Days after the July 31st non-waiver trade deadline ended in a glorious flurry of deals, the focus continues to centre on the biggest transactions completed. For teams in the thick of the playoff race, rentals and blockbuster trades alike have allowed the players to suit up with more confidence in the front office and in their teammates, as if Tony Stark had just been equipped with a new Iron Man suit – faster, stronger, better.
Prospects became the name of the game this year, as 57 prospects switched teams. Of those players, 44 were pitchers, showing the new league-wide agreement that pitching wins championships. Heading into the last two months of the regular season, the trade deadline set the stage for one of the more intense playoff races in recent memory.
What goes unnoticed, however, are the non-trade decisions that may end up defining the landscape of Major League Baseball for years to come. The consequences of such inactions will not be known until the conclusion of the 2015 season, but the stunning decisions to retain many players became the highlight of this year’s trade deadline.
In a year where the likes of All-Stars David Price, Troy Tulowitzki, Yoenis Céspedes, Cole Hamels, Scott Kazmir, Johnny Cueto, and Carlos Gómez all changed jerseys, let’s take a closer look at the top 3 headlines that could have been, and their potential impact on the league in the future.
- Shark Tank In Toronto
There was a lot of speculation on the needs of different teams heading into the home stretch of the trade deadline, with one notable exception. Every general manager in the league knew that the Blue Jays sorely needed pitching.
News soon broke that Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos was casting a wide net for potential top-of-the-rotation starters, with names like Johnny Cueto, David Price, and Jeff “Shark” Samardzija emerging as candidates. In the final days of July, rumours intensified that the Jays were on the verge of completing a deal that would send Samardzija, the 2014 All-Star, to The Six. Alas, the deal fell apart and the Blue Jays pursued 2012 AL Cy Young Award winner David Price instead. A few days later, Price struck out 11 batters in 8 innings, giving up just one earned run on three hits in his T.O. debut.
The immediate impact of this non-trade has already been felt. Had Anthopoulos secured the rental services of “Shark”, the Blue Jays would not have been able to nor willing to trade for David Price. In return, the White Sox would have received a similar package as the Tigers did for Price, which included coveted young starters, Daniel Norris and Matt Boyd. Norris, by the way, pitched 7.1 innings allowing just one earned run in his Tigers debut.
The failed trade does not necessarily hurt the White Sox, who have a shot at re-signing Samardzija; instead, the real impact of this decision lies within its power to change the direction of other franchises. The AL East has four teams within 2.5 games back of a playoff spot, and the Price-to-Jays trade only made it more interesting.
In the offseason, if the Jays are able to re-sign David Price, it will be a game-changer for the AL East division in the near future, and Toronto will be ecstatic that “Shark” stayed in Chi-Town.
Non-trade impact: B
- Gallardo Shines In Hollywood
Even after adding Matt Latos and Alex Wood in a three-team haul trade, it appeared that the Dodgers were in the mix for the services of Texas Rangers ace Yovani Gallardo, a former All-Star with almost 1,300 strikeouts under his belt in seven and a half Major League seasons.
Like many of the pitchers traded at the deadline this season, Gallardo would have been a rental, as he is set to hit the market after October. “The Boys in Blue” would have an impressive rotation of Clayton Kershaw (2.37 ERA), Zack Greinke (1.41 ERA), and Gallardo, but they almost certainly needed to part ways with either highly touted MLB.com #2 prospect Corey Seager or #5 prospect Julio Urias.
Wisely, Dodgers GM Farhan Zaidi did not pull the trigger, allowing the team to continue the chase for the coveted NL West division title this season, while keeping intact one of the brightest futures of any franchise.
Similarly, the Chicago Cubs aggressively pursued Gallardo, potentially offering Starlin Castro and Javier Báez (11 years of control combined), but for some delusional reason, the Rangers felt that they still have a chance at the playoffs this year despite not having Derek Holland or Yu Darvish for the season thus far. Rangers GM firmly believes that the addition of Cole Hamels, at the cost of Matt Harrison and five other young Minor League players, will catapult the team past the Rays, the Twins, the Orioles, and the Jays for a Wild Card berth.
The repercussions of this non-trade may be astounding. The Rangers will likely receive a compensation draft pick for Gallardo, which will be a far cry from the players and prospects that Texas could have received at the deadline had they parted ways with Gallardo. Giving up so many pieces of the farm system for an outside long shot at a playoff spot this season without the full roster is a mistake that will be felt sooner rather than later.
Unlike “Shark”, the non-trade should have been made, and the Rangers missed out on a golden opportunity to immediately return to contendership for next season; instead, they will be stuck with a compensation draft. Meanwhile, the Dodgers remain a force to be reckoned with beyond the 2015 season.
Non-trade impact: A-
- Padres Disassembled
The biggest headline that appeared to be a certainty failed to be written in the last minutes of the trade deadline. The San Diego Padres, who had gone berserk in the offseason, trading and signing James Shields, Matt Kemp, Justin Upton, Wil Myers, Brandon Morrow, Josh Johnson, Brandon Maurer, Will Middlebrooks, and Derek Norris, failed to silence the critics with their loud and expensive new roster. 6.5 games back of the second Wild Card spot, the Padres were due to an implosion… yet, it did not happen.
There was virtually universal interest from the 20-or-so teams who entered the trade deadline as buyers. Craig Kimbrel led the rumors as one of the best closers on the market, with the Yankees and the Astros reaching late stages of negotiations with the Padres on the 27-year-old. However, San Diego did not appear to be interested in any deals less than a ridiculous ransom of Paul Goldschmidt, as revealed by the GM of the Diamondbacks.
Justin Upton, Ian Kennedy, and Will Venable are set to become free agents after this season, meaning the Padres will only get compensation draft picks if they choose to extend qualifying offers that are sure to be rejected. The first two players, in particular, were also sought after by multiple teams, yet the Padres walked away each time to a confused crowd of experts and analysts.
The haul of prospects that could have been brought in through deadline trades of San Diego’s biggest names is unimaginable. There were rumors of Jorge Mateo for Craig Kimbrel, with the Yankees even willing to take on some of Jedd Gyorko’s enormous contract, allowing the Padres to become buyers once more in the offseason. The blockbuster three-team trade rumours between the Cubs, the Red Sox, and the Padres would have unloaded Craig Kimbrel and starter Tyson Ross for Chicago’s Castro and Báez, plus whatever Boston had to offer.
It is hard to fathom what thoughts went through Padres GM A.J. Preller’s head on July 31st, but it seems Preller is only capable of spending and buying players, like a hoarder. The unwillingness of the Padres to deal any of their players also cost several teams a chance at a deep playoff run, and impacted every divisional and wild card playoff race in the league.
When the dust settles, Preller will be recognized as the man who forever changed the 2015 season with his inaction, and the eventual World Series champions and many more heartbroken franchises will have Preller to thank or blame.
Non-trade impact: A+
With great power comes great responsibility, and as seen in the 2015 trade frenzy, a general manager’s decision to keep players becomes as crucial as the decisions that send players away. Like all sports decisions, the true impact can only be felt after years, but one certainty can be stated now: the 2015 non-waiver deadline changed the future of the league.