WSOU

NL East Weekly No. 3

Date: August 4, 2021

By: Justin Nicosia
Mets Javier Baez salutes the crowd during a MLB game.

Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

As the calendar turns from July into the start of August, the most exciting and pivotal parts of the MLB season come with it. Not only does the end of July mark the start of the playoff push and eventually the pennant race, but also the trade deadline.

While most years feature a couple blockbuster deals, 2021’s deadline might have been the wildest in the history of the sport. The number of high-profile trades in just the NL East alone was up to par with the number of such trades across the entire league most years.

As with most teams across the league, all five of the division’s teams made significant decisions about the direction of their teams for this year and seasons beyond.

Max Scherzer stands in the Dodgers dugout during a MLB game.

Getty Images

The Braves sacrificed some mid-level prospects to gain key depth pieces for this year’s playoff push. The Marlins have continued to invest into their young pitching aspirations, while throwing up the white flag for this year. The Nationals made a pair of big moves to build for the future, essentially starting from scratch after their 2019 World Series ring. The Mets stayed conservative with holding onto their prospects (after depleting the farm system during the Brodie Van Wagenen era), while still managing to trade for a star, hoping to boost their lineup in time for the playoffs. The Phillies went aggressive to fix their pitching issues that plagued them for the first 100 games.

Each team’s biggest moves leading up to the deadline will be discussed and analyzed in this edition of WSOU’s Weekly NL East column, with a standings update provided at the end for your convenience.

Note: Trades from before a week prior to the July 30 deadline, and those involving nothing other than low-end minor leaguers and cash considerations will not be included. Stats are as of the time of the trade, unless otherwise noted.

July 23

Mets Trade for Rich Hill

NYM Receive: LHP Rich Hill

TB Receive: RHP Tommy Hunter, C Matt Dyer

Rich Hill pitches during a New York Mets game.

Wendell Cruz/USA TODAY Sports

With a week before the trade deadline, the Mets made a move that might not be in national headlines, but was important, nonetheless. They traded away relief arm Tommy Hunter and low-catching prospect Matt Dyer for Rich Hill. Hill, 41, appeared in 19 games for the Rays, pitching to an ERA of 3.87 and striking out 8.6 H/9.

While Hill is obviously at the back end of his career and is not near the household name of some of the other members of the Mets’ rotation, he fits in as an inning-eater who can start a few games in the absence of Jacob deGrom, David Peterson, and Noah Syndergaard. When they return, Hill also has the ability to move into the bullpen.

This deal cost the Mets very little, as the only two pieces shipped off to Tampa Bay had little prospects for the team. Hunter, who pitched well in four appearances for the club, was placed on the 60-day IL in June with a back injury, and may not play baseball again this season, and Dyer ranked low in the Mets’ farm system, with top prospect Francisco Alvarez seen as the catcher of the future in Queens, N.Y.

For the Rays, this move came a bit as a surprise, as the first-place team which is preparing for a playoff run traded for Nelson Cruz just days prior. However, the Rays are also known for growing and developing young players in their farm system, and Dyer provides a somewhat viable future option for a farm system that, as strong as it is, lacks serious catcher depth.

July 28

Miami Makes Two Trades; acquire Bryan De La Cruz and Austin Pruitt From Houston and Jesus Luzardo from Oakland.

Trade No. 1: 

MIA Receives RF Bryan De La Cruz, RHP Austin Pruitt

HOU Receives: RHP Yimi Garcia

Trade No. 2:

MIA Receives: LHP Jesus Luzardo

OAK Receives: LF Starling Marte

Miami's Luzardo throws a pitch during a Marlins game.

Mark Brown/Getty Images

Miami made two trades on Wednesday, one with the Houston Astros, and another with the Oakland Athletics. Since the Houston trade is relatively insignificant, but still includes a player that will become a top-30 prospect in their system and a Major League player, I will include it together with the Oakland trade.

The Marlins traded away two players, Yimi Garcia and Starling Marte, who, while having good years themselves, are outgoing free agents this offseason. They received Bryan De La Cruz and Austin Pruitt from the Astros, and Jesus Luzardo from the A’s. Being 11 games out of the division at the time of the moves, Miami signaled their clear intentions to sell at the deadline. De La Cruz is an MLB-ready prospect who is ranked 29th in their farm system and looks to provide some depth in a weak lineup for the coming years. Pruitt, 31, has yet to find much big-league success, and is likely not a part of Miami’s long-term plans, as they have a fantastic young group of pitchers coming up over the next few years.

Included in that list of pitchers is Luzardo, 23, who has already appeared in 31 games for the Athletics. While his career ERA of 4.79 does not look good, he has shown flashes of potential, most notably in Sept. 2019 where he threw 12.0 innings and gave up only two runs.

July 29

Nationals trade Kyle Schwarber and Brad Hand in two separate deals

Trade No. 1:

WSH receives: RHP Aldo Ramirez

BOS receives: C/LF Kyle Schwarber

Trade No. 2:

WSH receives: C Riley Adams

CLE receives: LHP Brad Hand

Red Sox member Kyle Schwarber sits on the bench during a game.

Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images

On Thursday, the Nationals were in discussions with the San Diego Padres about dealing ace Max Scherzer but plans eventually fell through.

That didn’t mean Washington was done trading for the day, as they made a pair of trades for minor league prospects Aldo Ramirez and Riley Adams, who currently rank 11th and 13th in their farm system. In doing so, they gave up streaky outfielder Kyle Schwarber to the Red Sox, who before getting injured in June, was hitting home runs at an insane rate, and closer Brad Hand to the Indians/Guardians. Hand, whose contract ends after this season, was one of the hottest commodities on the free agency market heading into 2021 but has had the worst season of his career since 2016, with a season ERA of 3.83, WHIP of 1.19, and five blown saves as of Aug. 3.

These trades, as well as Friday’s blockbuster trade would cement the Nationals into committing to a full rebuild, less than two full seasons after being world champions.

July 30

Nationals trade centerpieces Max Scherzer and Trea Turner

WSH receive: C Keibert Ruiz, RHP Josiah Gray, RHP Gerardo Carrillo, OF Donovan Casey

LAD receive: SS Trea Turner, RHP Max Scherzer

Trea Turner swings the bat during a MLB game.

Rich Schultz/Getty Images

Oh, boy is there a lot to unpack here.

Going into the season, the sentiment across baseball was that the Los Angeles Dodgers had already built a super team and were going to be nearly unstoppable. While they have had a couple cold streaks during this season, and San Francisco’s unbelievable first half has the Dodgers in second place, the sentiment still remained largely true at the trade deadline. And yet somehow, some way, the Dodgers, who seemingly had no flaws on their roster, managed to get even better.

They traded for Trea Turner, who has consistently been one of the best and underappreciated shortstops in the MLB, and Max Scherzer, who even at the ripe age of 36, has still managed to have a season with an ERA under three, and has struck out nearly 12 batters per nine innings, while limiting hits to 5.8 per nine, the second-best mark in his career.

When Jeff Passan reported that the Nationals were going to get a huge prospect haul in return, I feared the worst. I thought that not only was Washington going to get Josiah Gray and Keibert Ruiz, but that they were also going to get the likes of Gavin Lux and Bobby Miller. While they didn’t get the latter two, Washington still got a huge haul, including two MLB-ready players that fit in at No. 1 and No. 2 in their top prospects list, as well as No. 40 and No. 41 in the entire MLB. Gerardo Carrillo and Donovan Casey also rank inside Washington’s top 30 prospects at No. 11 and No. 27, respectively.

Washington still held onto a few of their younger pieces, most notably Carter Kieboom, Victor Robles, and Juan Soto. While they do sit only 6.5 games behind the division lead, they had to make the tough decision to sell at the deadline because it was unlikely they would claw their way out of that hole in the last two months, and with such a young core, and many minor leaguers MLB-ready within the next year or two, the Nationals may not be that far away from returning to form.

Nationals part ways with Josh Harrison and Yan Gomes

WSH receive: RHP Richard Guasch, RHP Seth Shuman, C Drew Millas

OAK receive: 2B Josh Harrison, C Yan Gomes, cash considerations

In another deadline move, the Nationals moved two 34-year-old role players for three minor league players, Richard Guasch, Seth Shuman, and Drew Millas. Millas and Guasch both rank low on Washington’s prospect list, at No. 24 and No. 30, respectively, but with ETAs in 2022 and 2023, they may make an impact at some point with the club.

Nationals end the deadline with two more trades, giving away Jon Lester and Daniel Hudson

Trade 1

WSH receive: CF Lane Thomas

STL receive: LHP Jon Lester

Trade 2

WSH receive: RHP Mason Thompson

SD receive: RHP Daniel Hudson

Jon Lester throws a pitch during a MLB game.

Mitchell Layton/Getty Images

While neither of these trades brought Washington any extremely notable players (Lane Thomas has been extremely unproductive throughout his professional career, and Mason Thompson slots outside Washington’s top 15 prospects at No. 16), it is worth noting these deals because both Jon Lester and Daniel Hudson pitched many times this season, putting up ERAs of 5.03 and 2.20 ERA, respectively. While Washington won’t miss the services of Lester this year, they will miss that of Hudson, who has been their best relief option this season, but hopefully Mason Thompson can make an impact when he gets called up.

Mets trade for Javier Baez

NYM receive: SS Javier Baez, RHP Trevor Williams, cash considerations

CHC receive: OF Pete Crow-Armstrong

As a Mets fan, when I heard rumors including names like Kris Bryant and Javier Baez, I was really hesitant to get excited about them. While New York’s offense has struggled all year, I wasn’t sure how much of an upgrade Bryant would be offensively over J.D. Davis, or how Baez’s league-leading strikeout totals would help the team. However, when this trade was finally made and the details were finalized, I could not be happier.

During the Brodie Van Wagenen era, the Mets depleted their farm system tremendously, most notably when they traded away top-five prospect in all of baseball, Jarred Kelenic to the Mariners. I was afraid history would repeat itself, and the Mets would trade one, if not multiple of Brett Baty, Ronnie Mauricio, or Francisco Alvarez. Instead, they traded their fifth-ranked prospect OF Pete Crow-Armstrong.

Crow-Armstrong has only played in six minor league games so far, due to injuring his shoulder in May and may require surgery. While he will be able to play again next year, missing this season will hurt his development, and a shoulder injury is never good for an outfielder. The Mets also have a lot of outfield depth, so I wasn’t sad to see him go.

As for Baez, he reunites with his Puerto Rican friend, Francisco Lindor, and when Lindor comes back, will make the best defensive middle infield in the MLB. While Baez’s contract does end this season, the former MVP-runner up has expressed interest with teaming up with Lindor long term. Baez already has 23 home runs and 67 RBIs this season, and while he does strike out a lot, that hasn’t stopped his run production, which is something this team desperately needs.

Marlins trade reliever John Curtiss

MIA receives: C Payton Henry

MIL receives: RHP John Curtiss

The Marlins traded away relief pitcher John Curtiss on Friday to the Milwaukee Brewers for minor league catcher Payton Henry. Henry, who ranks outside Miami’s top 30 prospects, is still their second-best catching prospect, so he could appear in the big leagues at some point, while Curtiss is on a contract year and had a 2.48 ERA in 40 innings with the Marlins.

Intra-division trade sees Braves get Duvall

ATL receives: LF Adam Duvall

MIA receives: C Alex Jackson

Adam Duvall walks past the plate during a MLB game with the Braves.

Elsa/Getty Images

When MVP candidate Ronald Acuna Jr. went down with a season-ending ACL injury a few weeks ago, many questioned if the Braves were going to be sellers. After all, they do have a couple of older pieces with trade value like Charlie Morton and Drew Smyly. However, the Braves made a bunch of moves Friday to show they weren’t ready to give up on the 2021 season, and the first move they made was with their division rival Miami Marlins.

The Marlins received catcher Alex Jackson in this move, and while the 25-year-old has yet to make an impact in his 20 MLB games, Adam Duvall, who has a contract option for 2022, was not a part of Miami’s future plans. This season, Duvall hit 22 home runs and drove in 68 RBIs in 90 games with above average defense for Miami and looks to serve a similar role in the corner outfield of Atlanta. 

While Atlanta gave up essentially nothing for this trade, they gain a key piece who may be able to give them the push they need to make the playoffs, and Miami, well, they get to offload the $9 million on the remainder of his contract, I guess….

Braves lineup gets power boost with Jorge Soler

ATL receives: RF Jorge Soler

KC receives: RHP Kasey Kalich

The Braves added yet another power bat to their lineup on Friday, when they traded for Kansas City Royals outfielder, Jorge Soler. While Soler, 29, has been having a rough year at the plate, hitting just .192 with 13 HRs and 37 RBIs in 924 games with Kansas City, he is just two years removed from leading the AL in home runs with 48. Soler is on the back end of a contract year, so the next 60 games will be important for him earning a contract heading into 2022, and still has the potential to hit a few big home runs down the stretch for Atlanta.

As for Kasey Kalich, he is currently a 23-year-old prospect in High-A ball, with an MLB ETA of 2023. Ranking No. 24 in the Royals’ farm system, he was of low-value to Atlanta, but can have high-upside for the Royals.

Braves solidify bullpen, acquire Richard Rodriguez from Pirates

ATL receives: RHP Richard Rodriguez

PIT receives: RHP Bryse Wilson, RHP Ricky DeVito

Heading into the trade deadline, the Braves had one of the shakiest bullpens in the MLB, ranking 19th with a 4.39 ERA, with 27 of the team’s 54 losses being credited to the bullpen. To fix it, they acquired Pirates reliever, Richard Rodriguez.

Rodriguez has experience as both a set-up man and a closer, with 17 of his 37 appearances coming in save situations. This helps Atlanta keep Will Smith in the closing role but gives them the flexibility to have Rodriguez close in the case Smith is unavailable. Rodriguez has been having a career year, with an ERA of 2.82 and a WHIP of just 0.84. Rodriguez has also allowed home runs at a very low rate of 0.5 per nine innings.

In return, the Pirates received starting pitcher Bryse Wilson and minor league pitcher Ricky DeVito. Wilson, 23, has struggled in 23 career games, with a career ERA of 5.22, but he’s made improvements to his control, cutting his walks per nine nearly in more than half this year, from 5.3 prior to 2021 to 2.5 in 2021. If he can also limit home runs (2.0 per nine in 2021), he could become a solid middle of the rotation starter. DeVito, a former Seton Hall pitcher with a 2.60 college ERA, is currently unranked in Pittsburgh’s organization, has a 2.66 ERA in five games in High-A ball this season, and at age 22, still has a lot of time to make his way onto their top prospects list.

Braves get outfield depth with Eddie Rosario

ATL receives: LF Eddie Rosario, cash considerations

CLE receives: 3B Pablo Sandoval

Eddie Rosario jogs to first base during a MLB game with Cleveland..

Ron Schwane/Getty Images

In what was clearly a salary dump, the Cleveland Indians (Guardians) received Pablo Sandoval from the Atlanta Braves for Eddie Rosario, and then immediately released Sandoval, getting rid of the remaining $2.8 million of Rosario’s contract, which ends this season. Sandoval had little impact in Atlanta, appearing in 69 games, mostly as a pinch hitter, hitting just .178 with a .645 OPS. Rosario, 29, has also been having one of the worst years of his career, with career lows in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage.

Rosario was top-20 in AL MVP votes in 2019 and 2020 with the Minnesota Twins, but never quite found that in Cleveland. However, his run production numbers have been close to his career numbers (seven home runs and 46 RBIs in 78 games) and will provide yet another run-scoring option in Atlanta’s revamped lineup.

Phillies reunite with Freddy Galvis

PHI receives: SS Freddy Galvis

BAL receives: RHP Tyler Burch

The Phillies reunited with longtime shortstop Freddy Galvis, who played 642 games with the club from 2012-2017, is on a contract year, and at the age of 31, is having a solid year, triple slashing .249/.306/.414 before injuring his quad in late June. He is gearing up for a rehab assignment later this week and may make a return before the end of the month. When he returns, he will likely take the majority of the time at shortstop from Didi Gregorius, who is having the worst year of his career, triple slashing .212/.263/.375 in 57 games, with a bWAR of -0.9, which is worst amongst active shortstops.

The Phillies gave away Tyler Burch, 23, who is unranked in Baltimore’s farm system, with a 4.15 ERA in 30.1 innings in Single-A and High-A ball this season and does not expect to appear in the MLB for a long time.

Phillies improve pitching staff, grab Ian Kennedy and Kyle Gibson

PHI receives: RHP Hans Crouse, RHP Ian Kennedy, RHP Kyle Gibson

TEX receives: RHP Spencer Howard, RHP Josh Gessner, RHP Kevin Gowdy

Wow, this has been a long article. Not only has it been long for you (over 3,000 words now), but it’s been long for me. It’s taken me nearly three days to write (hence why this is releasing half a week after the trade deadline), but this is the last notable trade of the deadline.

The Phillies, who have tied their franchise record and are on-pace to break the MLB record for blown saves in a season (they currently have 25, the MLB record is 34), have desperately needed bullpen help for years now, and they got it with Ian Kennedy from the Royals. Kennedy, 36, is a free agent after this season, but has been having the best season of his career, with career lows in ERA (2.51) and WHIP (1.052) at the time of the trade, and he currently has the second-best K/9 of his career at 10.0. While he has given up four runs and two home runs in his two Phillies appearances, it is hard to believe his misfortunes will continue given the success he’s had this season.

Ian Kennedy throws a pitch during a Texas Rangers game.

Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images

Also headed to Philadelphia in the trade is starting pitcher Kyle Gibson, who entered 2021 with a 4.57 career ERA, but improved to a 2.87 ERA in Texas this year. While he lowered his home run totals from 1.1 per nine to 0.7 per nine, I’m still skeptical about how sustainable the 33-year-old pitcher’s 2021 numbers are, considering his ERA has been close to double this season’s ERA in the 200 games prior to 2021. Gibson also has a 4.29 ERA since the sticky substance ban, with hitters batting .255 against him in 42 innings since the span. However, with Aaron Nola, Vince Velasquez, and Chase Anderson struggling this year, the Phillies can use any help they can get.

The Phillies also received Hans Crouse, who slots in as their No. 4 ranked prospect, with a 2022 ETA and a career minor league ERA of 3.29, and he may be a key piece of Philadelphia’s future, especially if their pitching remains as putrid as it has been.

The Rangers received a slew of young pitchers from the Phillies, including Spencer Howard, the former No. 1 prospect for the Philadelphia Phillies. While Howard does have an alarming 5.81 ERA in 52.2 career innings, he is still only 24, and has a lot of time to prove he was worthy of that No. 1 prospect distinction. They also got unranked prospects Josh Gessner and Kevin Gowdy.

Gessner, 21, has yet to play an MLB game outside of rookie ball, but has shined, with an ERA of 2.21 and a K/9 of 13.7 in 20.1 innings, and could rise up prospect boards if he moves up the minor league ladder. Gowdy, 23, has not had as much success in the minor leagues, with a 4.62 career ERA in 152.0 innings pitched.

Well, we made it. After 3500 words and 16 significant trades in the NL East, you finally have everything you need to know about the NL East’s trades over the deadline. But there are still five other divisions you don’t know about. Check out the other articles for some words on the deadlines in other divisions located on under “Sports” on our WSOU website.

Oh, and also, here are the NL East Standings, as of the morning of Aug. 4.

TEAM

W

L

GB

LAST 10

NYM

55

51

---

3-7

PHI

54

53

1.5

6-4

ATL

53

54

2.5

5-5

WSH

49

58

6.5

4-6

MIA

46

61

9.5

5-5

Justin Nicosia can be reached at justin.nicosia@student.shu.edu.

Posted in: Sports

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