We’re only three weeks removed from the MLB trade deadline, even if it feels like a lifetime ago. Since then, some midseason reinforcements have shined, others have scuffled, and some have already switched teams again. There are teams ruing inaction, while others are cursing their over-aggression.
Here’s how some contenders’ deadline moves have played out so far.
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The Yankees’ bullpen additions have struggled
Everything in Yankee World is, always and forever, under a microscope. And New York’s relievers, given the fragile nature of their jobs, are often the most susceptible to criticism. Their struggles are catastrophes, their successes are overlooked; everything is insufficient in the shadow of Mariano Rivera, the greatest closer of all time.
Clay Holmes, the Yankees closer, has borne the brunt of public fervor this season. The sinkerballer has a 2.88 ERA in 51 games, but his 10 blown saves are the most in baseball. Holmes endured a particularly rough stretch ahead of the trade deadline, which only increased speculation about what GM Brian Cashman would do to fortify his ‘pen.
In the end, the Yankees added two relievers: Mark Leiter Jr. from the Cubs and Enyel De Los Santos from the Padres. Leiter, a 33-year-old, Jersey-raised, sinker-splitter guy with more grit than a construction site, has a 5.79 ERA in 9 1/3 innings. De Los Santos, a hard-throwing, homer-prone, Dominican righty built like a defensive end, surrendered 10 runs in 6 1/3 innings and was designated for assignment just a fortnight into his Yankees tenure.
Leiter’s under-the-hood numbers, both before and after the trade, imply a turnaround. The stocky right looked sharp Tuesday in a scoreless, two-strikeout frame against Cleveland. His ERA is inflated by one particularly horrid outing against the Rangers. There’s still reason to believe he can perform as a high-leverage option in pinstripes come October.
Pitching coach Matt Blake has a reputation and a track record of turning retreads into impact relievers. The two Yankees relievers with the most innings, Luke Weaver and Michael Tonkin, were acquired off waivers after being designated for assignment by other clubs. Tim Hill (2.57 ERA in 28 Yankee innings) was signed on June 18 after the historically terrible Chicago White Sox straight-up released him. He tossed two more scoreless frames Tuesday.
But multiple things can be true. Leiter could reemerge as a key piece. The buy-low veterans could compile outs in October. Holmes could rediscover his form (he tossed a scoreless ninth on Tuesday). All that could happen, but the Yankees also probably could have used one more reliever in their stable — a dynamic made only more evident by how the Leiter and De Los Santos moves have played out thus far.
The Padres’ pitching reinforcements have shined
San Diego took a much different approach to the trade deadline, as general manager AJ Preller made moves to turn his bullpen into one of the most formidable units in the sport. Over the span of a few days, the Padres added a pair of shutdown, late-inning options by acquiring Jason Adam from Tampa Bay and Tanner Scott from Miami. They also added Bryan Hoeing from the Marlins in the Scott deal and brought in former Pirates southpaw Martín Pérez as rotation depth.
Thus far, all four of those moves have been unconditional successes. Adam hasn’t allowed a run in nine Padres appearances. Scott and Hoeing have both been excellent. Pérez has a 1.96 ERA in three starts. San Diego traded Juan Soto over the winter, in part, because the team lacked the pitching depth necessary to make a playoff run. It’s early, but the Padres’ deadline moves appear to have further reinforced that area of the roster.
Cleveland hasn’t gotten the offensive punch it needs from Lane Thomas
The Guardians were aggressive at the deadline, dealing away a pair of prospects for former Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas. But since arriving in Cleveland, Thomas has morphed into a punchless pumpkin. The soon-to-be 29-year-old outfielder is 6-for-53 since the trade, with just two doubles and zero home runs.
Dating back to the deadline, Cleveland center fielders are hitting a combined .122/.208/.178, by far the worst mark in baseball. Although they remain atop the AL Central by 3.5 games entering play Wednesday, the Guardians’ offense has struggled mightily for months. Perhaps the team will call up one of its well-regarded, upper-minors hitting prospects, such as Chase DeLauter or George Valera, to provide a jump-start. The club thought Thomas would provide that boost; so far, that hasn’t happened.
The Orioles didn’t get enough pitching help
Hindsight is not just 20/20; it’s also undefeated.
Had Baltimore known that both Grayson Rodriguez and deadline-add Zach Eflin would land on the IL before the end of August due to shoulder problems, GM Mike Elias surely would have added another starter. But even at the pencils-down deadline buzzer, many around the game thought the Orioles’ pitching reinforcements were insufficient.
Left-hander Trevor Rogers, for whom the O’s surrendered a pair of hitting prospects, has been woeful across his first four starts in black and orange. Baltimore surely acquired the 26-year-old former first-round pick in part because they expected he could start Game 4 of a playoff series, but that looks doubtful now. His two years of control remaining after 2024 are part of his value, but the rash of O’s pitching injuries has pushed Rogers into a role he’s not currently suited for.
Whether Baltimore gets Eflin and Rodriguez back healthy in time for the postseason might just be the thing that tips their season one way or the other.
