- David Price from the Tigers to the Toronto Blue Jays for prospects.
The Troy Tulowitzki pickup was nice, but this was the move Toronto NEEDED to make. The Jays already owned the best offense in baseball, but they lacked an ace, a true number one that can start game one of the playoffs. They got their man in David Price. Price is a perennial top-10 pitcher and comes to the Jays with loads of playoff experience. The Jays had to give up their top prospect in Daniel Norris, and yes, prospects are cool, but championship parades are cooler. Toronto has the longest postseason drought at 22 years. This may be the trade that puts Blue Jays over the top and into the playoffs for the first time since 1993.
- Yoenis Cespedes from the Tigers to the Mets for prospects.
Heading into the trade deadline it was no secret that Mets absolutely needed a bat. The Mets have the worst offense in baseball, as they rank dead last in runs scored. Although even with the worst offense in baseball, the Mets are somehow just one game out of first place, and much of that can be credited to their top-notch pitching staff. One would think that by adding just a little bit of offense the Mets can easily catch and overtake the Washington Nationals for first place in the NL East. Yoenis Cespedes should provide that little bit of offense the Mets have desperately needed. Cespedes was having a great year with the Detroit Tigers. He was hitting .293 with 18 homers and 61 RBIs. The Mets could be a scary team if they make it to October because one through four in their pitching staff is as good, if not better than everyone else.
- Johnny Cueto from the Reds to the Royals for prospects.
The Royals need for an ace was not as pressing as the Blue Jays’ because the Royals own the best record in the American League, but they did need a starter, and they got their man in Johnny Cueto. Cueto has been one of the most dominant pitchers over the four seasons. Over that stretch he has compiled 51 wins, and if it wasn't for Clayton Kershaw, Cueto would have run away with the NL Cy Young in 2014. The Royals’ starting rotation is at the bottom of the league in innings pitch, so Cueto will certainly give them a boost in that area. He will also give KC a guy who can start game one of the playoffs. The Royals’ window to a win a championship could be closing sooner rather than later, so this was a move they needed to make. We saw what kind of run they went on last October, and they can definitely do that again.
- Scott Kazmir from the A’s to Astros for prospects.
This pickup could end up being the best pickup of the season because the Astros are getting a very quality pitcher for a pretty reasonable price. They had to give up only two prospects for him, but they were the top prospects. Kazmir is second in all of baseball in terms of ERA. He gives the ‘Stros a bit more depth in their starting rotation, and they now have a very formidable 1-2-3 of Dallas Kuechel, Kazmir and Lance McCullers. With the moves the Astros have made, they have shown that they are going for their first postseason birth since 2005.
- Cole Hamels from the Phillies to the Rangers for prospects
Both teams came out as winners here. The Rangers got a proven reliable ace in Cole Hamels, and the Phillies got a plethora of prospects to help get their rebuilding process going. The Rangers will probably not grab a playoff spot this year, but next year they will have a pretty good rotation with Hamels and Yu Darvish and Derek Holland coming back from injury.
Follow Bobby on Twitter @RENorell_III
