How're you feeling in the wake of the MLB trade deadline? Are you excited about the absolute haul that your team just picked up? Are you ready to picket outside of your team's general manager's office with spitballs at the ready?
We here at Chat Sports feel your joy and your pain, which is why we're here to give you our thoughts on how each MLB team graded out after one of the busiest July 31st spectaculars in recent memory.
Note: Our grades take into account all trades and transactions made in the month of July, not just those which came in under the wire during Thursday's tradepocalypse.
AL West
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Oakland Athletics: Losing Yoenis Cespedes and super-prospect is going to hurt, but adding one proven playoff ace (Jon Lester) and a borderline #1 starter with an extra year of team control is enough to make the A's legitimate favorites for their first World Series crown in 25 years. Who needs Moneyball anyhow? Grade: A
Los Angeles Angels: Manager Mike Scioscia finally has a legitimately solid bullpen to work with going into the stretch run, with former San Diego Padres closer Huston Street now anchoring the back end. The cost was high for the shutdown reliever, however, leaving the already-tapped Angels to watch the division-leading A's tearing up the trade market at the deadline. Grade: B+
Seattle Mariners: Despite multiple reports about teams getting frustrated with GM Jack Zdurencik's negotiation style, the Mariners boss somehow turned backup middle infielder Nick Franklin into a legitimate starting center fielder with pop in Austin Jackson. That magic act warrants a high grade, despite the Mariners missing on landing a front-of-the-line starter. Grade: A-
Houston Astros: Selling on Jarred Cosart while his value was still high was a very smart move...especially seeing that the team picked up promising prospects Jake Marisnick and Colin Moran in return. However, failing to extract value out of veteran relievers Tony Sipp and Chad Qualls can be seen as a missed opportunity. Grade: C+
Texas Rangers: The Rangers picked up a solid haul in return for relievers Joakim Soria and Jason Frasor, headlined by the acquisition of reliever Corey Knebel from the Tigers. While they likely could have gone even farther with their rebuilding process by offloading outfielder Alex Rios, the Rangers are in good position to put the pieces back together once their myriad of injuries heal up in 2015. Grade: B+
AL Central
Detroit Tigers: David Price. Joakim Soria. While the Tigers parted with a ton of talent both MLB-level (Austin Jackson, Drew Smyly, Corey Knebel) and on the farm (RHP Jake Thompson) this July, they are now primed and ready to lock horns with the Oakland Athletics in the most-anticipated hypothetical playoff series in quite some time. Grade: A+
Kansas City Royals: Picking up reliever Jason Frasor from the Texas Rangers for a mid-level minor league relief pitcher was a coup, especially considering Frasor's 2.97 ERA this season. However, the suddenly relevant Royals desperately need another bat in what has been an inconsistent, sometimes-flailing lineup. They didn't get one. August, maybe? Grade: C
Cleveland Indians: Picking up 2012 first-round pick and possible future starting outfielder James Ramsey in return for a struggling Justin Masterson was a solid move. Extracting coveted infield prospect Zach Walters from the Washington Nationals for the underperforming Asdrubal Cabrera was an even better one. Grade: A-
Chicago White Sox: All was quiet on the Southside front. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing depends upon whether players such as second baseman Gordon Beckham and starting John Danks start playing up to their former production levels. Barring an August waiver trade, the winter might be GM Rick Hahn's focus going forward. Grade: C
Minnesota Twins: The Twins' July of under-the-radar wheeling and dealing was an impressive one. They picked up a young starting pitcher with playoff experience in Tommy Milone from the A's in exchange for outfielder Sam Fuld - who had already been designated for assignment by the A's earlier this year. Add in dumping Kendrys Morales to the Mariners for potential future bullpen piece Stephen Pryor, and it was a solid and sneaky month for the Twins. Grade: A-
AL East
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Baltimore Orioles: Picking up dominant reliever Andrew Miller from the Red Sox was a nice move...except for the fact that it cost the O's a potential future stud in minor league pitching prospect Eduardo Rodriguez. Add in the fact that the O's couldn't land a top-tier or second-tier starting pitcher to augment their rotation, and this is a wait-and-see kind of month for Buck Showalter's crew. Grade: C+
Toronto Blue Jays: Adding infielder Danny Valencia in a deal with the Kansas City Royals was a nice little move, but that's it. GM Alex Anthopoulos was tasked with making a good Blue Jays team legitimate title contenders, and he didn't do it...even garnering a public display of disappointment from star Jose Bautista. Yikes. Grade: C-
New York Yankees: No headline deals? No matter. GM Brian Cashman was the king of the minor move this July, protecting the most coveted of his prospects while adding three infield pieces (Martin Prado, Stephen Drew, Chase Headley) and suddenly lights-out starting pitcher Brandon McCarthy. It was a deadline well done, despite leaving the tabloids wanting. Grade: A-
Tampa Bay Rays: This is all relative. Landing promising young starting pitcher Drew Smyly, second baseman Nick Franklin, and infield prospect Willy Adames is not a bad day at the office...except when the cost is a year and two months of David bleeping Price. Seeing that the A's had to give up super-prospect Addison Russell, 2013 1st round draft pick Billy McKinney, and two other pieces for Jeff Samardzija and the suddenly-hittable Jason Hammel, this deal is lacking something...and it feels like something big, at least for now. Grade: C-
Boston Red Sox: Losing starting pitchers Jon Lester and John Lackey isn't necessarily ideal, but Boston GM Ben Cherington turned a fire sale headlined by these two top arms into an amazing retooling of the team's MLB club and farm system. Chief among those pickups are five-tool All-Star outfielder Yoenis Cespedes and the third-best prospects in the Orioles' farm system in pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez. Add in a new #5 hitter in Allen Craig and a new starting pitcher in Joe Kelly, and this might be the most impressive reward-over-risk deconstruction of a roster in recent memory. Grade: A+
NL West
Los Angeles Dodgers: GM Ned Colletti stuck to his guns, refusing to part with top prospects Joc Pederson, Corey Seager, and Julio Urias. While that meant no blockbuster deals for the boys in blue, the Dodgers seem comfortable with their identity and roster construction heading into the stretch. However, another bullpen arm would have been nice... Grade: C+
San Francisco Giants: Matt Cain is likely out for the season (or the majority of it) with bone chips in his throwing elbow, putting the onus on struggling veteran starter Jake Peavy to turn his season around after a dismal start to the year in Boston. If that wasn't disconcerting enough, the NL's worst-hitting second base corps might be even more meager return-wise after the acquisition of .149 hitter Dan Uggla. Uh oh. Grade: D -
Colorado Rockies: Nothing happened (except dealing starter Chris Capuano for cash considerations), and that's not a good thing for a Rockies team seemingly on the edge of organizational implosion. Troy Tulowitzki (or is it Tulowizki) is not impressed. Grade: D
San Diego Padres: Landing four top-ten prospects from the Los Angeles Angels in return for closer Huston Street and a minor league arm was a heck of a move for a Padres team looking towards the future. While the same can't be said about the trade of Chase Headley to the Yankees, the sheer talent haul of the Street deal makes this a plus July for the Friars. Grade: A-
Arizona Diamondbacks: Dealing infielder Martin Prado to the Yankees is a tough one, but when you pick up a slugging catching prospect in Peter O'Brien who has 33 home runs in 386 at-bats in the minors, it doesn't sting nearly as much. The Brandon McCarthy deal looks bad now because of his torrid start with the Yankees, but the financial relief of offloading his $10.25 million salary (and perhaps Vidal Nuno) was worth it. Grade: B+
NL Central
Milwaukee Brewers: Adding two-time Gold Glove outfielder Geraldo Parra in a trade with the Diamondbacks was an underrated move, giving the Brewers needed depth for the final two months of the campaign. The Brewers would have loved to have done more - especially in the form of landing a right-handed relief pitcher - but they'll likely go to battle with what brought them to the dance in the first place. Grade: C+
St. Louis Cardinals:The Cardinals overhauled 2/5 of their starting rotation in separate deals for John Lackey and Justin Masterson. Losing Allen Craig and Joe Kelly might not have been exactly what the team was looking for, but potential star Oscar Tavares is still around and Lackey gives the Cardinals a proven veteran starter to trot out at the front of the rotation come October. Grade: B+
Pittsburgh Pirates: Nothing of note here, which can be seen as a great thing (baseball's best minor league system remains intact) and a bad thing (no impact moves for what will be a melee in the division). Split the difference on the Buccos' July. Grade: C
Cincinnati Reds: The team needed an impact bat or even two. They didn't get one. In an absolutely crowded NL Central and NL Wild Card field, sitting on your hands is probably not the way to separate yourself from the field. Outfielder Ryan Ludwick could be gone via waiver trade this August, but his muted season so far isn't going to fetch the team much in the way of MLB talent. Grade: D+
Chicago Cubs: The Cubs' entire July is made sweeter by the acquisition of legitimate impact shortstop prospect Addison Russell. Even losing starting pitchers Jeff Samardzija (who was likely on borrowed time anyways) and Jason Hammel pales in comparison to the fact that the Cubs pried away a potential franchise cornerstone as part of said six-player deal with the A's. Emilio Bonfacio's gone and so is James Russell, but this was a heck of a July for the future of the Cubbies. Grade: A
NL East
Washington Nationals: Acquiring Asdrubal Cabrera from the Cleveland Indians isn't the banner move that it would have been a couple of years ago, but it provides the team an upgrade at second base over Danny Espinosa. The Nationals didn't do much else, which isn't too big of a deal for one of the more complete rosters in the National League. Grade: B-
Atlanta Braves: They waited until the 11th hour of the deadline to do it, but the Braves got the utility man (Emilio Bonifacio) and left-handed reliever (James Russell) that they needed in one deal with the Cubs. The Braves didn't lose much in return as well, making this a solid finish to what had been a quiet July. Grade: A-
Miami Marlins: Giving up top prospect Colin Moran to the Houston Astros in a six-player deal headlined by the acquisition of starting pitcher Jarred Cosart could come back to bite the Marlins franchise down the road. Granted, the Marlins are trying to win now, but Cosart's dismal July ERA (8.02) isn't going to help matters if his current trend continues. Grade: C
New York Mets: The Mets didn't do much of anything. They would have liked to have dealt 41-year-old starting pitcher Bartolo Colon for more organizational depth, but his advanced age and concerns about the sustainability of his health/stuff (plus an $11 million price tag for 2015) halted deals before they can begin. However, the Mets still have a wealth of young arms to use as trade chips, so the winter should be an interesting one for the New York Metropolitans. Grade: C
Philadelphia Phillies: If any one team needed to make a move (or several), it would be the expensive, aging Phillies. GM Ruben Amaro fielded inquiries on a dozen potential trade chips and didn't pull the trigger on one single deal. While Amaro has come out in defense of his inaction by stating that the returns offered weren't worth the loss, a team desperately in need of a new, youthful identity was held in frustrating stasis for the time being. Grade: D-
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