August 1, 2011

What You Missed

Index to Complete Trade Deadline Coverage

by Stephani Bee

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The trade deadline has passed, but BP went into overdrive to provide you with up-to-date analysis of each team's moves. In case you were out of town or not glued to the site this weekend (in which case, shame on you), or haven't caught up on trades from last week, here are links to each trade write-up.  Subscribers can also see updated Depth Charts and PECOTA projections for all traded players.

Wednesday

• Kenny Williams never seems to have a quiet deadline, and this year was no different. He traded starter Edwin Jackson and Mark Teahen to Toronto for Jason Frasor and Zach Stewart... which may not have been a great idea, because it was later rumoured that Williams was concerned about the White Sox' pitching depth. Right on the heels of his deal with the Pale Hose, Alex Anthopoulos decided to intervene in the Tony La Russa-Colby Rasmus affair by snatching away the young outfielder (and, with him, his father), Brian Tallet, Trever Miller, and P.J. Walters in exchange for Jackson, Octavio Dotel, Scrabble, Corey Patterson, and either three players to be named later or a stack o' cash. R.J. Anderson and Ben Lindbergh have the trade triangle covered. 

Thursday

• With an offense that could almost make the Mariners blush, the Giants decided to upgrade their crowded outfield and snagged Carlos Beltran from the Mets for pitching prospect Zack Wheeler. Kevin has your prospect take, while Ben discusses Beltran's potential impact. 
• Though their big splash wouldn't become official until Sunday, and with Beltran off the market, the Indians sought outfield help from Chicago and dealt Abner Abreu and Carlton Smith to the Cubs for Kosuke Fukudome. R.J. and Kevin have the write-up. 

Friday

• Major-league outfields continued to turn two days before the deadline, and with Houston already in the NL Central cellar, they became sellers, dealing Hunter Pence and some tuppence to Philadelphia for Jonathan Singleton, Jarred Cosart, Josh Zeid, and a player to be named later. Kevin and R.J. take you through how an already-imposing Phillies team became even mightier.   

Saturday

• Afraid of letting Neftali Feliz loose without a nine-run lead (or perhaps just afraid of the rest of their bullpen), the Rangers called up Baltimore and added O's closer Koji Uehara to their mix for a couple of expendables, Chris Davis and Tommy Hunter. Jason Parks and Kevin didn't make a podcast, but they did write about the implications of the deal. 
• Armed with an offense as great as their manure giveaway and a record to match, the Mariners officially became sellers by dealing starter Doug Fister and David Pauley to Motown. The Tigers, in the midst of a playoff push, flipped Charlie Furbush, Casper Wells, Francisco Martinez, and a player to be named later to the Emerald City. Jason and R.J. dig through this trade. 
• Though the Red Sox' rotation is crumbling, they upgraded their infield by acquiring utilityman Mike Aviles from the Royals for Yamaico Navarro and Kendal Volz. Kevin brings you both sides of the story. 
• In a surprising twist, the Diamondbacks were buyers at the deadline. Arizona made its first move to bolster its rotation by acquiring Jason Marquis from the Nationals for infielder Zachary Walters. R.J. and Kevin are on the analysis. 
• First baseman Derrek Lee didn't give much production to the Orioles this season, but then again, Pirates first basemen were providing zero production as well. In an exchange of young for old, the Pirates took on the veteran Lee for fringy first-base prospect Aaron Baker. Ben and Kevin keep you in the know on this swap. 
• San Francisco acquired its angel in the outfield in the Beltran deal, but with Freddy Sanchez seemingly done for the season, they traded for a replacement, nabbing Cleveland's resident statue, Orlando Cabrera, for outfielder Thomas Neal. Ben and Kevin are on the beat. 
• Coping with an injury to outfielder Nyjer Morgan, Milwaukee set their sights on a player to add some new hops to their old brew, bringing in Jerry Hairston Jr. from the Nationals for outfielder Erik Komatsu. Kevin and R.J. provide the take on the latest trade between Mike Rizzo and Doug Melvin. 
• Normally you get a Transaction Analysis when a deal breaks. That seemed to be the case in the late hours of Saturday, when the Red Sox and Athletics were said to have agreed to an exchange: The A's would send Rich Harden to Boston for Lars Anderson and a player to be named later. However, the Red Sox were apparently blown away by Harden's medicals, and the deal fell through. Now the Harden-knock life will continue in Oakland, but Kevin and Ben let you know what could have been. 

Sunday

• It looks like the Boss is back in town, as Atlanta is the latest stop on the Bourn to Run tour. Frank Wren stole Michael Bourn from the Astros on deadline day, shipping busted prospect Jordan Schafer, Brett Oberholtzer, Paul Clemens, and Juan Abreu to Ed Wade while yelling, "No trade-backsies!" R.J. and Kevin examine Atlanta's counter to Philadelphia's Pence acquistion. 
• The second major deal of the day could have ramifications as tall as the Rockies; Colorado dealt its ace, Ubaldo Jimenez, to Cleveland for a package of prospects that includes Joe Gardner, Matt McBride, Alex White and, presumably, top prospect Drew Pomeranz. Kevin and Ben show that the Indians grabbed a chief for their rotation instead of dealing one away, and the Rockies received an infusion of young talent.
• Not many people expected the Indians to be buyers or contenders by the trade deadline, but there were probably even fewer people who thought the Pirates would sniff a playoff opportunity. However, Pittsburgh was on the hunt for upgrades on deadline day, and it snagged outfielder Ryan Ludwick from the Friars for a player to be named later or a wad of cash. Steven Goldman joined the trade party to break down the deal. 
• A day after punting a deal for trainer-room veteran Rich Harden, the Red Sox decided to add another injury-prone player to their rotation by acquiring Erik Bedard and Josh Fields from the Mariners in a three-way trade with the Dodgers. The Sox sent Chih-Hsien Chiang to Seattle, and Tim Federowicz, Stephen Fife, and Juan Rodriguez to the Dodgers, while LA dealt Trayvon Robinson to Seattle. Got it? If not, no worries. Colin Wyers and Kevin are around to help you sort out the mess. 
• One elite reliever wasn't good enough for Texas; a day after shagging Uehara, the Rangers plucked Mike Adams out of San Diego for Robbie Erlin and Joe Wieland. R.J. and Jason discuss Texas' revamped bullpen and the newly-acquired Friars. 
• Before making the head-scratcher of a three-way trade, the Dodgers slung their fragile shortstop, Rafael Furcal, to the Cardinals, where he will add to the Red Birds' mediocre middle-infield depth chart. Los Angeles received outfielder Alex Castellanos in the exchange. R.J. and Kevin try to avoid breaking their fingers as they write up this swap.
• After missing out on Lars Anderson on Saturday, the Athletics got themselves a real first baseman on Sunday, taking Brandon Allen and Jordan Norberto off the Diamondbacks' hands for reliever Brad Ziegler. As Kevin and Ben say, the move clears up Arizona's first-base situation and gives Kevin Towers another arm to continue to spin into gold. 

Stephani Bee is an author of Baseball Prospectus. 
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