Grading the Top 5 Trades of the MLB Trade Deadline
Wow! That was wild! The MLB trade deadline just passed (and it was crazy), so I’m grading the top 5 trades of the deadline. The top 5 with be decided by impact on the team in the stretch run. Starting with the 5th biggest trade.
Honorable Mentions:
Ryan O’Hearn, Ramón Laureano → Padres
Merrill Kelly → Rangers
Ryan Helsley → Mets
#5:
Yankees Receive:
David Bednar (RHP)
Pirates Receive:
Rafael Flores (C/1B, Yankees No. 8 prospect)
Edgleen Perez (C/1B, Yankees No. 14 prospect)
Brian Sanchez (OF)
Thoughts:
I think it’s a pretty fair trade. The Yankees got their bullpen piece, and the Pirates got a couple of decent prospects. I would’ve liked for the Pirates to get a young player on the Yankees whose already in the majors. Someone like Ben Rice, who could help you now, and in the future.
Grades:
Yankees: A-
Pirates: B
#4:
Phillies Receive:
Jhoan Duran (RHP)
Twins Receive:
Eduardo Tait (C, MLB No. 56 prospect)
Mick Abel (RHP, MLB No. 91 prospect)
Thoughts:
I think it’s a pretty fair trade (more here), but I wouldn’t have given up so much for Duran. Two top 100 prospects seems a little much. If you look at the Ryan Helsley trade, there wasn’t any top 100 prospects swapped, but Helsley is (maybe) a better reliever. The Phillies are building a dominant pitching staff, though.
Grades:
Phillies: B-
Twins: A
#3:
Astros Receive:
Carlos Correa (SS)
Cash
Twins Receive:
Matt Mikulski (MiLB, LHP)
Thoughts:
This trade was a total salary dump. All the Twins wanted to do is dump salary. The best part? They didn’t even dump salary. According to Bob Nightengale, the Twins are paying $33 million of Carlos Correa’s $103.42 million. That is about 32%!! What a waste of money for Minnesota.
Grades:
Astros: B
Twins: D-
#2:
Mariners receive:
Eugenio Suárez (3B)
Diamondbacks receive:
Tyler Locklear (1B, Mariners No. 9 prospect)
Hunter Cranton (RHP, Mariners No. 16 prospect)
Juan Burgos (RHP, Mariners No. 17 prospect)
Thoughts:
I think the Diamondbacks should’ve tried to get a little bit more than they got. Someone like Gavin Sheets, or a top 100 prospect. Tyler Locklear is having a very good year at Triple-A, though. Other than that, it was a pretty fair trade.
Grades:
Mariners: A-
Diamondbacks: B
#1:
Padres Receive:
Mason Miller (RHP)
J.P. Sears (LHP)
Athletics Receive:
Leodalis De Vries (SS, MLB No. 3 prospect)
Brandon Nett (RHP, Padres No. 3 prospect)
Henry Baez (RHP, Padres No. 13 prospect)
Eduarniel Nunez (RHP, Padres No. 17 prospect)
Thoughts:
This was A LOT to give up. Even for Mason Miller. He might be the best closer in baseball, but this is a lot of talent. Trading the number 3 OVERALL prospect is crazy. That said, the Padres do add another lights out arm to their bullpen. They also get a lefty (J.P. Sears) for depth.
Grades:
Padres: C+
Athletics: B+
That was a crazy deadline!
