"The Stack" 8-1-17
The Stack is back on this Tuesday and we do not have much of anything to talk about other than the MLB trading deadline that ended at 4 PM ET yesterday. Let’s get to the big moves and some reaction in “the stack” for today, Tuesday, August 1st:
Big trades made ahead of MLB trade deadline
In one of the more active trade deadlines in recent memory, Monday’s deals saw the best teams in baseball get better and position themselves for a significant playoff run while other teams such as the Toronto Blue Jays and Minnesota Twins appear to be throwing in the towel for the season. The notable trades from Monday include:
· The New York Yankees traded for Oakland Athletics pitcher Sonny Gray sending prospects shortstop/outfielder Jorge Mateo, outfielder Dustin Fowler and pitcher James Kaprielian.
· The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired Texas Rangers ace pitcher Yu Darvish for three minor leaguers including second baseman Willie Calhoun, right handed pitcher A.J. Alexy and shortstop Brendon Davis.
· The Boston Red Sox bolstered their bullpen trading for New York Mets bullpen right hand man Addison Reed. They also acquired shortstop Eduardo Nunez from the San Francisco Giants last week.
· The Washington Nationals acquired closer Brandon Kintzler from the Minnesota Twins for left handed pitching prospect Tyler Watson.
· The Houston Astros traded outfielder Nori Aoki and minor league outfielder Teoscar Hernandez to the Toronto Blue Jays for pitcher Francisco Liriano.
There were a few other deals here and there like Pittsburgh adding a pitcher from Philadelphia and Baltimore adding a couple of pieces and Kansas City adding Melky Cabrerra, but these were the major ones. The Yankees were linked to Gray throughout the entire trade deadline and they landed a guy who at worst I feel like is the second best pitcher in their starting rotation. Between him and adding the bullpen pieces that they did, the Yankees have positioned themselves for a significant run in October and I think they can hold off the Boston Red Sox who while they addressed some needs with the bullpen, didn’t really do much else. GM Dave Dombrowski can say what he wants to about the Yankees being the Golden State Warriors, but he sounds like a fool and should just shut up.
The Dodgers didn’t have a huge need for a starting pitcher, but adding Darvish while Clayton Kershaw is out helps to stabilize the situation. The Dodgers are the clear frontrunners at this point to win the World Series and adding Darvish is simply adding another weapon to the arsenal. They will hopefully face the Nationals in the NLCS. The Nationals did exactly what they had to do in bolstering their bullpen. Multiple trades and adding Kintzler at the very last possible moment last night gives Dusty Baker a lot of options. At the end of the day, it was the Dodgers, Yankees and Nationals that won the trade deadline. The Chicago White Sox have positioned themselves to be good a few years down the line with the prospects they have gotten in a few of their trades. It was an entertaining and very intriguing trade deadline for Major League Baseball.
Before we go, Paris is hosting the 2024 Olympics and Los Angeles will host the 2028 Olympics. That is the expected announcement to come from the IOC. I look forward to seeing the Summer Olympics return back to the states. In case you forgot, the 2018 Winter Olympics are coming this February. Not here to the states, but just meaning they have arrived. They are in South Korea this year. Can’t wait!
Coming up later this week: Reaction to top stories and headlines in the sports world
