The MLB trade deadline has come to an end, and many contenders have made moves to improve their pennant chances. One of those teams was the Washington Nationals, who picked up Mark Melancon from Pittsburgh. Melancon, a closer, will likely bolster the Nationals bullpen heading into October play. The Toronto Blue Jays made a quietly strong move at the trade deadline. They were able to lure Francisco Liriano away from the Pirates, Liriano could be the x- factor for the Blue Jays, as they look for answers to the club’s weak pitching. Also, another strong move came from the San Francisco Giants, who looked for a back of the rotation starter. They saw Matt Moore of Tampa Bay a good fit. Moore, a young pitcher, has flashed his potential in Rays playoff games in the past, and looks to re-find his success under a great Giants pitching staff. Jay Bruce, a subject of many trade talks throughout the past year, was finally dealt on the last day of the deadline. He will become a New York Met, and will instantly become one of their best hitters. Bruce could help the Mets return to the dominance they held last season.
Aroldis Chapman, the most sought after player nearing the deadline, will sport a new uniform, the one of the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs are going all in for a World Series berth this year, clearly giving up important pieces in their farm system to win now. Chapman is one of the most feared pitchers in all of baseball, his fastball can reach up to 105 miles per hour at times. The Cubs will have to break a 70 year curse in order to bring home a trophy, possibly the hardest task they face.
The Cleveland Indians nearly made two huge trades at the deadline, but one of those trades fell through. The Indians were able to add Andrew Miller, a relief pitcher from the New York Yankees. Miller holds a 6-1 record and an ERA of 1.39. Miller will be the Tribe’s most reliable arm in the bullpen heading into postseason play, if they are able to get there. The price for Miller was steep, the Tribe had to give the Yankees two of their best prospects in Clint Frazier and Justus Sheffield. The Indians also fought hard to add catcher Jonathan Lucroy from the Milwaukee Brewers.The two teams came to an agreement on Lucroy, but Lucroy rejected his trade to Cleveland. He was later dealt to the Texas Rangers. The Indians will have to find some sort of offense from their catchers to get back to having a dangerous offense.
Lucroy wasn’t the only addition to the Rangers, they also added outfielder Carlos Beltran. Beltran will be tossed into an elite rangers lineup that will score a lot of runs through the end of the season. Beltran will not be able to fix the Rangers pitching problems, their trust solely being with Cole Hamels and Yu Darvish.
