With Major League Baseball’s trade deadline officially over, we officially can take a look at what transpired – and there were some rather unexpected turns.
With all due respect to the trade graders out there, no one has any idea how these deals will ultimately pan out. Each needs an “Incomplete” for at least two months, if not several years.
But who was traded, who stayed pat and what oddities played out, well, we can analyze that. Here are five things we learned from the 2023 MLB trade deadline activity.
You can go home again
Perhaps the most impactful deal of deadline day is also the most intriguing. The New York Mets sent 40-year-old right-hander Justin Verlander and cash to the Houston Astros for top outfield prospects Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford.
Verlander joined the Mets this offseason, signing a two-year, $86.7 million deal with a conditional, $35 million player option for 2025, leaving behind an Astros team that he helped lead to the World Series title in 2022.
And now Verlander is back in Houston, where he is beloved in the city and the clubhouse. The Mets will pay at least $35 million of his remaining two-year salary and half of the player option if it is triggered, according to MLB.com.
Sentiments aside, the Astros just acquired a future Hall of Famer who is still adding to his legacy. This singular move may make the Astros the favorite to represent the AL in the World Series.
The Dismantlin’ Mets may make history
Collectively, this is the biggest story of the deadline. And, to an extent, the most surprising. It’s like Elon Musk decided to have a yard sale. Take a look at all the Teslas on the Mets’ front lawn.
The Mets have the highest payroll in baseball, by far. But because they were stuck in fourth place in the NL East at five games under .500, they sprinkled some of their better players throughout the league this week: starters Verlander and Max Scherzer, closer David Robertson and outfielders Mark Canha and Tommy Pham.
Mets GM Billy Eppler made a point last week that his team wasn’t having a fire sale or a liquidation, but if it walks and quacks like a duck … Sure, the Mets will be spending again this offseason, and they just added some solid prospects to a middling system. But they also just dealt away two Hall of Fame starters and a guy with 172 career saves. The Mets could end up as the most expensive last-place team in baseball history. That’s not a badge of courage.
A.J. Preller is not a seller
Another high-salary, high-profile club that could have sold this week is the San Diego Padres. But general manager A.J. Preller is one of baseball’s most aggressive executives. He doesn’t believe in a white flag, especially after the Padres swept the Rangers last weekend.
So, Preller didn’t dangle one of the game’s best closers in Josh Hader or one of its hottest starters in Blake Snell. Instead, he added 43-year-old lefty Rich Hill, designated hitter Ji-man Choi, first baseman Garrett Cooper and late-inning reliever Scott Barlow. The Padres entered play on Tuesday with a 52-55 record, fourth place in the NL West and seventh in wild card race.
But Preller kept adding. You have to love the chutzpah and the consistency. Take that, Mets.
Say Goodbye to Hollywood
We all figured going into the deadline the Los Angeles Dodgers were going to pick up a starter. Their rotation has been hit with injuries, and they dealt away Noah Syndergaard last week. But they are still one of the best teams in baseball and have a system that can certainly bring in a quality starter.
And, reportedly, they thought they had their man in Detroit Tigers lefty Eduardo Rodriguez. According to multiple reports, Rodriguez had the Dodgers on his limited no-trade list and decided to evoke the right to stiff them. That’s his call. That’s what no-trade clauses are for.
But to see the big-money, big-market Dodgers get rejected is a shocker. And it left them with little time to fill the rotation need. The Dodgers settled for Kansas City’s Ryan Yarbrough, a solid lefty who hasn’t posted an ERA under 4.00 since 2020. He’s certainly not the same pedigree as the highly talented Rodriguez.
A shifting in the AL East?
Heading into Tuesday, the AL East standings weren’t exactly in-step with the public perception of the division. The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees are at the bottom, and the Baltimore Orioles and the Tampa Bay Rays are at the top. And that’s how deadline dealings unfolded, too.
The Orioles and Rays made the biggest splashes in the division, adding starters Jack Flaherty and Aaron Civale, respectively. The third-place Blue Jays traded for shortstop Paul DeJong and reliever Jordan Hicks to fill some injury concerns on the big-league roster.
And as for the mighty Red Sox and Yankees? Boston picked up veteran infielder Luis Urías and the Yankees snagged reliever Keynan Middleton. Moves that barely blipped the radar while their division opponents were jumping into the contending pool. Again, another surprising development in what was an odd but entertaining trade deadline.
Dan Connolly is an MLB Insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter.