The dust has settled, and the MLB trade deadline is officially over. Only time can truly parse the good trades from the bad, but we’re going to do our best.
Here are three winners and three losers from the recent trade frenzy.
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WINNERS
San Diego general manager A.J. Preller does stuff. He has always done stuff. He will always do stuff. In his first winter in charge of the Padres back in 2015, Preller transacted his roster into oblivion. There are few givens in the World of Ball, but Preller dealing up a storm is one.
And when you take such a volatile actor and add a layer of job insecurity, you get chaos. The passing of beloved owner Peter Seidler has created an uncertain future in regard to San Diego’s leadership. Within that, Preller has gotten more cushion than most execs could dream of, yet he has just two playoff series wins to show for it. For the first time in his executive career, Preller is very much on the hot seat.
At this deadline, he acted accordingly. The Padres shipped off a cavalcade of prospects to Tampa Bay and Miami to acquire perhaps the two best relievers traded, Jason Adam and Tanner Scott. Bullpen arms are unpredictable, which makes the few reliable ones rare rubies. Scott and Adam give San Diego one of the league’s most formidable bullpens, something they’ll need to reach October and keep Preller in town.
There’s no shame in mortgaging the future, especially if it’s a future you might not be around to witness. This week, Preller acted with appropriate urgency. This could all blow up in San Diego’s face; the prospects they jettisoned could become All-Stars. Either way, it’s likely the next guy’s problem.
In some ways, evaluating a team’s deadline can be boiled down to a simple question: Did you acquire a difference-maker? Did you add (1) a starting pitcher good enough to take the ball in a playoff game, (2) an impact reliever who can throw high-leverage innings in October or (3) an every-day position player?
Seattle answered yes to questions two and three at this deadline and already has a stable of starters capable of an October nod.
Adding Randy Arozarena from the Rays a few days before the pencils dropped was exactly the type of move the sluggish Mariners absolutely needed to make. Their offense has been a lost puppy for months now, a sleep-walking husk unworthy of taking the diamond next to such a splendid pitching staff. Arozarena, with a highlight reel of…