Earlier this week, we’ve covered all of the prospects from this year’s trade deadline. Today, we’ll start a five-part series with a quick recap of every single deal that went down in July.
Up first are the no-names.
Before you blow all of these guys off, just know this: there have been several players worthy of mention that were essentially throw-ins in other deals and given the dreaded ‘Player to be Named Later’ label or dealt away for cash. Among them were All-Stars David Ortiz, Moises Alou, and Jason Schmidt. The chances of any of these guys turning into a major league All-Star is a long shot, but hey, you never know.
Cubs trade infielder Ronald Torreyes to Astros for two international signing bonus slots
Woof. Other than getting traded for money, being swapped for an international draft slot is probably about as low as it gets. A trade between two non-contenders, this is clearly a move for the future. The Astros are one of the worst teams in baseball and picked up Torreyes from the Cubs, who were one of the few franchises to be very active before this year’s deadline. The infielder has a decent amount of promise as he’s only 20 and in Double-A. He doesn’t have a lot of power, but with 50 stolen bases over the past three years in the minors and a lot of success at the lower levels (batting .370 in 2010 in Rookie League and Class A and .356 in 2011 at Class A), is a player to watch. He’s batting .255 in AA this season.
Mets trade pitcher Andres Perez and outfielder Julio Concepcion to Angels for international signing bonus allotment slot
Perez hasn’t been a strong minor leaguer and even at 22 still has a fairly low amount of potential. In five seasons, his ERA has been 3.66 and becoming a reliever after starting in his first year in 2009 has dropped his value as well. This year, he’s sporting a 5.06 ERA and that was on the heels of an ERA in 2012 of 9.82. Concepcion’s value isn’t much higher. At 23, he’s still playing Rookie League ball and in seven games this year, has no home runs and is batting only .240. This move is really about adding depth to the Angles’ system.
Orioles trade Russ Canzler to Pirates for Tim Alderson
Pittsburgh didn’t make a big splash this year before the trade deadline, but did pick up third baseman Russ Canzler. Canzler has some pop in his bat, hitting 61 home runs in the minor leagues from 2010 – 2012. He has 11 this season and with a .266 batting average, is a fair hitter. The Pirates won’t be counting on him much down the stretch run, but with the recent move of shedding veteran infielder Brandon Inge, the Pirates could look to him for help on their bench if he produces at Triple-A Indianapolis. Meanwhile, the Orioles get a once highly-touted prospect from the Bucs, Tim Alderson. Alderson was formerly a starter and came to the Pirates in a trade for former batting champion Freddy Sanchez, but has yet to pan out. However, at 24 and now in Triple-A as a reliever, that could be changing. Alderson was 3-1 with a 2.79 ERA this season for Pittsburgh in Triple-A and may get a shot at being a September call-up if things go well for him with the Orioles’ AAA team in Norfolk. This was really a solid, solid deal for both clubs.
Nationals trade Brian Bocock to Pirates to complete a previous trade
The Pirates made a second minor deal at the deadline by completing a prior trade with the Washington Nationals as they picked up Triple-A shortstop Brian Bocock. Like Canzler, this wasn’t the big-time pickup that Pittsburgh fans wanted, but Bocock is another player in Triple-A that could become a bench player for the Bucs if he has some success in the minors. He is a light-hitting shortstop, but gives Pittsburgh’s system some depth at shortstop where they sorely need it. Unfortunately, batting only .218 this season for the Nationals’ and Pirates’ Triple-A teams, he’s a long shot to make any kind of real impact to the team. He hasn’t been in the majors since 2010 and likely won’t be much help to Pittsburgh as they make a playoff push.
Cubs trade Guillermo Moscoso to Giants for a player to be named later
The Giants didn’t make a big splash at the deadline, but did trade for a player that they’re planning on using this season. Moscoso has already played in a game for the Giants since the trade, but the outing didn’t go real well. The reliever gave up two earned runs, two walks, and a home run in only 2.2 innings of work in his debut. However, he gives their bullpen another arm as the team heads down the stretch and he’s also had some past success in the majors in 2011 when he won eight games and had a 3.38 ERA as a starter with the Oakland A’s. Even though he’s primarily a relief pitcher, he can provide a spot start as he did for the Rockies a few times last year. The addition of Moscoso was an easy way for the Giants to make a move to their roster without giving up much in return.
