The MLB trade deadline is one of the most important times of the season for many reasons. While championship contenders attempt to solidify their rosters with the key pieces that they feel will help them win now, the non-contenders attempt to accelerate their rebuilds by adding prospects that they hope will help turn the franchise around. A number of teams have improved on paper in the short term and in the long term. However, there is also a group of teams that failed to capitalize on the opportunity to significantly improve their positions. Here is a look at the biggest losers from the 2017 MLB Trade Deadline.
San Francisco Giants
The Giants have been in the spotlight this season after crashing and burning from the outset following predictions they could contend for a World Series championship this season. After a brutal season, things went from bad to worse for a San Francisco club that failed to significantly improve its roster either in the short or long term at the deadline. The Giants traded Eduardo Nunez and nobody else. They acquired Shaun Anderson and Gregory Santos from the Boston Red Sox. However, the lack of moves was definitely alarming. San Francisco’s expendable mid-tier talent wasn’t enough to convince teams to make significant offers for them. The Giants ended up largely staying put for the most part in what will go down as an absolutely brutal 2017 season.
San Diego Padres
The Padres are another National League West team that failed to acquire a significant amount of prospects at the deadline. San Diego moved Ryan Buchter, Trevor Cahill and Brandon Maurer to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for Esteury Ruiz, Travis Wood and Matt Strahm. The decision to keep Brad Hand was questionable. Reports indicated that the Padres asking price for available players was far too high and teams weren’t willing to pay them. In the end, San Diego ended up making only one trade before the deadline and barely moving the needle in terms of adding pieces that could improve the franchise’s long-term outlook.
Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay was in an interesting position at the deadline. The Rays wanted to add to a roster that is still in playoff contention but didn’t want to break the bank in order to do it. Tampa Bay ended up adding Lucas Duda, Sergio Romo, Steve Cishek, Dan Jennings and Chaz Roe. Romo was designated for assignment for a reason and while Cishek improves the bullpen they didn’t do much beyond that to bolster pitching. Duda should help the offense but he isn’t exactly a star slugger. The Rays did what they could to add to their roster without breaking the bank or moving any of their top prospects. It was a valiant effort but not enough to keep them off this list.
Houston Astros
It’s probably not a good thing when the star pitcher for a contending team calls out management following a lackluster trade deadline experience. That was the case in Houston after their lone acquisition was Francisco Liriano. The Astros refused to part ways with some of their top prospects and as a result their World Series chances for this season took a hit. Liriano is nothing more than a back-end rotation option or a bullpen depth option at this point. When you consider that the Los Angeles Dodgers added Yu Darvish and the Yankees added Sonny Gray, it’s clear that Houston deserves a spot on this list.
Chicago Cubs
The Cubs improved their starting rotation, bullpen and offense with the acquisitions of Jose Quintana, Justin Wilson and Alex Avila. However, they also traded a top-10 prospect in Eloy Jimenez without acquiring an All-Star or key franchise player. While the acquisitions will help them contend this year, it might have made more sense for Chicago to be more patient at the deadline. Sonny Gray ended up going to the Yankees for a lesser price than the Cubs paid for Quintana. Chicago improved on paper but also moved several quality key pieces in trades they could end up regretting. Another World Series title will make criticism seem unwarranted but right now on paper the Cubs appear to deserve a spot on this list based on the prices they paid.
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