A look at how MLB teams have fared since the trade deadline
Cardinals starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery throws during the first inning of a game against the Cubs Friday in St. Louis. Credit: AP/Jeff Roberson
You could say a month is too short a sample size to judge the deals at this season’s trade deadline. Many of the prospects moved won’t be ready to make an impact until years from now.
But the purpose of the bigger trades was for immediate help, to strengthen current playoff teams — along with those on the fringe of contention — for an October push. Viewed through that lens, a month is plenty of time to see how those clubs have fared with their deadline decisions, whether they pulled the trigger or chose to pass.
Based on that criteria, here’s a look at some of the more active teams on Aug. 2, what those additions have done for them as well as how those clubs performed with those players on board. And because the impact can be subjective to some degree, we’ve ranked them by record from the 6 p.m. deadline on Aug. 2 through Friday’s games.
1. Cardinals (23-7). Trying to fend off the Brewers for the division title, St. Louis targeted rotation help and hit the jackpot with the acquisition of Jordan Montgomery and Jose Quintana. The Cardinals sent an injured Harrison Bader to the Bronx for Montgomery, who has morphed into 1985 John Tudor since arriving at Busch, going 5-0 with a 1.47 ERA and 0.93 WHIP in six starts. Quintana has been a more modest addition (1-1, 3.38 ERA), but Montgomery’s brilliance makes it a moot point.
2. Dodgers (21-8). Let’s face it: The Dodgers didn’t really need much at the deadline, as their farm system is basically an assembly line of future All-Stars. So it was sort of a head-scratcher, to say the least, when they took Joey Gallo off the Yankees’ hands. Strikeout machine Gallo figured to be a pinch hitter for the runaway NL West leaders, but he’s started in 17 of 28 games for the Dodgers, hitting .189 (10-for-53) with three homers and a .751 OPS. Maybe Gallo’s real value is as a lucky rabbit’s foot — his team’s winning percentage this season while he was on the roster (Yankees and Dodgers) is .684 (91-42).
3. Mariners (19-9). Not much analysis needed in Seattle. General manager Jerry Dipoto went big-game hunting for the top starter on the market and beat out the Yankees for Luis Castillo, who cost the Mariners three of their top five prospects. Hefty price? Sure. But you get what you pay for, and Castillo is 2-1 with a 2.39 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 10.3 K/9 ratio through his first six starts. He’s also averaged more than six innings per outing, and Seattle has won four of those six games.
4. Atlanta (20-10). The defending world champs turned their season around by retooling their outfield at last year’s deadline. This time Atlanta already was closing fast on the division-leading Mets when it pulled off a more balanced haul for infielder Ehire Adrianza, reliever Raisel Iglesias, leftfielder Robbie Grossman and starter Jake Odorizzi. Iglesias, formerly the Angels' closer, is the primary setup man for Kenley Jansen and has a 0.77 ERA with a .154 opponents' batting average in 13 appearances. Odorizzi has a 4.26 ERA as back-of-rotation support.
5. Mets (20-11). The focus in Flushing has been more on what the Mets didn’t do at the deadline rather than whom they picked up, and they could end up regretting not pushing harder for catching help and a closer-caliber reliever. Extraordinary seasons deserve extraordinary measures, but GM Billy Eppler chose to hold on to his top 19 prospects. As for the deals he did make, Daniel Vogelbach has cooled some after a hot start, DH platoon-mate Darin Ruf doesn’t see much time and reliever Mychal Givens isn’t really a needle-mover. The Mets should be able to close out the NL East with MLB’s softest schedule the rest of the way (.422 winning percentage), but we’ll see how those deals factor in.
6. Astros (18-10). The funny thing about the Astros is that two of their trades created more of a blowback for the franchises they left than an impact for first-place Houston. Christian Vazquez’s former Red Sox teammates were up in arms when he was shipped down the hallway while the team played at Minute Maid Park. Trey Mancini, beloved by the clubhouse and fans alike, was practically Mr. Oriole when he was dealt. Since then, Vazquez has helped boost the Astros’ woeful offense from the catching position, hitting .340 (16-for-47) with a .720 OPS in 17 games. Mancini has batted .210 (17-for-81) with six homers (two in one game) and 17 RBIs in 24 games, rotating between DH, leftfield and first base. Reliever Will Smith has a 3.27 ERA in 12 appearances since coming over from Atlanta.
7. Phillies (18-12). This season’s success has more to do with subtraction, as in the June firing of manager Joe Girardi. But the Phillies were active at the deadline, dealing for reliever David Robertson — a Mets target — as well as a former Met in Noah Syndergaard. Robertson is having the desired effect with a 1.54 ERA in 11 appearances (4-for-5 in save chances). Syndergaard has been relatively effective at 3-1 with a 4.40 ERA (only 5.3 K/9). Brandon Marsh, despite missing time with a sprained ankle, is an upgrade in centerfield.
8. Padres (16-13). Didn’t see San Diego playing around .500 after pulling off the Juan Soto blockbuster (which included Josh Bell) as well as grabbing Josh Hader. Then again, who knew that Fernando Tatis Jr. was going to be suspended for the season (and into the next one) for a positive PED test? Soto is hitting .250 (21-for-84) with three homers, five RBIs and an .833 OPS in 24 games as the Padres try to hold off the Phillies for the No. 5 seed. Bell has a dismal slash line of .175/.301/.278 and Hader looks broken with a 19.06 ERA in five appearances (13 hits in 5 2/3 innings).
9. Twins (13-15). Seeing new closer Jorge Lopez punching the turf Friday night instead of punching out the White Sox is not what the Twins had in mind when they acquired him from the Orioles at the deadline. Lopez has a 3.09 ERA and four saves in 12 appearances with a 1.37 WHIP, significantly worse than his breakthrough numbers in Baltimore this season. Conversely, former Red Tyler Mahle is 1-0 with a 2.51 ERA in three starts, including a 0.84 WHIP. Reliever Michael Fulmer, picked up from the Tigers, has a 3.21 ERA in 14 appearances.
10. Yankees (9-19). Hard to believe, but this is the first-place Yankees way down here, with the AL’s worst record since the trade deadline (only the Pirates (9-20) and Marlins (8-20) are below them in that span). Since coming to the Bronx, Frankie Montas has been a disappointment (0-2, 7.01 ERA), Andrew Benintendi (.246 BA in 33 games) hurt his wrist Friday, reliever Scott Effross is sidelined with a shoulder strain and Harrison Bader (plantar fasciitis) could play, maybe, by the end of this month. Oh, and they gave away Montgomery. We’re not entirely sure who won the trade deadline yet, but the Yankees certainly are among the teams that lost it.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
