MLB Trade Deadline Buyers & Sellers

The MLB trade deadline passed yesterday afternoon with a flurry of last minute deals.  The addition of an extra Wild Card team in each league has kept playoff hopes alive for several teams that in previous years would have been considered out of the race at this point, which may have limited the pool of potential sellers as the deadline approached.  With more of a demand for impact talent than there was to supply, some teams were left without a partner at the trade table.  Those that were able to swing deals for a difference maker for the home stretch may have added the missing pieces to put their team over the top.

Now that the deadline dust has settled, let's look at the teams that were buyers and sellers.

Buyers

LA Angels:

The biggest prize on the trade market this season was Zack Greinke.  He gives the Angels a legitimate ace to join an already loaded rotation, which also includes Jared Weaver, CJ Wilson and Dan Haren.  As a former Cy Young award winner, Greinke is an elite pitcher capable of dominating hitters.  While his current 3.39 ERA may not appear to be anything special in today's pitcher friendly era, his advanced statistics show he is a much better pitcher than that number suggests.  He averages a strikeout per inning and has a FIP of 2.45.  Blame an above average BABIP and poor infield defense from the Brewers for the discrepancy in his ERA and what should be expected based on how well he's pitched.  Greinke is an ace.  With questions about Haren's health and the disappointing season for Ervin Santana, the Angels went out and shored up their rotation with a front line starter that should be worth an extra couple of wins over the remainder of the season.  If Haren can get healthy and pitch to his ability, the Angels should enter the postseason with the most imposing starting rotation in the majors.

Red Sox approach the trade deadline

Here we are, less than a week away from the July 31st trade deadline, where the Boston Red Sox find themselves in the basement of the highly competitive AL East division.  They are a game under .500 (49-50) and 4.5 games out of a Wild Card spot.  While that may not appear to be an insurmountable lead, consider that there are currently 7 teams ahead of them in the race.  The Yankees are running away with the division title and have a 10.5 game lead over Boston, so we're past the point of hoping to pull closer in that race.  Remember last season, when this team agonized through a historic September collapse?  They would pretty much have to do the opposite of that over the next two months just to claim a Wild Card spot, which only puts them in position to play a one game playoff for the chance to advance to the ALCS.  As the deadline rapidly approaches, the Red Sox have some tough questions to consider to determine whether they will be buyers or sellers.

The case can be made that a staggering amount of injuries that has plagued the team all season is the culprit for their disappointing season.  Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford both missed most of the season and as soon as they returned, David Ortiz hit the disabled list.  The team has yet to have their full lineup together for a single game all season.  As the team slowly gets it's roster healthy, these additions should prove to be far greater than most additions other teams will trade for this week.  There is still a lot of talent on this team (as there should be with a payroll of nearly $150 million - 4th highest in the majors), so the hope is that in the end, talent wins out.  The roster is littered with underachievers, particularly in the starting rotation, where the drop off in production from aces Jon Lester and Josh Beckett has been baffling.  Despite all the injuries, their offense is still the second highest scoring team in the majors.  If the pitching improves to anywhere near expectations, the team would be in good shape.  The question is, can we expect them to turn it around at this point and is it too late?

Dream Deam vs Today's Team

It's been an ongoing debate this week, fueled by players past and present.  Who would win in a match up between the 1992 Dream Team and the current Team USA group preparing to represent their country in the upcoming Olympics this summer?

"It'd be a tough one, but I think we'd pull it out," said Kobe Bryant, when asked if this team could beat the legendary group filled with Hall of Famers.

Not so fast, fired back a few members from that original team, including Michael Jordon, Scottie Pippen and Charles Barkley.  They all had a rather gloomy outlook when it came to the prospect of this team even being anywhere near their level.

Personally, I like Larry Bird's response: "They probably could [beat us].  I haven't played in 20 years and we're all old now."  Clever answer Larry Legend, but let's presume that this conversation is about how the current team would do against the 1992 version of the players from those teams, not the group of old men that they have since become.

Early Free Agency Winners & Losers

It seems like the rumors have been swirling for months, but NBA Free Agency didn't officially begin until July 1st.  Teams couldn't officially sign or trade players until July 11th.  Needless to say, it's still relatively early in the process, but we've already seen a flurry of player movement this week.  With most of the big names already off the market, let's take a look at some of the teams that have gotten off to a great start this off-season, as well as others that have made some questionable moves.

Keep in mind that it's still early in the off-season.  There is still time for teams to bolster their roster with the remaining free agents or swing a trade that could improve their outlook from what we see now.

Winners

Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks were busy early by getting involved in the off-season's first blockbuster trade.  New GM Danny Ferry had a lot of work to do to clean up the mess of his predecessors, who had built a team that appeared to have topped out with a second round playoff ceiling.  His first move was to unload Joe Johnson's enormous contract on the Nets for a pile of expiring contracts.  Johnson is an All-Star player, but not close to being worth the max contract that makes him one of the league's highest paid players.  As his game begins to deteriorate, that contract will be a cap clogging albatross that could have hamstrung the franchise for years.  Now it's someone else's problem.  They also managed to unload Marvin Williams, a useful player that had become a disappointment after never living up to his high draft spot (remember, he was drafted ahead of Chris Paul and Deron Williams).  They took back Devin Harris' expiring contract in that deal, meaning they will have even more money coming off their books after this season.  These moves may appear to be a step back for now, but it sets them up for a considerable make over next season, when they'll have the cap space to chase an elite free agent or two.  Atlanta native Dwight Howard is rumored to be one of their targets.  Now that Brooklyn appears to be a long shot, would D12 give his hometown a look next summer?  The Hawks could also entice Orlando in a trade this summer with a package involving Al Horford and Jeff Teague.  Either way, Atlanta now has to be considered one of the top threats to obtain Howard, which should keep his friend Josh Smith interested in sticking around past this year.  None of that would have been possible without first unloading those burdensome long term contracts, which makes their moves thus far a success.

Boston Celtics

The C's wrapped up priority #1 before the free agency period even began by signing Kevin Garnett to a three year extension.  That was a huge win for Boston, considering KG was considering retirement.  Instead of rebuilding, the Celtics are re-loading.  Brandon Bass agreed to a modest new three year deal after opting out of his player option.  A healthy Jeff Green is expected to sign a new deal and show the team he's capable of living up to the expectations that enticed them to trade for him in the Kendrick Perkins deal two years ago.  The only major loss the team has suffered this off-season was when Ray Allen spurned their offer to take his talents to South Beach for half the price.  That one had to sting a bit, but it wasn't unexpected.  Danny Ainge acted swiftly in securing a contingency plan in case Allen didn't return by signing Jason Terry.  As tough as it is to see the Big Three broken up after their five year run together, Terry is a better fit for this team right now.  He's two years younger, healthier and more comfortable coming off the bench.  The former sixth man of the year should become a potent scoring weapon off the bench.  Expect the Jet to fit right in with this veteran team and play an important role.  A team that was only 8 minutes away from advancing to the Finals last season now appears stronger than ever.

Nets thinking big, while Hawks clean house

Desperate to make a move to entice star point guard Derron Williams to re-sign with the team as they make their move to Brooklyn, the Nets pulled off a bold trade for what was once believed to be one of the league's most unmovable contracts.  The Nets will send a boatload of expiring contracts (Jordan Farmar, Johan Petro, Jordan Williams, Anthony Morrow and DeShawn Stevenson), plus a future lottery protected pick (via Houston) to Atlanta for Joe Johnson.

Brooklyn takes a heavy risk in taking on Johnson's contract.  While he is coming off an All-Star season, he's far from deserving of holding the league's largest contract, which still has four years at nearly $90 million left on it.  The contract makes him overpaid now, but given that he's already 31 years old, it will look like an albatross long before it's over.  However, the Nets needed some insurance that they would begin their new era in Brooklyn with a marketable All-Star caliber talent on board in the event that Derron Williams bolts for his hometown Dallas team as a free agent this summer.  More importantly, Williams is said to be pleased with the trade, which may increase their chances of retaining him.  A starting lineup of Williams, Johnson, Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries and Brook Lopez isn't a title contending core, but should certainly be enough to put them back in the playoffs.