The AL East is the most highly contested division at this point in the season, with four of the five teams still in contention for at least a Wild Card spot.  The AL East teams acted accordingly at the trade deadline, with almost every team making a move this week for a final push before the playoff run.  Here is a look at the trades each team made leading up to the trade deadline.

Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles might have been the busiest team at the deadline, acquiring starting pitchers Scott Feldman from the Cubs, and Bud Norris from the Astros, and relief pitcher Francisco Rodriguez from the Brewers.  Pitching was an obvious need for the Orioles, but neither of the starters they acquired will move to the top of the rotation, and an ace of the staff is really what the Orioles were lacking.  Rodriguez could move into the closer role if Jim Johnson continues to struggle, as he is having as good of a year as he has had since playing for the Angels.

Boston Red Sox

While Baltimore might have been the busiest team at the trade deadline this year, Boston might have acquired the biggest name available in starting pitcher Jake Peavy from the White Sox.  With Boston’s rotation dealing with injury concerns, Peavy is a huge addition to the staff who can step in for Clay Buchholz as the ace of the staff while he is on the disabled list.  The acquisition of Peavy did not come cheap for the Red Sox, as they had to give up AL Rookie of the Year candidate Jose Iglesias and some other top prospects in order to get the deal done.  With the Rays playing like they have been, there was a lot of talk that the Red Sox felt like they had to make a move in order to keep up at the top of the division, and Peavy should certainly help them do that.

New York Yankees

The Yankees reunited with outfielder Alfonso Soriano in a trade with the Cubs at the deadline this year.  The Yankees have been struggling with injuries all year, particularly with their power hitters, so they needed a right-handed power hitter to help them keep up in the Wild Card race for the rest of the season.  At eight games back, Soriano probably won’t be enough to help the Yankees catch up to the Rays or the Red Sox, but he might help enough for them to sneak into that second Wild Card spot.

Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays seemed to be active in trying to obtain some help on offense, but weren’t able to make a move to improve their lineup before the deadline.  They were able to trade for one of the best relievers on the market in Jesse Crain from the White Sox.  Crain could be a huge addition to the team, with the only problem being that he hasn’t pitched in over a month due to a shoulder injury.  As long as he can come back from the disabled list and pitch like he did in the first half of the season, Crain should be a nice piece to help the Rays in the playoffs.

Toronto Blue Jays

Toronto was the only team in the AL East that failed to make a trade before the deadline.  There were rumors that they were active buyers on the trade market, despite being in last place in the division, mostly looking for long-term upgrades, particularly in the infield.  If those rumors were true, I would expect the Blue Jays to be active in trying to trade for a player who has cleared waivers in August, and also in the offseason.  It’s clear that the Blue Jays feel like they are not too far off from being a contender in the future, due to the fact that they weren’t trading any of their talented players to a contending team at the trade deadline.