The trade deadline has passed and it was a quiet year to say the least. With the addition of a second wild card spot a lot of teams believe that they are still in the running for the playoffs, therefore they do not want to move any pieces.Of all the divisions in baseball the National League East seemed to be right in the middle as far as trading is concerned. We all knew that the Miami Marlins would be selling as this has became a normal ritual for this struggling team for the past few years. Below is a few of the trades and how every team is looking with their new set lineups.
Standings:
Atlanta Braves 63-45
Washington Nationals 52-56
Philadelphia Phillies 50-57
New York Mets 48-58
Miami Marlins 42-65
First off we will look at the Atlanta Braves who are leading the NL East by 11 games. Since Eric O'Flaherty and Jonny Venters are both out for the year the Braves were desperate to get some left handed relief help. Frank Wren made a small yet important trade to get relief pitcher Scott Downs. Downs was traded from the Los Angeles Angels for prospect Cory Rasmus, younger brother of big leaguer Colby Rasmus. This trade was very important for the Atlanta Braves to make and it makes their bullpen even more of a threat. This team currently has the best relief ERA in all of baseball and the third baseball overall ERA at 3.32 behind only the Cincinnati Reds (3.30) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (3.03).
Wren hinted at the Braves going after another bench bat to help solidify their beat up bench. This trade would likely happen within the next few weeks and is possible due to the fact that the trade deadline is really only the “non waiver trade deadline”. Look for the Braves to go after a infielder and gain on their 11 game lead.
On to the Washington Nationals who are in second place in the standings. This team has been a huge disappointment this year as their bats have been horrific and their pitching inconsistent. They stayed quiet at the trade deadline due to the fact that they still play the Braves nine more times and believe they can come back from this horrible slump. If the Nationals keep losing they are bound to shed some fat but for the time being this squad is laying low and waiting. A lot like how the Nationals have played this year is like their trade deadline, quiet.
Next up is the struggling Philadelphia Phillies. This team really failed overall this year and you have to put some of that blame of general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. Not only did they sign injury prone Ryan Howard to one of the worst deals in baseball history; 5 years, 125 million but they failed to trade anybody! I don't know if their manager has something up his sleeve or if they are just failing to realize the mistakes they are making. Young’s contract is for five years and his stock is rising. They are now going to hold onto him and continue to be a sub .500 team. He is batting .282 with eight home runs and 34 RBIs. He will continue to bat in the number two spot for Philly and this team will continue to struggle.
The New York Mets were another “loser” at the trade deadline; as for some strange reason they decided to hold on to Marlon Byrd. He is only signed to a one year contract and has been putting up pretty good numbers. Good enough numbers to the point where if the Mets traded him they could get something decent in return. His .283 batting average is 22nd in the National League and his 17 homers is tied for ninth in the NL. My only question to the Mets is WHY DIDN’T YOU TRADE THIS MAN?! It doesn’t make any sense and with that being said this club has got to be at the top of most “loser” lists for the trade deadline.
Finally we have the loveable Miami Marlins. This team doesn’t want any trouble. All they want is to come to the ballpark, get beat and make their money. Everyone knew they were going to bad this year and a trade was inevitable. The Marlins made one of the bigger trades of the deadline as they got rid of Ricky Nolasco in exchange for three below average pitching prospects. Can you blame this club though? They have no shot of doing anything this year and are hoping the next three seasons speed by so they can at least compete again.
Overall the NL East was mainly sellers this year as the Atlanta Braves are the only team in the division with a record above .500. Clearly, the Braves are the winners of the trade deadline for the East and should take the division title comfortably as long as they maintain pace. As for the Nationals you might look to see them make some post non waiver moves in the upcoming weeks, likely after the series coming up with Atlanta.