Right until 4:00 pm eastern time, the MLB trade season was in full swing. Some have called it the craziest trade deadline ever. More All-Stars than ever before were moved at the deadline. It was notification after notification of big moves being made. Here are some of the biggest storylines currently in the MLB:
How is it even possible for the Dodgers to have this many well known players? Seager, Turner, Bellinger, Puljos, Bauer, and Buehler just to name a few. And now they are adding Trea Turner and pitcher Max Scherzer after an unexpected deadline addition. It was first reported that Turner and Scherzer were going to the Dodgers NL West rivals, the Padres, but just a few hours later they were members of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Despite having a loaded roster the Dodgers have dealt with a lot of injuries this season, keeping them in second place in the NL West behind the Giants with the Padres creeping up behind them. While the Dodgers hope these big moves help them to claim the division, the Giants and Padres made some big moves as well.
The Padres acquired all star second baseman Adam Frazier from the Pirates, bolstering their star studded lineup. The Giants, who were not expected to be this good, got Kris Bryant from the Cubs in exchange for some draft picks. With all these huge additions to the NL West teams, the last two months of the season are going to be very fun. These three teams all are serious World Series contenders, but because they are in the same division two of them are going to be stuck in a wild card game.
The legendary Cubs 2016 World Series team has been dismantled as the Cubs enter rebuilding mode. Biaz, Rizzo, and Byant were all traded away on the final day of the deadline. The Cubs have not been a serious threat in their division all season, and after this move I expect them to keep falling in the standings.
The legend of Joey Votto continues. Although he fell a few inches short of tying the MLB record of 8 straight games with home runs, what he accomplished was something crazy. Votto hit 9 home runs in 7 games, a Red’s franchise record. The Reds blew a big chance to move up in the leaderboard in their first two series after the All Star break, but since then have been playing well. 19 of their 20 next opponents are against teams below .500, so this stretch will be crucial. The Reds are in a tough spot because the Brewers are looking very hard to catch and the NL West is hogging all the wildcard spots. The Reds best hope is that they continue to win and the Padres fall off (which seems unlikely after their Frazier acquisition).
The Brewers, a World Series sleeper, already have a deep bullpen, so they added Eduardo Escobar to inject some power into the lineup. Escobar can switch hit and play a few different infield positions. This addition makes the Brewers even stronger.
The Yankees, who had been struggling and are currently in third in the AL East, made a few big moves. Their first trade obtained Rangers left fielder Joey Gallo and pitcher Joely Rodriguez, for four prospects. The Yankees worked the trade so they do not have to pay any of Gallo’s salary for this season. Red Sox fans were hoping they could get first baseman Anthony Rizzo from the Cubs, but the Yankees got him before their rivals could. With the addition of Rizzo and Gallo, the Yankees should realistically be able to make a push for a wildcard, considering they already had a stacked roster before the trades.
This MLB season has been very fun, from the early no hitters, to the pitching crackdown, and now the crazy trade deadline, but it is far from over. Teams will be beginning to play with desperation to make that last playoff push. Expect a fun end of summer from the MLB.
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