The Hot Stove is turned off and the 2016 MLB Trade Deadline has passed. There were a few major moves, as most of the expected names like Jay Bruce and Jonathan Lucroy were traded. The biggest names (like Chris Sale) stayed put, although he could be shopped again in the offseason. With the moves finalized, it's time to take a look at what we learned from the 2016 MLB Trade Deadline.
We're going to include deals from the previous few days as well (mostly so we can talk about the Andrew Miller trade). If you're looking for the Winners and Losers, click here. Where applicable, we've linked to the trade details, just in case you forgot who went where during the chaos.
Yankees (Finally) Sold
The ownership of the Yankees didn't want to sell. But GM Brian Cashman finally got his way, sending Aroldis Chapman to the Cubs earlier last week, and Andrew Miller to the Indians. And the Yankees got return returns for both, especially from the Indians (more on them below). The Yankees weren't done there, shipping Carlos Beltran to the Rangers and Ivan Nova to the Pirates. It's just a player-to-be-named later for Nova, but the Yankees got something. I thought getting 2015 No. 4 overall pick Dillon Tate was a great return, despite his issues on the mound this year. The Yankees finally entered a rebuilding phase, but Cashman has set them up well in the long-term with his impressive trades.
Rangers Are All-In
I'm a bit concerned the Rangers gave up too much to land Jonathan Lucroy, Jeremy Jeffress and Carlos Beltran, sending out Tate and their No. 2 and No. 3 prospects. But there's no doubt they got a heck of a lot better for this year. Lucroy provides a needed upgrade at catcher and will be in Texas for next year as well. Sam Dyson has been sharp as the closer, but Jeffress is even better and the Rangers need more help anyway. Beltran is a huge upgrade at DH and is one of the best bats on the Rangers now. There's risk given what the Rangers gave up, but it's clear the Rangers are going for a World Series crown.
Giants Are Too
Much like the Rangers, the Giants went all-in. And just like the Rangers, they may have given up too much. To get Will Smith from the Brewers, the Giants gave up their top prospect. But San Francisco needed bullpen help and got it, plus another starter in Matt Moore. It cost them Matt Duffy (a fan favorite who was in a bit of a down year) and Lucius Fox, their No. 5 prospect. Christian Arroyo is still in the system, but the Giants are sacrificing a bit of their future to help win now. Moore also has some added risk because he hasn't reached his previous All-Star form since Tommy John surgery in 2014.
The Indians Tried To Go All-In
Let's get the negative out of the way - the Indians couldn't land Jonathan Lucroy like they wanted. He vetoed the deal, leaving the Indians still hurting at catcher since they failed to add anyone else. However, the Indians did land Andrew Miller, although it cost them two of their very best prospects in OF Clint Frazier and LHP Justus Sheffield. That's probably too expensive for a bullpen arm, even if Miller is one of the best ones. But, the Indians can content for a World Series, so it was nice to seem them be aggressive this year. They also swung a smaller deal for OF Brandon Guyer, who will provided some needed OF depth and an extra bat off the bench.
Pirates ... Did Stuff
Frankly, I'm not sure what the Pirates are doing. They traded away Mark Melancon and although they netted another MLB reliever in the deal, it's still steep down for the bullpen. They moved on from Jon Niese (who was awful) to get a below-average reliever in Antonio Bastardo. Then they traded for Ivan Nova, a clear win-now move. But then they shipped Francisco Liriano and two of their top 10 prospects for Drew Hutchison, who was stuck in Triple-A for the Blue Jays. It screams salary dump and it's a move that likely won't pay off this year. I'm not sure if the Pirates are trying to win now or rebuild and I'm not sure the Pittsburgh decision makers are sure either.
Dodgers Have No Fear
I'll give the Dodgers credit: there aren't many more aggressive teams than L.A. out there. They added both Josh Reddick and Rich Hill at the cost of three top 16 prospects, despite Hill and Rich serving as rentals. They could re-sign one or both, but Hill is also on the disabled list at the moment. They also swung an unexpected deal for Jesse Chavez and kept Yasiel Puig, although the biggest move was adding Reddick and Hill. The Dodgers are once again swinging for the fences and if they can just stay healthy, they'll be a serious threat.
Many Teams Stood Pat
There were several teams that made no notable moves at the deadline, and a few of them were a bit surprising. The middle of the AL Central, the Royals, Tigers and White Sox all stood pat. The Royals' lost some of their top pieces to injury, although it was a surprise that they didn't trade Edinson Volquez. The White Sox could have sold big, but kept everyone. The Tigers are right on the edge of the Wild Card, but made no moves and the same is true of the Astros. In the NL, the Phillies, despite being awful, failed to trade anyone away. That doesn't make much sense, especially since teams wanted Jeremy Hellickson. Did Ruben Amaro Jr. get control of the team again? The Rockies and Diamondbacks also made no moves, while the Cardinals made a minor one Sunday.