The end of July marked the trade deadline in the Major League Baseball. Because the rules had changed last offseason, July happened to be busier than usual. In the past, there were forty-five trades of players in the major league between the MLB All-Star Game and the last day of July, set as a non-waiver trade deadline. Clubs could also trade players throughout August. The only condition for trading past July was to place on waivers all those players who were on a 40-man roster. Last year, twenty-eight trades were made in August. This year, by contrast, all trades of players had to be completed by the 31st of July, since only one deadline was permitted. Only one deadline means that no 40-man roster would be dealt in August 2019.
With all deals already completed, we can now analyze the Major League Baseball playoff picture and understand which teams have won and which team have lost from the tradeoff. As discussed in the paragraphs below, some teams have made truly lucrative purchases and, in so doing, increased their chances of winning future games. Among those clubs that acted smartly are Houston Astros, Cleveland Indians, San Diego Padres, and Cincinnati Reds. But there were also teams that either have failed to act altogether before the trade deadline or made unadvised deals, thereby putting themselves in an unenviable position. Toronto Blue Jays, Minnesota Twins, and Los Angeles Dodgers are among those clubs that have emerged as losers after the trade deadline.
In what follows, we are giving reasons why some deals were successful, while others fell short of expectations. Our account will help you not only get a clear picture of what is going on in the MLB after the deadline but also understand on which clubs or players to place wagers, if you are interested in sports betting. We are also explaining why this year tradeoff was less eventful and exciting than those conducted in the past.
Tradeoff in 2019
This year MLB trading was indeed less breath-taking than it usually is. First of all, as mentioned, there was only one deadline in 2019, which left to buyers and sellers less time to negotiate deals. Second, not many first-rate players were transferred from club to club this year. It is true that several hours before the deadline some remarkable tradeoffs took place. Almost when everyone assumed that no other big name would be placed on the list of transferred players, it was announced that Zach Greinke, Trevor Bauer, and Markus Stroman had signed contracts with other clubs.
Yet even with these big names added to the list, the tradeoff in 2019 looked pale by comparison to other years. In 2019, traders were transferring mostly bench bats and relievers rather than star players, which was less interesting to fans and less crucial for the teams themselves. Some clubs chose not to make any trades whatsoever, unwilling either to improve or worsen their positions. Their inactivity might boomerang against them in the future, especially because some teams are surely going to gain from the smart trades that they ventured.
Winners
One of the clubs that has magnified its chances of winning in the near future is Houston Astros. Up until the last day of July, it looked as if the club would not make any transfers apart from changing its backup catchers. Then, minutes before the end of the day, several significant purchases were made. The new star players that are joining Astros this season are Zach Greinke, Aaron Sanchez, C Martin Maldonado, Joe Biagini, Rainier Rivas, Raider Uceta, and Andre Scrubb.
The deal that elicited the biggest excitement was Greinke’s. Specialists agree that the negotiation of the transferal was remarkably smart: Houston Astros managed to sign the deal without selling its star players Forrest Whitley and Kyle Tucker. The club also did not take Greinke’s whole contract but negotiated to pay him only $53 million over the next three seasons. Other $24 million that are due to the player will be paid by Arizona. Greinke’s addition to the team is expected to bring it closer to victory in 2019.
Losers
Topping the list of losing teams is Toronto Blue Jays. Although the team did acquire some notable players during this year tradeoff, it also gave up such star players as Marcus Stroman, Aaron Sanchez, Eric Sogard, Daniel Hudson, and Joe Biagini. To make maters worse, Ken Giles had his arm twisted just before the deadline, and he was expected to be one of the best pitchers traded this season. Toronto Blue Jay tried to compensate for the loss of Biagini and Sanchez and brought in Derek Fisher, who boasts a career .201/.282/.367 hitter. But specialists maintain that, for all his expertise, Fisher is not going to make up for the departure of Biagini and Sanchez, even considering that the latter’s performance was not faultless this year.
Another blow was dealt to Toronto Blue Jays by Yankees whom it asked for Estevan Florial and Devi Garcia. Rumor has it that the club hoped to close the deal with Yankees and bring in these players before Marcus Stroman was transferred to the Mets. This did not go as planned, since Yankees declined the request, leaving Blue Jays without expected gains. The club did manage to bring in several players eventually, but it remains unclear whether Simeon Woods Richardson, Anthony Kay, and Kyle Johnson, the new additions to the team, will be able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in 2019.
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