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The Trading Season

Ahh yes, late July. That magical time of the year when a young man’s Twitter feed is immediately rendered out of date and his team’s roster is in a constant state of upheaval. It’s like watching Antiques Roadshow, but with human beings! The trading season has officially kicked off with a flurry of activity in the last 24 hours, so let’s run them down, shall we:

Nationals Acquire Jonny Gomes for Two Prospects - What is a team to do when they are four games under .500 and 16 games out of first place? Why, acquire an aging platoon outfielder for two middling prospects. In the giant scheme of things, this will probably become null and void—it’s doubtful that Bill Rhinehart and Chris Manno the two players the Nationals traded away, will ever amount to much in the Major Leagues, but the fact is that they could. For a rebuilding team, that’s what you build with, not trade away. The saddest part of this trade was that Matt Stairs was released to make room on the roster. That’s damn near unforgivable. 

Braves Acquire Wil Nieves - In a day of big deals, this one only required a little cash. The Braves needed a catcher, they got a catcher. 

Mets Trade Carlos Beltran to Giants for Pitcher Zack Wheeler - With the Mets throwing in $4 million in cash, they were able to land themselves a prime pitching prospect in Wheeler who is 7-5 with a 3.99 ERA and 10 K/9 in high-A. The Giants may have built a World Series winner by not trading pitching prospects away, but the fact remains they are currently built to win a championship and there is no guarantee of what may be two or three years down the road. This trade immediately upgrades their woeful offense, while their pitching staff is the most beautiful thing this side of the Phillies. It was a ransom that needed to be paid. 

Blue Jays Acquire Edwin Jackson, Mark Teahan from White Sox for Jason Frasor and Zach Stewart - While Edwin Jackson is nothing special, it’s obvious that Mark Teahan was the real gem here. With six pitcher filling five holes, the White Sox were able to move some of their extra weight, though I’m sure they would rather have Dan Hudson. 

Blue Jays Trade Edwin Jackson, Octavio Dotel, Mark Rzepczynski, Corey Patterson, and Three Players to Be Named Later or Cash to the Cardinals for Colby Rasmus, PJ Walters, and Brian Tallet (Trever Miller Will Be Going to the White Sox) - This is the trade that people will be talking about for a long time. While Edwin Jackson is a solid pitcher, and one that can eat his fair share of innings, Colby Rasmus has the chance to be a very special player. While Tony LaRussa is currently running a winning ship, his inability to handle young players could be the Cardinals downfall in the next few seasons. While Colby Rasmus and his Dad may be a nighmare to work with, and while he may never reach his full potential, he is already a solid centerfielder with the chance to be the best at his position. These are the kinds of trades the Blue Jays need to make to one day conquer the East while these are the kinds of moves that, if the Cardinals gamble incorrectly, could really hurt them.

With four days left until the non-waiver deadline, this could only be the start. And what an exciting and stressful time that is. 

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