Trade Deadline Part 2

Here's the 2nd part of the trade deadline moves. It includes everything upto the deadline. Waiver deals will be covered next time.

The Pirates trade Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte to the Yankees for Jose Tabata, Ross Ohlendorf, Dan McCutchen, and Jeff Karstens - Many have said this trade was a bad deal for the Pirates, but I kind of like it. Nady was having a career year and Marte is one of the best lefty relievers available, but Pittsburgh picked up a potential impact bat and depth to their weak system. The main key for this deal is if Tabata's power comes back - he suffered a wrist injury last season and his power took a major hit. Karsten is already paying dividends in the Pirates rotation (2 great starts) and hope Ohlendorf will soon. McCutchen will be a nice bullpen piece in the future.
Advantage - Yankees, until we see how Tabata develops.

The Cardinals trade Anthony Reyes to the Indians for Luis Perdomo - The Cardinals (and their philosophy of pitching to contract and using a sinkerball) have ruined Anthony Reyes. He's a power pitcher that didn't fit their system. Instead of letting him pitch his game or trading him earlier in his career, they essentially made him worthless. The Indians have a potential 3 starter if Reyes rebounds in his new organization. Perdomo is a live arm with command problems; he's also a little old for splitting time between Hi A and Double A.
Advantage - Indians.

The Indians trade Casey Blake to the Dodgers for Jon Meloan and Carlos Santana - Blake, a free agent at the end of the season, was a dump to a contender that needed help at third. He'll be the starter now for the Dodgers, after losing faith in Blake DeWitt and Andy LaRoche. Blake should see similar production, if not slightly better, in the Dodgers lineup. Meloan was a dominant reliever, but has struggled this year; he was moved to the rotation because he has 5 solid pitchs. Santana is a well rounded catcher - he can hit well and is a good defensive catcher; he is currently in the top 10 of RBIs, runs, doubles, walks, and OBP in all the minors.
Advantage - Neither.

The Braves trade Mark Teixeira to the Angels for Casey Kotchman and Stephen Marek - The Braves got no where near the return on Teixeira that they gave up, but this isn't a bad package. I expect Teixeira to see a small increase in numbers for the rest of the season, from moving from a pitcher park to a more neutral park. Kotchman is the first baseman that has been lacking in Atlanta for a while (besides Tex, since he was only there for a year). Marek is an intriguing relief prospects, which should fit in well in the Braves organization.
Advantage - Angels.

The Tigers trade Ivan Rodriguez to the Yankees for Kyle Farnsworth - I was a little shocked by this deal; I know Detroit was planning no Inge taking over as catcher after the season, but I didn't expect them to move Rodriguez now. He's instantly an upgrade for the Yankees, since Posada is done for the season. Fransworth has had success with the Tigers in the past and they need the help in the bullpen.
Advantage - Yankees.

The Mariners trade Arthur Rhodes to the Marlins for Gaby Hernandez - The Mariners got a B-level prospect for a scrap-heap project - not a bad return for a non-roster invitee. Marlins needed a solid lefty and were happy with a Rhodes rental.
Advantage - Mariners.

The Reds trade Ken Griffey Jr to the White Sox for Nick Masset and Danny Richar - Another shocking deal, as the White Sox have a full outfield. They plan on using Griffey in center, which he hasn't played in a couple of seasons (and he hasn't had a healthy season in quite some time while playing center). This pushes Nick Swisher to first and Paul Konerko to the bench. Masset is a league average reliever and Richar is a 4A player - what you'd expect from a salary dump.
Advantage - Neither.

The Yankees trade Alberto Gonzalez to the Nationals for Jhonny Nunez - Why I included this, I don't know. Gonzalez is a bench player. I know almost nothing on Nunez. Neither will make an impact in the Majors.
Advantage - Neither.

The Red Sox aqcuire Jason Bay, the Dodgers acquired Manny Ramirez and cash, and the Pirate acquired Andy LaRoche, Bryan Morris, Brandon Moss, and Craig Hansen - This was the big deal that everyone was expecting, just not like this. Manny's name emerged as a trade candidate right before the deadline. That morning, it was almost certain that he would be a Marlin; after the Marlins balked at including a couple of top prospects, the deal was dead and Bay was headed to Tampa. The Red Sox quickly approached the Dodgers and the deal was done. Boston takes the biggest hit on this, losing one of their most productive players (it also helps the Rays and Yankees), 2 young players, and cash. While Bay is nice, he won't make up for what Manny brought to the lineup. The Dodgers are seeing the upgrade instantly, as Manny is killing the ball right now. He also adds to the log-jam in the outfield. The Pirates pick up a solid third baseman in LaRoche, who is re-united with his brother. I think they'll convert him to the outfield because Neil Walker is almost ready. Hansen has the opportunity to be the Pirates closer; he was drafted as the closer of the future for Boston, but hasn't lived up to billing. Moss is instantly in the outfield and should replace Xavier Nady pretty well. Morris will be in the minors for a while, but had a live arm and adds even more depth.
Advantage - Dodgers, followed by the Pirates.

Now we are at the Waiver Trade Period - a team can still trade players but they have to either clear waivers or be traded to the team that puts a claim on them. This period allows a team to put their whole roster on waivers and not fear losing them; they can pull a player off waivers if a deal can't be worked out or they don't want to move the player. The waiver order is determined by record and league; an AL player on waivers can first be selected by the worst AL team through the best, then the worst NL team though the best. Click here for a better explanation.

Here a few players that have already cleared waivers:
Paul Byrd (Cleveland Indians) - He's a free agent after the season.
Greg Maddux (San Diego Padres) - Also a free agent, Maddux has a no trade clause and has stated he will waive it to say on the West Coast. The Dodgers are a possibility if the Padres eat some of his contract.
Duaner Sanchez (New York Mets) - Velocity is down after some injuries. Signed for 2009.
Scott Schoeneweis (New York Mets) - Pitching well, but owed $3.6MM next year.

Brian Giles was claimed by the Red Sox, but they are part of his limited no trade clause. It's speculated that they claimed him so the Rays or Angels couldn't deal for him.