The dealing’s done, so it’s time to do the counting.
A look at the winners and losers from the non-waiver trading deadline:
Winners
1. Phillies: Take a first-place team in the National League, add the American League’s reigning Cy Young winner and you have a powerful combination — in this case a team that could become the first NL team to win back-to-back World Series since the Big Red Machine (1975-76), which had its run before Cliff Lee was born.
Along with general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. , give manager Charlie Manuel and the ownership group headed by Bill Giles and David Montgomery credit for not being satisfied after the Phillies beat the Rays in the World Series last October.
Manuel was dismayed when the Phillies were an underwhelming 39-37 on July 2. They entered the weekend having gone 20-4 since while adding Lee from the Indians and three-time Cy Young winner Pedro Martinez, the latter for a role yet to be determined.
Starting pitching has been the weakness of a Phillies team that is scoring half a run a game more than a year ago.
But not anymore. The really bad news for the Phillies’ NL competition is that this core could be better in 2010.
2. White Sox: A rugged schedule and a tendency to give away runs (and games), along with Jake Peavy’s ankle injury, make the Peavy deal a huge gamble for 2009. Nevertheless, it is a coup to get a No. 1 starter that you have under contract three more years. Ken Williams paid a high price, but he got his man and should have one of the best rotations in the majors through 2011, at the least.
3. Tigers: For roughly 12 or 13 spins through the starting rotation, Jim Leyland will look to Jarrod Washburn instead of the six guys (including Dontrelle Willis and Jeremy Bonderman) who have been in the fifth spot in an otherwise solid rotation. Washburn was 5-3 with a 1.87 ERA in his last 12 starts in Seattle.
4. Red Sox: Victor Martinez hasn’t been quite the same hitter since his right elbow went out on him in 2008, but his switch-hitting skills and the ability to fill in for No. 1 catcher Jason Varitek while also freeing up Kevin Youkilis to play third when Mike Lowell is unavailable is huge. Cleveland didn’t get any parts that Boston will miss, at least not in 2009.
5. Diamondbacks: In a deal done long before the deadline, they may have ended their first base problems by adding White Sox prospect Brandon Allen for reliever Tony Pena. Allen, currently tearing up the Pacific Coast League, could be a long-term regular.
Losers
1. J.P. Ricciardi: The Blue Jays general manager already was on thin ice, largely because of the contract mistakes he made with Vernon Wells, Alex Rios and B.J. Ryan, among others, and now is left explaining why he didn’t move Roy Halladay after a two-week public auction.
“We were never moved,” Ricciardi explained late Friday.
Maybe not, but this was business, not college kids trolling for dates on a Saturday night.
Ricciardi did the right thing by setting a high price but should have known the best offer when it was on the table — Philadelphia’s proposal that included pitchers J.A. Happ and Carlos Carrasco, outfielder Michael Taylor and shortstop Jason Donald, made last weekend after Ricciardi asked for Happ, Kyle Drabek and either Dominic Brown or Taylor.
He didn’t, and the chance to do something better with the Red Sox, Dodgers or Rangers proved to be pie in the sky. The result is the possibility of Halladay outlasting his GM with the Blue Jays.
2. Pirates fans: Are there any left after ownership and GM Neal Huntington stripped the big-league clubhouse bare? The continuous selling of talent brings back memories to the bad years for Connie Mack and Charlie O. Finley. It’s almost like somebody owed money to the mob and already had been kneecapped.
3. San Diego’s pre-existing group of pitching prospects: Clayton Richard, Aaron Poreda, Adam Russell and Dexter Carter should get every chance to succeed with the Padres after being acquired for Peavy.
4. Yankees: Can you believe a trading period came and went with the Pinstripes acquiring no one more significant than Jerry Hairston Jr.? Center field prospect Austin Jackson and catcher Jesus Montero were in heavy demand. It will be interesting to see if they get legitimate chances to play in 2010 or if the Steinbrenners throw money at another batch of free agents.
5. The Dodgers: George Sherrill will help, but the starting rotation, headed by Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsley, could use a veteran anchor in the role Derek Lowe played a year ago.
Real victories: Brewers third baseman Casey McGehee, a former Cub, is spending his first season in the major leagues. He won’t have a bigger thrill than the one he got Wednesday when his 2 1/2 -year-old son, Mackail, threw out a ceremonial first pitch, helped by Prince Fielder.
Mackail has cerebral palsy. He was participating in a fundraiser in which the Brewers raised almost $50,000 by auctioning off players’ jerseys.
As it turned out, McGehee delivered a two-run, pinch-hit homer in the 7-5 victory over the Nationals. It’s fair to say the son inspired the father.
“That’s going to be a moment I remember,” McGehee said. “He’s something special. For him to go through what he’s going through, he just keeps plugging and you never really notice he has anything wrong with him most of the time. … That was pretty special.”
In the wings: Last weekend’s Hall of Fame induction generated conversation about the 2010 vote, which will have Roberto Alomar, Barry Larkin and Fred McGriff on the ballot for the first time. McGriff is going to be an interesting case.
He was great early in his career but somewhat staggered to the finish line, playing with three teams (including the Cubs in 2002 with 30 homers and 103 RBIs) in his last three years. He ended up with 493 home runs and 1,550 RBIs and would have been a no-brainer choice for many voters had he reached 500 homers.
He still could get elected, in part because he spoke out against steroid use when given the chance.
“I take a lot of pride knowing I worked hard to play the game for 18 or so years,” McGriff told the St.Petersburg Times. “I know I can take to my grave I didn’t do steroids, performance-enhancing drugs, whatever you want to say.
“I played the game the correct way.”
McGriff admits he’s curious to see how voting members of the Baseball Writers Association of America will judge him.
“To say my numbers should be judged better because some guys are considered having used steroids, I don’t know if that’s the right wording,” he said.
The last word: “There does come a time when the standings are the standings.” — GM Andy MacPhail on the last-place Orioles’ decision to trade All-Star closer George Sherrill to the Dodgers.
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Whispers
The collapse of the Brewers’ pitching staff, which persuaded general manager Doug Melvin to largely sit out the trade deadline, could have been seen coming in May. You don’t lose CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets — and not replace them with anyone better than Braden Looper — and compete. … The Mets are about two weeks away from getting center fielder Carlos Beltran back. They look like road kill at this point but are beginning a stretch in which they play the Diamondbacks and Padres 10 of 12 games. It’s a chance to re-enter the wild-card race. … How bad are the Royals? They are 10-11 in starts by Zack Greinke, who has a 2.08 ERA, the best in the majors. Greinke says the 2009 Royals are playing “as badly as any team I’ve played for,” and that says a lot. … Rich Hill now says he was pitching with a torn labrum throughout his short career, but the Orioles aren’t claiming Cubs GM Jim Hendry intentionally dealt them damaged goods. They said they will compare recent X-rays to ones taken when he had his initial physical in Baltimore but believe the tear he was pitching with was a partial one, relatively common to pitchers. … The Twins engaged in serious discussions with the Pirates about second baseman Freddy Sanchez but wouldn’t meet the asking price. Pirates GM Neal Huntington asked for center fielder Aaron Hicks, the Twins’ top prospect, or Triple-A third baseman Danny Valencia. The uncertain future of Joe Crede left Twins GM Bill Smith unwilling to deal Valencia, who could be a regular next season. … It’s easy to underestimate the value of rookie shortstop Elvis Andrus to the Rangers. He’s not a run producer, at least not at this point in his career, but he has helped the Rangers cut their total of unearned runs allowed from 107 in 2008 to only 25 entering the weekend.
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