Contenders are loading up on missing pieces at the deadline

In the wake of 4 fairly major trades yesterday, we take a look at who got a bargain basement deal and who got the shaft.

Matt Capps to the Minnesota Twins, Wilson Ramos and Joe Testa to the Washington Nationals

The deal of the day as far as I’m concerned had me jumping for joy initially, as my inner Nats fan is loving all of the moves they have been making.  While Joe Testa likely won’t put butts in the seats in our nation’s capital, Wilson Ramos is regarded as one of the best if not the top catching prospect in the game.  To acquire him for Capps, a player the Nats no longer covet with fireballer Drew Storen waiting in the wings as their closer-of-the-future is an absolute steal.  Then I began to scratch my head a bit as I realized, wait a minute- didn’t they just draft their catcher-of-the-future/messiah Bryce Harper?  One of them will be their backstop of the future while the other is likely going to first base to replace Adam Dunn who is essentially as good as gone as far as recent trade rumors are concerned.  Regardless, I still absolutely applaud the move by Mike Rizzo as there hasn’t been this much excitement in DC since Bill Clinton was copping dome in the oval office.

The Twins meanwhile get their closer to replace Jon Rauch who has struggled of late in his newly found role.  Rauch becomes the setup man while Capps will be the stopper for their playoff run.  Did they sell low on Ramos?  Perhaps, but Capps will give them a bit more experience and another good arm out of the pen in an extremely competitive American League Central race.  Given that the White Sox and Ken Williams are rumored to be trading for everyone but LeBron James, the Twins are going to need all they help they can get as the deadline approaches.

Roy Oswalt to the Philadelphia Phillies, J.A. Happ, Anthony Gose, Jonathan Villar to the Houston Astros

Is it just me, or don’t you just want to give Astros GM Ed Wade an atomic wedgie?  He just looks like a guy who had to hide extra money in his sock to buy lunch after the football jocks took whatever he had in his pockets.  For once, it appears that the ‘stros are the ones who delivered the melvin, as they dumped a large amount of money off of a roster that was going absolutely nowhere fast.  What they got in return was a studly young left-hander with all the potential in the world, and two speedsters in return.  I really like the deal from the Astros perspective.

To take a look at it from the Phillies point of view, I am still reeling over the fact that they could have simply kept Cliff Lee in the off-season and had a much better, game-tested pitcher for the same amount of money as they’re paying Mr. Oswalt.  However, with hindsight being 20/20, it was apparent that the Phillies needed to make some sort of move to catch up with the front running Braves.  While this won’t help their offensive woes, you can never have enough pitching as the old adage says.  What I would have really liked to see them address is their bullpen, which has somehow stayed afloat with the ageless Jose Contreras holding it down while Brad Lidge irons out his seemingly annual implosion.  While Happ was a great prospect who has had a respectable amount of success at the major league level, this deal was simply one that had to get done to appease the fickle Philadelphia fan base.

Jorge Cantu and cash to the Texas Rangers, Evan Reed and Omar Porveda to the Florida Marlins

While the Marlins were essentially dumping a player whom they had no interest in locking up long term, what did the Rangers get besides a player whose face looks eerily similar to the visage of my favorite movie protagonist?  They got the right handed bat they have desperately coveted to contribute to a prolific offense that believe it or not, has a lot of room for improvement.  In the wake of underachieving 2B Ian Kinsler‘s being placed on the 15 day DL, this move was one that has been speculated about for weeks (including yesterday in a BM post).  You have to like the move, as Cantu was born in Texas and will likely thrive after being thrust into a star-studded, first place lineup.  The Rangers even received $600,000 dollars of the reported $2.1 million left on Cantu’s 2010 salary.  Love the deal for the Rangers.

Miguel Tejada and cash to the San Diego Padres, Wynn Pelzer to the Baltimore Orioles

Not only did the Friar faithful get a very capable bat who you can pencil into the lineup everyday without failure, but they also received assurance that their Padres will be buyers, not sellers at the deadline this year.  While this was somewhat of a foregone conclusion to the average outsider, having lived in the city for the past four years watching ownership rape what was once a proud franchise has left everyone jaded about the present and future of their team.  An essentially risk-free move from San Diego, Tejada will split time between third base and shortstop.  While this will take some at-bats away from Chase Headley and Everth Cabrera, what it will do is provide the Pad Squad with a savvy veteran presence who has carried previous teams through playoff runs in the past.  While those MVP days are long behind him, Tejada can still contribute to a team that is begging for a complement to slugging, all-world first baseman Adrian Gonzalez.  I love, love, love the move and hope for more to come from SoCal’s best team (at the moment).