Now that the trade deadline has passed it is time to evaluate the notable good and not so good for notable MLB teams. Some notable trades involve the Houston Astros, Texas Rangers, and the Los Angeles Angels, while other teams like the Detroit Tigers and the St. Louis Cardinals seem to have struggled.
Justin Verlander Back to Houston
Not even a year after playing for the Astros, the three-time Cy Young winner is back with the team he won the 2022 World Series with. The New York Mets traded Verlander to Houston the day the trade deadline ended on Tuesday. The Mets in turn will receive the Astros best prospect in outfielder Drew Gilbert as well as minor leaguer Ryan Clifford. The Mets are struggling through the season with a 50-56 record at the trade deadline, which leaves questions about their starting rotation for the remainder of the season.
Max Scherzer to Texas
Max Scherzer left the Mets to go to the Texas Rangers shortly before Verlander was traded to the Astros. Scherzer waived his no trade clause to be dealt to Texas. This is an overall positive for the Rangers. Although the 39-year-old Scherzer is not what he used to be in his prime, Texas is getting a pretty much guaranteed hall-of-famer. Scherzer has had an unusual season, not performing up to his usual standards. Through 107⅔ innings pitched in 19 starts, Scherzer has recorded an ERA of 4.01. The Rangers may not be getting the powerhouse he once was with the Washington Nationals, but they are certainly getting a useful asset to their pitching staff. Even though Scherzer may not be in his prime, he is still certainly an above average starter.
Angels Pick Up Two Veterans
The Los Angeles Angels picked up two veterans at the deadline from the Colorado Rockies. First baseman C.J. Cron and outfielder Randal Grichuk are headed to the Angels in exchange for the two minor league pitchers Mason Albright and Jake Madden. The Angels have two notable stars in Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. Adding depth to the roster with Cron and Grichuk is just what the Angels needed in trying to get the most out of their organization.
Tigers and Cards Fall Short
The Detroit Tigers were not very active during the trade deadline. Starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen was sent to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for 20-year-old minor league infielder Hao-Yu Lee. The Phillies already have a pretty established rotation, so adding Lorenzen does not seem to add much. An upside is that the Tigers get to keep Eduardo Rodriguez after the Tigers and the Dodgers had a deal in place. Rodoriguez enacted his no trade clause and will stay in Detroit with his 2.96 ERA in 16 starts. He is a much needed arm in Detroit's rotation, but it would have been nice to see Detroit trying to add more talent to its roster.
St. Louis were sellers at the trade deadline, letting go of Paul Dejong and Jack Flaherty. St. Louis received three minor leaguers in Zack Showalter, César Prieto and Drew Rom from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for Flaherty. With the Cardinals on track to their first losing season since 2007, they did not receive the help they needed by the end of the trade deadline. They needed to improve their pitching staff and add more depth to their roster, preferably with established big leaguers. But there is still hope with the minor league prospects they acquired.
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