MLB TRADE DEADLINE REVIEW

Now that we have all had a night to sleep on it and recover from all the news of some big time trades, we can sit back, relax, and really review the details of all the trades that went down yesterday. There were two blockbuster trades that involved front of the rotation stars. Now lets dive into the details of these trades and my thoughts on these trades.

TRADE:

Boston Red Sox Get:                         Oakland Athletics Get:
OF Yoenis Cespedes                                              LHP Jon Lester
Competitive balance pick                                        OF Jonny Gomes
                                                                              Cash Considerations

This was the first big trade that went down yesterday and it showed that Athletics GM Billy Beane was going all in for a run at the world series (and believing that pitching wins series in the playoffs) as he was able to acquire Red Sox ace Jon Lester for fan-favorite and slugging outfielder Yoenis Cespedes. It was well known that Lester was probably on the move after he was scratched from his scheduled start and there had been rumblings about Oakland being a dark horse in the race for him as they have a strong farm system that seems to breed quality major league players year after year. Most would have to believe that the Red Sox wanted players in return that were major league ready or already had major league experience such as Tommy Milone (who was dealt in a separate deal) or a package of top prospects. But, Beane surprised everybody as he traded Cespedes probably the most well known name on the team and the closest they had to a star on a team consisting of a bunch of good players who fit into perfect roles. In my opinion Cespedes has been the heart and leader of that team with his above-average power and exceptional outfield arm they has given us some of the best highlights so far this year.

Now with Cespedes gone many believe that the A's have lost all their pop in the lineup but, if you look at some other guys numbers, they are more than capable of providing that pop the lineup needs. Im talking about guys like Brandon Moss (23 HR, 72 RBI's) and Josh Donaldson (23 HR, 76 RBI's). Donaldson has shown that he can carry the weight of a team and with guys like Coco Crisp and Stephen Vogt (.351 BA) hitting around these two power threats the A's will be just fine. Cespedes will thrive in Boston as he will constantly play pepper with the green monster while racking up extra base hits.

As far as Lester (10-7, 2.52 ERA) goes the A's add another ace to an already potent and arguably best rotation in baseball. He teams up with the likes of Sonny Gray (12-3, 2.65 ERA), Scott Kazmir (12-3, 2.39 ERA), recently acquired Jeff Samardzija (4-8, 2.92 ERA... don't look at his win loss now as he received very little support from the Cubs) and either Jesse Chavez or Jason Hammel who have both had decent seasons but are struggling as of late. Running out Lester, Gray, Kazmir, and Samardzija in a playoff series will make the A's a tough out vs any opponent.

Also, don't disregard Jonny Gomes, one of the hardest playing and most liked guys in the league, as he rejoins the an A's team who he helped to the playoffs in 2012. He has some pop of his own and like I said he is just another one of those guys who fits right into the A's mold of a perfect role player.

Trade:

Detroit Tigers Get:                        Seattle Mariners Get:
LHP David Price (From Tampa)                        OF Austin Jackson (From Detroit)

Tampa Bay Rays Get:
LHP Drew Smyly (From Tigers)
SS Nick Franklin (From Mariners)
SS Willy Adames (From Tigers)

The second blockbuster trade of the day happened to be a three team trade that included the Tigers getting former Rays ace David Price, the Rays getting Drew Smyly and prospect Willy Adames from the Tigers and Nick Franklin from the Mariners, and finally the Mariners receiving OF Austin Jackson from the Tigers. In my opinion the Tigers got a steal in this deal as the received a legit ace in Price who will team up with an already star studded rotation that includes Max Scherzer (13-3, 3.27 ERA) and Justin Verlander who has struggled this year but we all know what he is capable of. Pair these three up with two very solid back of the rotation guys in Anibal Sanchez (7-5, 3.57 ERA) and breakout pitcher so far this year in Rick Porcello
(12-5, 3.24 ERA) and you have a very deep rotation with a lot of experience.

Like I mentioned before I feel like the Rays could have gotten more from this deal than Smyly a young-ish
(25 years old) guy with some good MLB experience who has made the transition from a reliever to a starter this year and has not been to bad but, I don't see him to be more than a middle of the rotation type of pitcher. Then you have Nick Franklin, who is a switch hitting middle infielder in his second year in the league. He is still a young player at only 23 years of age and has had a solid minor league career but has had trouble finding playing time in the majors as the Mariners have scarcely used him this year. He needs to pick a side of the plate to hit from and focus on that, as both of his swings are sort of quirky. If he can figure that out he should have the hitting presence to get a shot but, his questionable defense is his downside. Finally you have Willy Adames who is an 18 year old prospect that still has a lot of learning to do before getting a serious evaluation.

Lastly in this three team trade the mariners acquired OF Austin Jackson from the Tigers. Jackson has had a couple average years in the majors with around a .275 BA, but where he shines is in the outfield as he is able to use his speed to track down fly balls. I assume he will patrol center field and take over for James Jones who has had a contribution to the lineup in his rookie season. As far as the Tigers go Rajai Davis will most likely take over the job in center field.