual bottomfeeders of the league this year, and why should they have? The Pirates have not made the playoffs since 1992 and have not won a pennant or a World Series since 1979. And plus, at season's beginning, who was their “big money” player? The guy who was going put the team on his back when they were going through a rough time? The Pirates were lacking a player of that caliber; a CC Sabathia, Adrian Gonzalez, Albert Pujols, or Roy Halladay type player. And then, as if anyone gave the Buccos a chance to begin with, they have had nine players, including four opening day starters and last year's lone All-Star (reliever Evan Meek), land on the disabled list. Of their nine replacements for those who were injured, all of them began the 2011 season in the minor leagues, and seven of the nine have made their major league debut for Pittsburgh this season. But, they just keep on doing the little things and winning baseball games. Plus, Andrew McCutchen has stepped up to be their clutch player. Most of all, the pitching has been superb, which has kept Pittsburgh on top of the NL Central.

The Pirates rank eighth in the majors in pitching, with a 3.40 team ERA. They have been led by their young starters, who go deep into games and keep those games within reach for their offense. Their low ERA and high total of decisions is proof of that. Kevin Correia already has 11 wins, Jeff Karstens is 8-4 with a 2.34 ERA, and although Paul Maholm's record is a lowly 6-9, his 3.06 ERA is second lowest on the team among the five starters. Even no-named rookie's having winning records for Pittsburgh. James McDonald is 5-4 and Charlie Morton is 8-5 with a 3.62 ERA.

The bullpen has been spectacular this season as well. Rookie Chris Leroux has yet to give up a run in his 5 appearances, and Daniel McCutchen has a 2.23 ERA in 48.1 innings pitched. Tony Watson, Jose Veras, and Chris Resop all have an ERA under 3.50, including Watson's 2.40 ERA. Also, Joe Beimel has become the lefty specialist. This all leads up to the flame-throwing closer, Joel Hanrahan, who is 27/28 in save opportunities and sports a 1.27 ERA plus a 99 MPH heater. So far this year, it has been a tall task to string together a few runs against the Pirates.

Through the disastrous seasons over the past 19 years in Pittsburgh, through all the youth and inexperience, and through all the injuries, the Pirates find themselves contending for a playoff spot. And, for once, they are “buyers” instead of “sellers” at the trading deadline. Their top priority is to try to acquire a quality bat to help out Neil Walker and Andrew McCutchen in the middle of the lineup. If rookies such as shortstop Chase d'Arnaud, catcher Michael McKenry, and third baseman Josh Harrison can continue their consistent play, and Jose Tabata and the other injured players can work their way back into the lineup, the Pirates have a great chance to keep winning and even earn their first playoff birth in 19 years.

Joel Hanrahan

MLB Surprises

Top 5 surprises of the 1^st half of the MLB Season

By: Corey Donetz

5: Jose Reyes; .354 AVG (1^st) , 124 hits (1^st), 22 doubles, 15 triples (1^st), 32 RBI, 30 stolen bases (2^nd).

Reyes couldn’t have picked a better time to have an MVP type season. In a contract year, Reyes leads the Major Leagues in batting average, triples, and hits, while ranking second in stolen bases and third in runs scored. Reyes has led the Mets to an above .500 record, and is widely regarded as the best/most exciting player in the league this year. Good play from Reyes isn’t a surprise, but not many could’ve predicted these types of numbers from Reyes.

4: Josh Beckett; 7-3, 106 IP, 2.12 ERA (2^nd), 0.906 WHIP (2^nd), 91 K’s.

If I were to tell you Beckett would have the 2^nd best ERA on his own team before the season started, you probably wouldn’t have believed me, let alone have the 2^nd best ERA in the American League. Beckett has allowed just 5.5 hits per nine, which ranks best in the American League.  He has been the constant for the shaky Boston rotation so far. Beckett’s play has kept the Red Sox within striking distance of the New York Yankees for 1^st place in the A.L. East, and to lead the Wild Card race. He was named to the 2011 All-Star team for his play. Beckett has relied heavily on his 2-seam fastball, which has been a key to the strikeout totals, and limiting base runners, allowing less than one per inning (0.906 WHIP). Staying healthy will be key for Beckett as the season continues following the all-star break.

3: Freddy Garcia/Bartolo Colon;

Garcia: 7-6, 92 IP, 3.13 ERA, 1.271 WHIP, 57 K’s.

Colon: 6-3, 84.1 IP, 2.88 ERA, 1.055 WHIP, 78 K’s.

Coming into the season one of the biggest question marks for the New York Yankees was the back end of their rotation. Colon and Garcia have combined to go 13-9, with more consistency than anyone could’ve imagined. The two pitchers have found the fountain of youth and have given the Yankees a solidified rotation behind ace C.C. Sabathia leading them to a first place record. Aside from a short D.L stint from Colon, the two have stayed healthy for the most part, which is another added surprise to Yankees fans. If Colon and Garcia can keep this up, along with stellar play the Yankees have gotten around the diamond, a 1^st place finish seems pretty evident for New York.

2: Cleveland Indians; 1^st Place, 45-39, 25-15 (Home), 20-24 (Road).

The Tribe has led the A.L. Central for essentially the entire season thus far, and has succeeded greatly and appears to be a playoff contender during a time when many thought the team would be rebuilding. Cleveland’s offense is anchored by shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, and the resurgence of DH Travis Hafner. Cabrera is hitting .292 and leads the team with 14 homeruns, 49 RBI, 100 hits, 22 doubles, three triples, and 12 stolen bases. The MVP caliber season led to Cabrera being named to the A.L All-Star team. Cleveland’s bullpen has been a pleasant surprise as well; led by closer Chris Perez who is 20 for 21 in save opportunities posting an impressive 2.30 ERA. Josh Tomlin leads the tribe with ten wins, while Justin Masterson has a 2.85 ERA, going 6-6 through season’s 1^st half. Cleveland has a slim lead over Detroit in the A.L Central, it will be interesting to see if they can keep it up after the all-star break and close out the division as the season winds down.

1: Pittsburgh Pirates; 2^nd Place, 45-41, 21-20 (Home), 24-21 (Road).

The Pirates are led by a plethora of young talent, with the spotlight on centerfielder Andrew McCutchen. McCutchen has a .291 average, 12 homeruns, 46 RBI, and 15 stolen bases. He leads the team in average, homeruns, runs scored, stolen bases, and is second in RBI. Perhaps the biggest surprise within the Pirates has been their pitching as a whole. All-Star closer Joel Hanrahan has gone 25 for 25 in save opportunities, posting an incredible 0.93 ERA. Jeff Karstens has gone 7-4 with a 2.55 ERA, while Kevin Correia and Charlie Morton have won 11 and 7 games, respectively. Pittsburgh is 45-41, just 1.5 games behind the Cardinals for 1^st place. It’s been quite some time since the Pirates were relevant, and with the N.L Central still wide open, they have a chance at winning the division if their young players can keep winning. The second half story for the Pirates will be if their pitching can remain as consistent as it was in the first half of the season.