Trade Tracker: Deals near the deadline
Yahoo! Sports tracked each deal leading into Friday's nonwaiver trade deadline and assessed its impact on the teams involved, from the White Sox finally snaring Jake Peavy(notes) to the Phillies acquiring Cy Young award winner Cliff Lee(notes) to the Cardinals getting slugger Matt Holliday(notes) to the Pirates unloading nearly every veteran and stockpiling as many young pitchers as possible.
The original Yahoo! Sports articles that reported the trades can be found by clicking "More" at the end of many of the analyses.
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ANALYSIS: The Padres and White Sox revisited the deal they couldn't get done in May because Peavy wouldn't approve it. This time he did, and the veteran right-hander will anchor the White Sox's rotation as soon as he recovers from an ankle injury – probably in late August. The Padres got the haul of young pitching they've sought since putting Peavy on the market last offseason. More 7/31/09
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ANALYSIS: Martinez, who should feast on hitting at Fenway, will play first base if third baseman Mike Lowell(notes) is unsuccessful coming back from injury. Kevin Youkilis(notes) would move to third in that scenario. If Lowell is healthy, Martinez could spell Jason Varitek(notes) at catcher and perhaps be the designated hitter against some left-handed pitchers. For the Indians, Masterson could be converted to a starter or become a much-needed bullpen linchpin. Hagadone, a sturdy left-hander from Washington who was a first-round sandwich pick in 2008, is pitching well in Double-A. More 7/31/09
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NOTES: Beimel seemed a likely candidate to be dealt because he was due to become a free agent and was an affordable bullpen option for contending teams. Mattheus, 25, is a promising right-hander, but he just underwent "Tommy John" surgery on his right elbow three weeks ago and will be out until late 2010. Fabian is a Class A pitcher who only recently was converted from a position player. More 7/31/09
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ANALYSIS: The Nationals have been trying to trade Johnson for months and finally got it done minutes before the deadline. Thompson, a first-round pick in 2005, is a left-handed starter in Double-A who has steadily progressed through the farm system with moderate success. More 7/31/09
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ANALYSIS: The Yankees bolstered their bench with the versatile Hairston and gave up Weems, a Class-A catcher who was a sixth-round pick in the 2007 draft. More 7/31/09
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ANALYSIS: The Reds got an immediate, if expensive, upgrade at third base by acquiring Rolen, who is having an excellent season but is prone to back problems. He is owed $11 million next season. Encarnacion, also a third baseman, is sometimes brilliant and just as often error-prone in the field and lacking discipline at the plate. The Blue Jays also picked up Roenicke, a rookie reliever from UCLA, and Stewart, a promising starter who has ascended from Class-A to Triple-A this season. More 7/31/09
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ANALYSIS: LaRoche was expendable after the Red Sox acquired Victor Martinez, so why did they trade him for another left-handed hitting first baseman? The Braves hope LaRoche, a notoriously hot second-half hitter who played in Atlanta from 2004 to 2006, provides power down the stretch. Kotchman is a serviceable hitter and exceptional defender who didn't make an error as a Brave after being acquired from the Angels for Mark Teixeira(notes) at the deadline a year ago. More 7/31/09
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ANALYSIS: Nobody seemed to want Cabrera during the offseason, and Oakland signed him for a song. Now the A's used him to acquire Ladendorf, a shortstop and second-round pick in 2008 because the Twins are desperate at the position. Minnesota rues the day it traded shortstop Jason Bartlett(notes) and pitcher Matt Garza(notes) to the Rays for outfielder Delmon Young(notes). More 7/31/09
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ANALYSIS: Vargas was the last man in the Dodgers bullpen and there's no room for him with George Sherrill(notes) come aboard. The Brewers know Vargas well and he's come back strong from a lengthy injury. Rottino will go to Double-A and gives the Dodgers insurance in case Russell Martin(notes) or Brad Ausmus(notes) is injured. More 7/31/09
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ANALYSIS: The Mariners insisted Washburn would only be traded for a major haul because he'd been as effective as anybody in baseball recently. Instead, they got a younger version of Washburn in French, a 6-foot-4 left-handed rookie who has pitched well in a short stint with the Tigers. Robles is a 5-foot-10 left-hander from Venezuela who has pitched well at two levels of Class-A this season. Washburn will step into a Tigers rotation that could use back-end help in the quest for the AL Central title. More 7/31/09
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ANALYSIS: The acquisition of Sherrill to set up closer Jonathan Broxton(notes) adds a much-needed piece to a Dodgers bullpen that is taxed by starters who don't go deep into games. In return, the Orioles got two players who are playing well at Double-A. Bell, a third baseman, is a .300 hitter with decent power. Johnson, 21, was dominant in Class-A before being promoted two weeks ago to Double-A, where he won his first two starts. More 7/30/09
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ANALYSIS: The Pirates' extreme makeover continued with the dumping of effective left-handed reliever Grabow and the puzzling Gorzelanny, who won 14 games in 2007 but hasn't been effective since. Grabow is the key piece for the Cubs, who gave up a promising swingman in Hart, a struggling reliever in Ascanio and a speedy minor league second baseman in Harrison. 7/30/09
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ANALYSIS: The Pirates continued their inexorable quest to unload veterans and accumulate young pitching by dealing three-time All-Star Sanchez for Alderson, another talented minor league pitcher from the Giants stockpile. Alderson, a 20-year-old former first-round draft pick, has impeccable control and could be in the Pirates' rotation by 2011, although he has become increasingly hittable this season. Sanchez will play second base for the Giants and perhaps enable Juan Uribe(notes) to replace plodding Edgar Renteria(notes) at shortstop. More 7/29/09
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ANALYSIS: Lorin, Pribanic and Adcock are all Class-A starters with decent upside, and Lorin especially has had an excellent season. Clement and Cedeno will play in Pittsburgh immediately, but not at the level of the players they are replacing. Wilson was beloved in Pittsburgh for his acrobatic defense and infectious enthusiasm, but he also was overpaid and no longer in the plans of the penny-pinching Pirates. Snell is an enigma that perhaps the Mariners can unravel. More 7/29/09
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ANALYSIS: The Phillies demonstrated that they have one of the most fertile farm systems in baseball by assembling an enticing package for Lee that did not include their top three prospects. Now it's World Series repeat or bust. A year after dumping CC Sabathia(notes) at the deadline, the Indians are again a disappointment, deadline sellers and can only hope the minor leaguers they've been acquiring blossom soon. More 7/29/09
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ANALYSIS: On the surface it seems like a meaningless swap of reserve center fielders, but Kotsay was out of favor with the Red Sox and was looking at a release. Anderson had minor league options, so Boston was able to send him to Triple-A for now. The White Sox are pleased because Kotsay is a good pinch-hitter and versatile defensively. 7/29/09
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ANALYSIS: Garko is a moderate upgrade at first base for the Giants, who are desperate for power in their pursuit of a wild-card berth. Barnes has pitched extremely well in the lower minors since being drafted out of St. John's in 2008, but the Giants believed they have enough organizational depth among starting pitchers to deal him. 7/27/09
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ANALYSIS: Despite his struggles in Oakland, Holliday is a legitimate cleanup hitter who provides protection for Albert Pujols(notes) and lifts the Cardinals into World Series contention. However, the price was steep for what likely is a three-month rental because Wallace is a top-tier bat in the Moneyball mold. Mortensen could become a back-of-the-rotation fixture soon and Peterson projects as a reserve outfielder with decent speed and good plate discipline. More 7/24/09
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ANALYSIS: If someone would have suggested in 2007 when Betancourt posted a 1.47 ERA in 67 appearances that two years later he'd be traded for a Class-A pitcher, the Indians would have scoffed. But it's been nothing but struggles since, and the Indians only hope Graham, a hard-throwing 6-foot-7 right-hander, continues to develop at his current pace. 7/23/09
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ANALYSIS: The Red Sox paid a high tariff on the gamble that LaRoche will have another of his patented sizzling second halves. The Pirates were ecstatic to dump him, although neither Strickland (a 6-foot-5 passable Double-A starter) nor Diaz (a possible major league utility infielder) meant much to Boston. More 7/22/09
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ANALYSIS: The Red Sox found a taker for the expensive, expendable Lugo in the Cardinals, who have been desperate to find a second baseman since their curious decision to release Adam Kennedy(notes) during the offseason. Duncan, the son of Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan, has decent power but doesn't make enough contact to justify his hold-your-breath defense. 7/22/09
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ANALYSIS: Lopez filled a pressing need at second base and batting leadoff for the Brewers. Gillespie is progressing nicely and could make the Diamondbacks roster as a reserve outfielder next season. Mercedes is a ho-hum reliever from the Dominican Republic struggling in Double-A. 7/19/09
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ANALYSIS: Meredith has never replicated his nearly unhittable form of 2006, but trading a reasonably reliable middle reliever for a Salazar, a subpar utility player, was a curious move by the Padres. 7/19/09
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ANALYSIS: Hannahan is filling space at third base for the Mariners because Adrian Beltre(notes) is injured. Souza, 23, was pitching well in Double-A at the time of the trade but has struggled at the same level with the Athletics. 7/11/09
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ANALYSIS: A curious swap of underachieving right fielders, with both teams hoping a change of scenery works wonders. Church started strong this season but has been slowed by injuries and never seemed to fully gain the trust of Mets manager Jerry Manuel. Francoeur's production has dipped dramatically the last two seasons, primarily because of a lack of plate discipline. He hit 29 home runs in 2006 and batted .293 in 2007, but his OPS plunged to about .650 since then. 7/10/09
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ANALYSIS: The talented but erratic Betancourt exasperated the Mariners into giving up on him, and he'll play every day in Kansas City, at least until Mike Aviles(notes) returns from the DL next season. Cortes is a highly regarded, live-armed right-hander who has command issues. Saito, a Class-A left-hander from Hawaii, strikes out a ton of batters despite his 5-9, 150-pound frame. More 7/10/09
ANALYSIS: Once considered a closer-in-waiting, Pena has regressed somewhat and the Diamondbacks dealt him for Allen, a first baseman with power potential and poor plate discipline who was hitting well in Triple-A at the time of the deal. 7/7/09
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ANALYSIS: Hairston was the last vestige of lineup protection for Adrian Gonzalez(notes) in San Diego, but the Padres are unloading salary and shipped him to Oakland for Webb, a 6-foot-6 right-hander who has struggled so far in San Diego, and the hard-throwing Italiano, who has a 5.30 ERA in five seasons at Class-A or lower. 7/6/09
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ANALYSIS: Baker is a good-field, no-hit utility infielder the Cubs wanted in a backup role. Albuquerque, 23, is a middle reliever the Rockies promoted to Double-A upon acquiring. 7/2/09
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ANALYSIS: A swap of relief pitchers who once were prospects but have lost their luster. Abreu hasn't pitched well since the trade and Meloan – once a highly regarded Dodgers prospect out of Arizona – is with his third team in a year. 7/2/09
