The non-waiver Trade deadline came and went this past Friday. There were a lot of deals and no deals. Many teams had many needs, but were their questions really answered? Houston getting Scott Kazmir and Carlos Gomez, Toronto getting David Price and Tulo, or the the Mets getting Tyler Clippard and Yoenis Cespedes, all these teams got a quality hitter and pitcher. Other teams like Kansas City and Washington made upgrades at possible weaknesses, will it work out for everyone Only time will really tell. There are so many things that the trade deadline tells me.
The first big trade of the summer was Scott Kazmir going from the A's to the Astros. A few weeks later, the Astros got Carlos Gomez and Mike Fiers from the Milwaukee Brewers. It shows a lot of the Astros when it comes to these 2 moves. First of all, after rebuilding through a terrific farm system, they are ready to win now and are confident with their way of play. Second of all, it shows that the Astros are serious about building a contender. Houston fans should be really excited about their team, even if they fall short of the playoffs(they will make the postseason).
Both the Blue Jays and the Mets showed that they are all in, even if they have "Rent-A-Players." They Mets are more in contention than the Blue Jays, but the Blue Jays are more built to win now. Honestly, I have no problem with what the Blue Jays did, but the main question is whether David Price decides to stay there. My main concern is with the Mets. They desperately need offense, which is why they got Juan Uribe, Kelly Johnson, and Yoenis Cespedes. Uribe and Johnson are both role players, but Cespedes is a power hitter that can help make the lineup better. Lucas Duda hit 3 home runs this weekend with Cespedes in the lineup. The main concern with this trade is if they can sign him after the season ends. It is more of a concern if the Mets can sign Cespedes than if the Blue Jays will sign David Price.
The real question everyone has is what happened to those high and mighty New York Yankees. They are in first place in their division, but in desperate need of starting pitching. Cole Hamels, Johnny Cueto, and David Price were all on the market, but they didn't want to part with their top 4 prospects. If you want my honest opinion, I completely agree with what the Yankees did. We all know how great Price, Hamels, and Cueto are, but the Yankees have finally built up a respectable farm system. They are trying to win now with the intent of getting younger. It does not mean that they will not sign free agents or make trades, it just means that they will be smarter with the way they build their team. For example, the C.C. Sabathia signing was great for them the first 3 1/2 years. The past 2 plus years of C.C. has been wear and tear on his body. Bringing up youth will help the team now and in the future.
Baseball is a funny game in so many ways.We had a team like the Pittsburgh Pirates, who for 20 years had losing seasons, finally made the postseason 2 years ago. They built through their farm system and are paying major dividends. The Kansas City Royals made it to Game 7 of the World Series. On the other hand, look at the Boston Red Sox. In 2012, they finished in last place in the A.L., but the next year in 2013 they won the World Series, followed by a last place finish. Never underestimate baseball executives and managers on how they run their teams, its all up to the players on how they play.
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