PHOENIX — There were no blockbuster deals and only a couple of All-Star players were even moved at the 2024 Major League Baseball trade deadline.
Yet despite the lack of star power, there are seven contenders who have greatly benefited from their reinforcements, and fear just where they’d be without them.
‘I don’t want to even think about where we’d be,’ Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. ‘These guys have been huge for us. They’ve already made a big impact for us.’
The best under-the-radar gem found at the trade deadline was the discarded middle reliever from the Chicago White Sox, Michael Kopech. He was 2-8 with a 4.74 ERA for baseball’s worst team, and suddenly is 3-0 with a 0.59 ERA for the Dodgers, striking out 20 of the 57 batters he has faced.
‘It’s like they have a magic formula over there,’ Arizona Diamondbacks reliever Paul Sewald says. “Look at what he’s doing.’
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The Dodgers, trying to wrap up their 12th NL West title in the last 13 years, struck gold at the deadline without touching any of their prized prospects, landing starter Jack Flaherty, super utilityman Tommy Edman and Kopech.
Flaherty, who was with the Detroit Tigers, was on the verge of being traded to the New York Yankees until they balked after seeing his medicals, and tried to lower the price. The Dodgers snared him for the discount price of prospects Thayron Liranzo and Trey Sweeney. Flaherty is now the top starter on an injury-riddled staff, going 4-1 with a 3.18 ERA, and likely will pitch a Game 1 of the postseason. They also swung a three-way trade with the St. Louis Cardinals and White Sox, acquiring Edman and Kopech for nothing more than struggling outfielder Miguel Vargas, who’s hitting .116 with a .416 OPS since joining the White Sox.
They grabbed Gold Glove winner Kevin Kiermaier from Toronto, too.
‘I think,’ Kopech tells USA TODAY Sports, ‘it’s worked out pretty good for all of us. Really good.’
The Dodgers, just 11-13 in July, have gone 21-11 since July 31, and even with having no idea who will comprise their starting rotation in October, may be the finest team in the NL.
Here are the other teams who benefited the most with their under-the-radar moves at the trade and waiver deadlines:
San Diego Padres
Padres GM A.J. Preller, who traded away 12 of his top 15 prospects during the season, went all-in at the trade deadline.
He assembled the best bullpen in baseball by acquiring relievers Tanner Scott and Bryan Hoeing from the Miami Marlins and Jason Adam from the Tampa Bay Rays.
Just like that, they have turned their games into six-inning affairs.
The Padres entered Saturday 23-11 since the trade deadline, and a major-league best 31-13 since the All-Star break. They are an MLB-best 60-7 when scoring at least five runs this season.
Simply, with their late-inning bullpen reinforcements, they have as good a shot to win the World Series as any team in baseball.
Kansas City Royals
The Royals, in one of the greatest turnarounds in baseball history after losing 106 games last year, weren’t satisfied with just a winning record.
They made the most moves at the trade and waiver deadlines, coming up with infielder Paul DeJong, outfielders Tommy Pham and Robbie Grossman, starter Michael Lorenzen and reliever Hunter Harvey.
The Royals, in a stretch of playing 20 consecutive games against teams currently in a playoff spot, are hanging on for dear life but would be on the outside looking in without the moves.
DeJong has been fabulous since leaving the White Sox, hitting six home runs and driving in 15 runs while the waiver claims of Pham and Grossman and minor-league acquisition of Yuli Gurriel have combined to hit .324 with a .500 slugging percentage.
The Royals have plenty of depth now, and although it may be too late to catch Cleveland, they will finally be back in the postseason after an aggressive winter and trade deadline.
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks certainly didn’t plan to be aggressive at the deadline, but with a sudden rash of injuries, they jumped into the market and came out big winners.
They pounced on left-handed reliever A.J. Puk from the Miami Marlins, grabbed first baseman Josh Bell within 12 hours after losing Gold Glove first baseman Christian Walker, and signed Luis Guillorme in August after All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte went down.
Even with injuries that could have ruined their season, the trio made sure that the D-backs didn’t skip a beat, going 21-12. Puk is yielding a 0.56 ERA in his 19 games since his arrival, striking out 26 of 59 batters. Bell hit four homers in his first six games with the D-backs. And Guillorme has played sensational defense.
They have Walker and Marte back in the lineup now, will return to the postseason again, and will be threatening to wreak utter havoc just like a year ago.
‘It means a lot to us having an aggressive front office,’ D-backs third baseman Eugenio Suarez said. ‘I mean, one day after Walker gets hurt, there’s Bell walking through the door.
‘We know in our mind that we can play with the Dodgers. We know can play with anyone.’
Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles knew they needed help, particularly starting rotation depth, if they wanted to play deep in October.
So they decided to take a shot with Zach Eflin of the Tampa Bay Rays and Trevor Rogers of the Marlins, picked up Seranthony Dominguez and Gregory Soto for their shaky bullpen, and took a flier on struggling White Sox DH Eloy Jimenez.
Eflin has easily been the best starter moved at the deadline, going 5-1 with a 2.37 ERA, and slots in perfectly as the No. 2 starter in the postseason behind Corbin Burnes.
If not for Eflin, they wouldn’t be going toe-to-toe with the Yankees for the AL East title.
Houston Astros
Everyone was giggling at the trade deadline that the Astros gave up far too much for Yusei Kikuchi, sending prospects Jake Bloss, Joey Loperfido and Will Wagner to the Toronto Blue Jays.
Well, who’s laughing now?
Kikuchi is 4-0 with a 3.07 ERA, striking out 53 batters in 41 innings, while the Astros have won all seven of his starts.
He hardly looks like the same guy who was 4-9 with a 4.75 ERA with the Blue Jays, throwing fewer curveballs and more sliders while elevating his fastball.
The Astros rotation yielded a 2.51 ERA and the lowest batting average (.185) in a month by any team since 1968 after Kikuchi’s arrival. They have plenty of depth in a rotation featuring Framber Valdez, Justin Verlander, Hunter Brown, Ronel Blanco and Spencer Arrighetti.
Just like that, the Astros could be headed to their eighth consecutive ALCS and perhaps another World Series to go with it.
Cleveland Guardians
The Guardians’ starting rotation has been awful and they took a gamble signing Matthew Boyd, who was recovering from Tommy John surgery, to a major-league contract four weeks before the deadline. They took a flier on injured starter Alex Cobb of the Giants, who hadn’t thrown a pitch in the major leagues all season, too.
The total cost: $5 million.
Well, instead of providing a little stability, these two veterans have been instrumental in keeping the Guardians atop the AL Central.
Boyd is 2-1 with a 2.20 ERA in his five starts and Cobb, who had been recovering from hip surgery, is 2-1 with a 2.76 ERA in his three starts.
Not bad for two guys who hadn’t pitched a single inning in the big leagues until arriving in Cleveland.
You’ll see them on the national stage pitching in October for the Guardians.
Around the basepaths
– While there have been rumors swirling all season about front-office shakeups, there’s no evidence that any drastic changes will be made.
The Seattle Mariners are bringing back Jerry Dipoto, as the Seattle Times first reported, even though they likely will miss the playoffs for the 22nd time in 23 years.
A.J. Preller ended any speculation about his future with the San Diego Padres after slashing the payroll by $90 million, and having a dramatically improved team.
The Toronto Blue Jays could possibly shift GM Ross Atkins to a different role after failing to make the playoffs, but there’s no indication he will be dismissed.
The Pittsburgh Pirates, who are enduring their sixth consecutive losing season, are much more likely to make changes with manager Derek Shelton or his coaching staff than with GM Ben Cherington.
There is internal friction in the Chicago Cubs’ front office, high-ranking officials say, but despite their disappointing season, Jed Hoyer, president of baseball operations, will return in 2025.
The San Francisco Giants climbed over the luxury tax, brought in manager Bob Melvin and still have a losing season, but if Farhan Zaidi is trusted to negotiate a long-term contract for third baseman Matt Chapman, he is expected to return for at least one more year.
The St. Louis Cardinals could have a losing record in back-to-back years for the first time since 1958-59, but John Mozeliak, president of baseball operations, already announced that he will step down after the 2025 season, perhaps paving the way for Chaim Bloom. Responsibilities could shift, but no change is expected.
The Cincinnati Reds have not won a playoff game since 2012, but Nick Krall, president of baseball operations, should be safe while coaches on David Bell’s staff could be paying the price.
The Texas Rangers were expected to at least contend after winning the World Series a year ago, but it’s quite odd that GM Chris Young has yet to sign a contract extension. Still, it’s hard to believe he won’t be back.
If these teams don’t make the playoffs a year from now, well, that unemployment line could be rather long.
– While the White Sox have performed worse with Grady Sizemore than Pedro Grifol, Marlins manager Skip Schumaker continues to be the White Sox’s first choice to manage their club in 2025, but Schumaker is expected to have several options.
– No one outside Matt Chapman and his family is happier about his six-year, $151 million contract extension with the San Francisco Giants than Alex Bregman of the Houston Astros.
With Chapman off the free-agent board, Bregman is by far the top third baseman on the market with no real alternative.
– The advertising on the Dodgers’ outfield wall is generating $6.5 million this year, thanks to Shohei Ohtani, compared to $500,000 in 2023.
– Atlanta veteran Whit Merrifield says that there will be penalties for pitchers next season that hit batters with fastballs towards the head after the MLB Competition Committee’s latest meeting.
“We’ll have something in place by the time the season starts next year,” Merrifield told Atlanta reporters. “I’d be shocked if we didn’t. … Everybody’s in agreement, it’s just about what is the punishment going to be, and how are we going to word it.”
The number of hit batters has skyrocketed with the increased velocity among pitchers. There were 657 batters hit by pitches in 1980. There were 2,112 hit batsmen last year, which could be eclipsed this year.
– The San Diego Padres traded All-Star outfielder Juan Soto, lost Blake Snell, Josh Hader, Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo in free agency, but they’re a much better team than a year ago with players raving about manager Mike Shildt and the clubhouse culture.
Certainly, they are much more resilient than a year ago when they were the most underachieving team in baseball.
The Padres went 2-12 in extra innings in 2023, hitting .169 in extras.
This year, they are 8-1 in extra innings, batting .412.
They have had four comebacks of at least five runs this season, and 21 victories in games they trailed by two or more runs, 13 more than a year ago.
– The scouting industry took a massive hit this week, particularly in Chicago with the White Sox dismissing veteran pro scouts Billy Scherer, Joe Siers, Bruce Benedict and Duraka Shaheed, along with special assistant Marco Paddy, who was in charge of their international scouting. On the North Side, the Cubs fired four younger scouts while slashing their budget.
The Cubs also told their scouting department that they no longer will scout games at any level except the complex league and Dominican Summer League.
Brutal.
– The Houston Astros and New York Mets have gone from 11 games under .500 to 11 over .500, and if they remain 11 games over .500 it will mark only the third season where multiple teams accomplished the feat, joining the Houston Astros and Oakland A’s in 2005 and the St. Louis Browns and New York Giants in 1916.
– Chris Sale, who is a shoo-in for the NL Cy Young award, now has 11 career games in which he’s pitched at least seven shutout innings, striking out nine or more batters, and allowing six or fewer hits with no walks.
The only other man to accomplish the feat?
Sale’s idol, Hall of Famer Randy Johnson.
– Remember when the New York Yankees looked almost unbeatable and had an MLB-best 50-22 record on June 14?
They since have gone 32-38, even after winning the first two games of their series this weekend against the Cubs.
– It’s hard enough for pitchers to throw no-hitters these days when they’re rarely facing a lineup three times in a game before their manager is ready to yank them.
Pitchers have been taken out of a game 45 times the last three years with a no-hitter though at least five innings, including 12 times this year.
– The Yankees have just three weeks to figure out their closer situation before the playoffs start.
Clay Holmes, who had a 0.00 ERA in his first 20 games, has a 5.14 ERA dating back to May 20, blowing a major-league leading 11 saves.
– How strong has the Padres bullpen been this season?
When Robert Suarez gave up a game-winning, grand slam in the ninth inning Thursday to Parker Meadows of the Detroit Tigers, it was the first time the Padres lost a game when their starting pitcher handed their bullpen a lead since June 2.
– You think Manny Machado plays a huge impact in the Padres’ success?
The Padres were 37-40 on June 18 with Machado getting off to the worst start of his career with a .661 OPS.
Since then, he has a .919 OPS, and the Padres are 43-21. They are 24-0 this season when he drives in two or more runs in a game.
“It has to be always me,” Machado told the San Diego Union-Tribune. “If we’re going to win, I have to perform. That’s just what it is.’
– Why was it so special for Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. to travel to the Oakland Coliseum one last time to say good-bye?
“It’s where I got my first hit,” Griffey said.
Griffey, the Mariners starting center fielder at the age of 19, hit a double off 20-game winner Dave Stewart for his first major-league hit.
– Pretty cool company for Texas Rangers rookie Wyatt Langford.
He became only the second player in MLB history to hit a walk-off grand slam, an inside-the-park homer and hit for the cycle in the same season.
The other?
Jackie Robinson.
– Texas Rangers veteran Nathan Eovaldi has been a godsend for Texas, going 23-12 (.657) in 50 starts in his two seasons with the club. It’s the third-highest winning percentage by a Rangers pitcher in his first 50 starts behind Cole Hamels and Kenny Rogers.
– While Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal is a lock to be the AL Cy Young award winner, he has a chance to join an exclusive group: Leading the major leagues in victories, ERA and strikeouts.
The only two pitchers to win the pitching triple crown: Mets starter Dwight Gooden in 1985 and Mets starter Johan Santana in 2006.
– Marcell Ozuna’s chances of winning the NL Triple Crown have evaporated, but he has been a model of consistency with on-base streaks of 27, 24 and 23 games.
– If the Babe Ruth trade was the worst in Boston Red Sox history, the Sale trade to Atlanta may be the second-worst.
Sale will be the unanimous winner of the NL Cy Young award, leading every pitching triple crown category. He has yielded two or fewer runs in 15 consecutive games.
The Red Sox not only received just infielder Vaughn Grissom in return, but they included $17 million in the deal, paying Sale’s entire 2024 salary.
– You know it’s ugly in Pittsburgh when first baseman Rowdy Tellez pitches three times in 12 days during the Pirates’ blowout losses while the team has now been limited to one run or less 30 times.
– The White Sox might be a playoff team if only the games lasted six innings.
They are 27-22 when leading after six innings this year, and 5-88 when tied or trailing after six innings.
They have won one game since May 5 when tied or trailing after six innings.
– Luis Arraez hasn’t struck out in 105 plate appearances, is hitting .368 with runners in scoring position and even has a .280 batting average with two strikes.
– The Mariners may be spending all winter lamenting their failures in one-run games this season, going 6-17 in one-run games since June 19.
– You knew there was something more than just a bruised shin that caused Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker to be out for three months until returning Friday.
It turns out that his shin was fractured.
– The Dodgers have no idea who will comprise their starting rotation outside Jack Flaherty when the playoffs start now that Gavin Stone went on the injured list with an inflamed shoulder.
The Dodgers have used 17 starters this year, and 11 have gone on the injured list.
– The Phillies have won 31 consecutive games in which the starting pitcher completes at least seven innings, the second-longest streak in baseball history behind only the 1942 St. Louis Cardinals’ (42).
– Garrett Crochet, the only bright spot in the White Sox’s dismal season, will pitch the rest of the season without being shut down.
– While Shohei Ohtani will be the first full-time DH to win the MVP award this season, let’s not forget, Don Baylor won the AL MVP with the Angels in 1979 when he started 65 games as the DH.
– Congratulations to Darren Baker, son of Dusty Baker, who was the eighth son of a former big-leaguer to make his major league debut this year:
He joins Griffin Conine, Grant McCray, Will Wagner, Jacob Wilson, Angel Martinez, Jack Leiter and Jackson Holliday.
– RIP Tony Attanasio, the longtime agent for stars ranging from Dave Stewart to Ichiro Suzuki, who passed away at the age of 84 in San Diego.
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