Winners From the 2019 MLB Trade Deadline

The 2019 MLB trade deadline has passed and now it’s time to take stock. Here’s a look at the winners from this year’s deadline.

Houston Astros

Oh yeah, the Houston Astros were the big winner at the trade deadline. They landed Zack Greinke from the Diamondbacks without having to surrender either of their top two prospects (Kyle Tucker or Forrest Whitley). The Diamondbacks even sent them money to cover Greinke’s massive salary!

They added a former Cy Young winner who is currently 10-4 with a 2.90 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP. Greinke will join a staff which already includes Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole and Wade Miley. This stat is pretty incredible:

Good luck facing that rotation in the postseason, everyone!

Cole is set for free agency this winter, so adding Greinke is some pretty fantastic insurance against him potentially leaving. They also landed Joe Biagini and Aaron Sanchez in a separate deal with the Blue Jays.

It was a banner day in Houston.

Cleveland Indians

The Cleveland Indians turned a season and two months of Trevor Bauer into a slew of pieces that will help them win now and in the future. The massive three-way trade with the Reds and Padres was a huge coup for Cleveland.

In exchange for Bauer, the Indians landed Yasiel Puig, Franmil Reyes, Logan Allen, Scott Moss and Victor Nova. Puig is on fire lately, while Reyes is hitting .253 with 27 home runs this year and Allen is likely a future back-end of the rotation starter. Moss and Nova are basically organizational pieces.

Puig is a rental, but Reyes and Allen are under team control for years. Reyes will be a perfect fit as a DH and has prodigious power in his 6’5″, 270-pound frame.

Bauer was not likely to be in Cleveland for the long haul, so they had to move him eventually. This was a big haul that added a young lefty and two excellent bats.

Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves desperately needed relief arms, and they landed two of them on Wednesday. The Braves closed well and were able to pry All-Star closer Shane Greene from the Tigers and Mark Melancon from the Giants.

Greene is the real prize here; he has posted a 1.18 ERA, a 0.87 WHIP and 22 saves in 25 chances. Melancon is a long-time solid relief piece, and has proven himself over time. This year, he’s posted a 3.50 ERA, a 1.40 WHIP in 41 appearances.

Both guys will help the team’s bullpen as Atlanta pushes for the NL pennant.

San Diego Padres

Yes, the San Diego Padres surrendered the immensely popular Franmil Reyes, but the rewards of the return could be phenomenal. Taylor Trammell came back in the three-way deal with the Reds and Indians, and he’s a legit top prospect.

Reyes was an odd fit in the National League because of his terrible defense in the outfield. Logan Allen is a young lefty starter, but one without much of a ceiling. Meanwhile, Trammell is a top 30 prospect with speed, a lefty bat and excellent OBP and contact skills. He gives the Padres a long-term answer in center field and a left-handed bat, two things they desperately needed.

It’s a big risk, but we should expect that from general manager A.J. Preller at this point. Trammell is likely to hit the big leagues in 2020 and we’ll know what they got from this deal soon after.

They also landed Carl Edwards Jr. for Brad Wieck in a deal with the Cubs that swapped under-performing relievers.

Zack Greinke

Greinke got out of a tough situation in Arizona and winds up in Houston as part of one of the best rotations we’ve seen in years. He’s in the middle of a great season and, at 35, has earned another shot at the postseason.

Greinke’s track record in the postseason isn’t stellar but he has a chance to redeem himself after getting hammered in the 2017 playoffs.

He started the day 3.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot in the NL and ended it as part of the new World Series favorites. So yeah, Zack Greinke had a good day.