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Happy trade deadline day!
As each deal goes down, we"ll give you our report card -- then ask you to vote on which team hit the jackpot and which team got the short (or at least shorter) end of the stick.
David Schoenfield has graded a few of the major deals that have already happened, and he"ll be adding to his report card as more trades occur. Below each one, there"s a poll for you to weigh in. So cast your ballots!
Schoenfield"s grades:
If Hill"s health were more of a sure thing, I"d like this better from the Dodgers" perspective, but he"s made just three starts since the end of May and in one of those left during the first batter with blister problems, which still persist. Both players are also free agents, so there"s no long-term value here, and while Reddick is a nice player and a plus defender, he"s only a minor upgrade over Yasiel Puig or Howie Kendrick.
Hill"s value wasn"t it was two months ago, but the A"s still did well here, plucking some big arms from the deep reserve of Dodgers prospects. Grant Holmes was a first-round pick in 2014 and has performed well in the California League, a difficult league to pitch in. Jharel Cotton has a 4.90 ERA at Triple-A, but note the K total: 119 in 97.1 innings. Frankie Montas, who came over the from the White Sox in the offseason, can hit 100 mph, although he may ultimately end up as a reliever and is currently on the DL with a rib injury.
Schoenfield"s grades:
After two down years, Bruce has had a renaissance this year, going more to the opposite field and leading the National League in RBIs. The Mets are 13th in the NL in runs scored, so they certainly need offense, but Bruce is an imperfect fit. His defensive metrics are among the worst in the game for outfielders, so Curtis Granderson, who has been below average in right field, will have to slide over to center, assuming Yoenis Cespedes has to remain in left field because of his sore quad. Bruce does help hedge against the departure of Cespedes after this season, but again, with him, Granderson and Michael Conforto, you still lack a true center fielder.
Brandon Nimmo isn"t sexy, but you need to balance sure things with boom-or-bust prospects as well. Nimmo projects as a big league regular with a solid OBP (.385 career in the minors), something the Reds have sorely lacked outside of Joey Votto. That"s a good return for a player who has been worth just 0.3 WAR over the past three seasons (and just 0.7 in 2016).
Schoenfield"s grades:
Yes, the Indians gave up two high-upside prospects in outfielder Clint Frazier and left-hander Justus Sheffield (plus two others with relief potential), but they"ve added one of the game"s top three relievers to the best starting rotation in the American League and a lineup that is a surprising third in runs scored. The best team in the league got better, and the Indians are more likely to win the World Series with Miller. As a bonus, with two additional years on his contract, they can always flip him in the offseason if desired.
It"s a good haul, though I"m not as high on Frazier as some others. As Keith Law wrote in his midseason top 50, he still hits the ball on the ground too much, and while he"s cut down on his strikeouts, he still whiffs a lot (92 times in 94 games in the minors). He"s always probably limited to left field. If Ben Heller and J.P. Feyereisen develop as relievers, however, that helps the Yankees" haul look better.
Schoenfield"s grades:
This is really all about the postseason, as the Cubs were going to win the division with or without Chapman. Still, I love the desire to go for it and adding a needed bullpen weapon. In a sense, it"s sort of an incomplete grade until we see what happens in October.
Maybe Gleyber Torres doesn"t amount to anything, but it"s the potential that he does that makes this a clear win for the Yankees. Considering they originally acquired Chapman for four C-level prospects and turned him into a top-30 prospect, plus Adam Warren and two other minor leaguers, is a huge win for GM Brian Cashman.
Schoenfield"s grades:
Even with his big power production, Kemp has been worth just 0.2 wins above replacement this year. That"s how badly the other aspects of his game have deteriorated. Still, the Braves managed to dump Hector Olivera (who was suspended under MLB"s domestic violence policy), and the difference between Kemp"s salary and what they would have paid Olivera will only cost them about $8.5 million per season.
This was simply about dumping Kemp"s contract, and the Padres did that, as Olivera was immediately designated for assignment. So they save money, trade a player who didn"t provide much value anyway and clear room for Manuel Margot or Hunter Renfroe to get playing time down the stretch.
Schoenfield"s grades:
With Jonathan Papelbon struggling, I get the desire to add a proven closer, and Melancon is maybe the most underrated one in the game with a lower ERA than Chapman over the past four seasons. He relies more on soft contact than strikeouts, but he"s very good and, comparatively speaking, the Nationals paid a lot less than what the Cubs paid for Chapman.
It made sense to flip Melancon, as he"s a free agent and the Pirates weren"t going to give him a qualifying offer. The playoffs were going to be a long shot anyway, and they get Felipe Rivero, a power lefty who will be in their bullpen for the next several years -- until he, in turn, gets flipped. This is what you have to do if you"re the Pirates.
Schoenfield"s grades:
Meh. Miami needed rotation depth, but Cashner and Rea have been barely replacement-level this year. Rea then went out and hurt his elbow in his first start (which is bad luck), landing on the DL.
It"s hard not to like the chance the Padres took here. First baseman Josh Naylor, the Marlins" first-round pick in 2015, has power potential with a good hit tool, and pitcher Luis Castillo, while a little old for the Florida State League, has an 80 fastball and throws strikes (15 walks in 100 innings). If Carter Capps bounces back next year from his Tommy John surgery, they"ve added a shutdown reliever as well. Nothing guaranteed here, but I love the upside play.
Schoenfield"s grades:
I believe Pomeranz has turned the corner with the addition of a cutter this spring that makes him tough on right-handed batters, but there"s also the chance he just pitched the best three months of his career. He"s been shaky so far in his first three outings with the Red Sox.
Anderson Espinoza has a huge arm as one of the top pitching prospects in the minors. He"s also 18 years old and a lot can go wrong between Class A and the majors. Still, it"s an obvious worthwhile upside play for GM A.J. Preller.
Source: http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/page/tradedeadline_tradegrades/mlb-trade-deadline-2016-help-us-grade-trades
