TRADE DEADLINE DEALS: Contenders Load Up; Others Restock

Story by Yinzer Crazy Contributor Roger l. McNamara

An earlier report looked at the Pittsburgh Pirate swap with the New York Mets, featuring the dispatch of left-handed power hitting Daniel Vogelbach.  Following is a rough chronological order summary of  more deals swung by contenders in the days and hours leading up to the August 2 deadline: 

The New York Yankees --- with Giancarlo Stanton on the Injured List and Joey Gallo having a dreadfully weak season  --- acquired 28 year old left handed hitting outfielder Andrew Benintendi from the Kansas City Royals.  A first round and 7th overall 2015 draftee by the Boston Red Sox, Andrew is now in his fifth full major league season, posting a career .280/.352/.432 slash line.  His strikeouts per 5.52 Plate Appearances is, in today’s game, excellent.  In other words, he is a dependable contact hitter.  In exchange, the Royals obtained a trio of pitchers from the lower reaches of NY’s farm system:  Southpaw T.J. Sikkema, right handers Beck Way and Chandler Champlain.  The initial two were rated #19 and #21, respectively, in Yankee prospects.   Andrew is signed only through the end of this season and will be free agent eligible at its conclusion.  Should be bring to the Yankees all that is expected of him --- hitting, defense, base running and a positive locker room presence --- the Steinbrenner family checkbook will doubtless be opened wide to pencil in the necessary Zeros;

Far and away the most sought after starting pitcher known to have been available was Cincinnati Reds ace right hander 29 year old Luis Castillo.  Several contending teams made no attempt to conceal their interest.  To the surprise of many and the puzzlement of a few the Seattle Mariners emerged with the top bid in the sweepstakes.   This season Castillo has logged 85 innings over 14 starts (just over 6 per outing), posting a 4-4 won-loss record with 90 strikeouts and a mere 28 walks.  It has blended into an ERA of 2.86, below his career 3.62 average.  Part of the Castillo appeal was undoubtedly consistency --- since his 2018 initial full season with the Reds he has answered the bell for 31-33 starts.  He is signed through 2023, the Mariners poised to pick up the remainder of his contract, and he is yet another jewel in the crown of major leaguers born and nurtured in the Dominican Republic.  Speculation is rampant that the M’s emptied their future trove --- four prospects were shipped to the Reds, 3 of whom --- a pair of infielders and a right handed starting pitcher --- were ranked among Seattle’s Top 5.  One assumes that Jerry Dipoto and other decision makers assess the remains of its farm system more accurately than any outside observer.  While a virtual certainty that Houston will not be overtaken for AL West supremacy this year, the M’s are in a virtual deadlock with four others for a Wild Card slot.  Dipoto’s  thinking is doubtless that in a single Play-In game or short October series Castillo will be an anchor to windward.   Neither the Mariners nor their fans are insensitive to the fact that they have not contested in any post season action for 20 years, the longest ongoing drought in all of professional sports;

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays settled in for their AL East stretch drive with the addition of a veteran left handed power bat, 34 year old outfielder David Peralta from the Arizona Diamondbacks.  The Pride of Valencia, Venezuela is now in his 8th MLB season, when like most of the earlier ones he is a regular starter.  A career that includes both a Silver Slugger and Golden Glove Awards has averaged out to a respectable   .283/.380/.463 slash line, including a home run every 34 plate appearances.  The numbers are down a tad this season (.248/.316/.460 for the slash), but he remains on pace for 22 circuit clouts.  It is this power component which doubtless motivated the Rays, one of five teams bunched tight in Wild Card races as the Season heads toward its climax.  In exchange Tampa sent Florida Coast League 19 year old Catcher Christian Cerda and his .315 BA to the Arizona desert;

Stumbling along at a sub .500 pace over their most recent 20 games and plainly in need of  pitching upgrades --- both starting and relief --- the New York Yankees ended speculation by acquiring a pair of right handed arms from the Oakland A’s, 29 year old starter Frankie Montas along with 30 year old reliever Lou Trivino.   Injury down times have rendered Frankie’s tenure uneven, but he nonetheless has so far in 2022 toiled through 19 starts good for 104+ innings, posting a 3.18 ERA, below a career 3.73 average.  His W-L ledger of 4-9 would doubtless be more appealing, maybe even reversed, if a more capable offense joined him in the dugout.  Another product of San Cristobal in the Dominican Republic, he is signed through only this year.  Trivino’s numbers are less imposing:  39 relief appearances have tagged him with a 6.47 ERA.  He has somehow fashioned 10 Saves out of this wreckage, but the Yankees, now presumably of an Any Port in the Storm mentality, may have been attracted to his 3.21 KO/BB ratio.  If nothing else Brian Cashman managed to keep the farm system more or less intact, as the four prospects sent to Oakland --- three pitchers and an infielder, were rated 5th through 21st on the Yankee pecking order.  Sidearm right handed reliever 28 year old Scott Effross ---- Career: ERA 2.91, 5.7 KO/BB ratio --- was shortly thereafter obtained from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for minor league pitcher Heyden Wisneski.  A seemingly never tired NYY front office then went a few minutes prior to deadline in dealing away  left-handed starter Jordan Montgomery --- this year a 3.69 ERA but fewer than 6 innings per start  --- to the St. Louis Cardinals for Bronx native Harrison Bader, a 28 year old right handed hitter who in six seasons has slashed .246/.320/.409 on his way to NY; 

The most intriguing and sought after piece of this year’s Summer Puzzle belonged to Washington Nationals prodigious 23 year old outfielder Juan Soto.  Another Dominican Republic protégée, 2018 Rookie of the Year and perennial All-Star, Soto’s left-handed bat has slashed to a .291/.427/.538 career pace.  A strikeout in every 6 Plate Appearances was not lost in the eyes of several contending teams salivating at the thought of his addition.  In the end it was a Coast-to-Coast move to the San Diego Padres, at this writing a seemingly hopeless 13 games back of the LA Dodgers in the NL West, and 3 behind the lead for a Wild Card berth.   It was part of an eight player swap, as the Padres acquired 29 year old switch hitting first baseman Josh Bell, another former Pirate in the midst of his most productive MLB season with a .301 batting average.  Off to the Nation’s Capital is a sextet of former Padres, some veterans in the pro ranks, others highly touted and promising upper level Minor League stars.  Both immediate and longer term impacts of this trade will capture regular and intense media scrutiny.     

• Footnote. In the end it was the St. Louis Cardinals who opted for the remainder of this season's rental of veteran 33 year old ex-Pirate left handed starter/reliever Jose Quintana.  He is signed only through the remainder of 2022.

Let the final 55-60 regular season games begin.