Winners and Losers of the 2020 MLB Trade Deadline

Well folks, another trade deadline has come and passed, and like most things this year, things look a little different. With an expanded playoffs this year, more teams were looking to improve and make a push for the postseason. With that being said, let’s take a look at some of the winners and losers of this trade deadline.

Winner: San Diego Padres

This one’s easy. Sitting in 2nd place in the NL West at 22-16, the Padres wanted to give themselves a legitimate shot against the NL front-runner LA Dodgers, so they went out and made some stunning moves. With the #2 ranked farm system in the MLB, San Diego was able to swing trades for Mike Clevinger, Austin Nola, Mitch Moreland, Trevor Rosenthal, and Jason Castro over the last three days while still keeping top prospects MacKenzie Gore and CJ Abrams, giving them good pieces now without mortgaging the future. The blessing of Don Orsillo continues to pay off for them.

Winner: Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays were also very active this year, acquiring Daniel Vogelbach, Taijuan Walker, Robbie Ray, Jonathan Villar, and Ross Stripling for a grand total of Travis Bergen, four players to be named later, and cash considerations. Wow. Now, it’s still speculative of who these PTBNL may be, and that can certainly change how we see these trades in the future, but at this point it doesn’t seem like a whole lot for the Jays. They’ve now entirely overhauled their starting rotation from last year and are in good shape to overtake the Yankees for 2nd place in the NL East. We’ll see how all the new pieces adjust to their new home, but things are looking bright in Buffalo.

Loser: Atlanta Braves

Injuries and ineptitude have decimated the Braves’ starting rotation, with only Max Fried providing strong consistency. Rumors claim the Braves made a strong bid for Clevinger before the Padres swooped in, and that’s really not a good sign for them. It’ll be hard for them to compete with the other top teams this year without a capable starting rotation. They did acquire Tommy Milone from the Orioles, but he lasted just 2 1/3 innings on Sunday against the Phillies. That’s not going to be enough if they want to stay in 1st place.

Loser: New York Yankees

My Red Sox bias might be at play here, but the Yankees also ended up losers at this year’s deadline. Similar to the Braves, they also could use some pitching, as well as some bench bats. They might not be in as much need as the Braves, though. The team’s been dealing with injuries, as top players Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Gleybar Torres are all currently on the IL. Hopefully for them, that will be all they need to stay ahead of the Blue Jays in the standings.

Winner: Miami Marlins

I had some trouble figuring out whether the Marlins were a winner or a loser at this trade deadline. They made a move for Starling Marte, but also decided to trade away Villar. However, rumors are that Isan Diaz is opting back into the season, and should be taking over second base for the rest of the season (and beyond), so that made Villar a little redundant for them. The Marlins have already exceeded expectations this year, so by that standard I’m calling them winners.

Other winners and losers:

Winners: Chicago Cubs, Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies, Oakland A’s

Losers: Houston Astros, Arizona Diamondbacks, Tampa Bay Rays, Milwaukee Brewers

– Pat Shuman (@PShu1996 on Twitter)