Sunday's Flurry of trades a preview of Monday's deadline

The Padres were the most active team, pulling off four trades over the weekend.

The 2020 trade deadline is today at 4 PM ET. We saw a flurry of trades on Sunday, particularly with the Padres as they completed a seven-player swap with the Mariners and also acquired catcher Jason Castro from the Angels. In fact, they made four trades in total over the weekend, gearing up for a playoff run.

There are two big differences about the trade deadline this season, aside from the obvious 60-game season and the date (it’s usually July 31). The pandemic erased the entire 2020 minor league season and the resulting financial effects on teams have caused some of them to lay off employees, including scouts and analysts. And, in general, there hasn’t been great data collection going on at alternate training sites, so a lot of teams acquiring younger players are doing so on a prayer, more or less. Tthe playoffs have also been expanded for this season, so there are more buyers than sellers.

With all of that in mind, let’s briefly go over the trade action we have seen in recent days.

Pirates trade OF Jarrod Dyson to White Sox for future considerations

Dyson, 36, has never been much with the bat, carrying a .651 career OPS. But he’s an excellent base runner, having swiped 254 bases in 298 attempts (85%) over his career. He is also a terrific defensive outfielder, coming in at 86 defensive runs above average, according to Baseball Reference. The White Sox will mainly keep Dyson on the bench, using him as a pinch-runner and/or as a defensive replacement.

Royals trade RP Trevor Rosenthal to the Padres for CF Edward Olivares and a player to be named later

Due to injuries, Rosenthal hasn’t been an effective reliever since 2015 when he was with the Cardinals. He logged just 103 1/3 total innings from 2016-19, including missing the entire 2018 season due to Tommy John surgery. Since 2016, he has an ugly 5.31 ERA with 149 strikeouts and 75 walks. This year, however, Rosenthal appears to be back to normal. Over 14 appearances spanning 13 2/3 innings, the right-hander has a 3.29 ERA with 21 strikeouts and seven walks.

The Padres have one of the league’s worst bullpens with a 5.20 ERA, so Rosenthal is a big addition. But as we’ll see, Rosenthal wasn’t the only reliever the Padres added and they may not be done yet.

Angels trade 2B Tommy La Stella to the Athletics for 2B Franklin Barreto

La Stella never got much of a chance to prove himself when he was with the Cubs from 2015-18, peaking at 192 plate appearances in 2018. The Cubs then traded him to the Angels after that season and he broke out in 2019. Through July 2, he was hitting .300/.353/.495 with 16 home runs and 44 RBI. He made the All-Star team for the first time in his career. Sadly, La Stella suffered a fractured tibia on a foul ball, which cost him most of July, all of August, and nearly all of September.

Despite the injury, La Stella has shown that his 2019 was no fluke. At the time of the trade, he was hitting .273/.371/.475 with the Angels, racking up four homers and 15 RBI in 117 plate appearances. He went 0-for-3 with an RBI in his Athletics debut and figures to serve as their everyday second baseman. La Stella is purely a rental for the Athletics, however, as he can become a free agent after the season.

Barreto was on top-100 prospect lists from 2015-18 but has yet to prove himself at the major league level. Over 95 games between 2017-20, he has a .570 OPS. The Angels could perhaps provide the change of scenery and the playing time Barreto needs just as they did La Stella.

Orioles trade RP Mychal Givens to the Rockies for 1B Tyler Nevin, SS Terrin Vavra, and a player to be named later

It feels like Givens has been in trade rumors from the day he debuted in 2015. The 30-year-old has been quite solid out of the Orioles’ bullpen, bringing a career 3.40 ERA into the 2020 season. He is arguably having his best season, putting up a 1.38 ERA along with 19 strikeouts and six walks over 13 innings thus far.

The third-place Rockies have baseball’s third-worst bullpen ERA at 6.09. While a handful of relievers have been solid, they lack a shutdown option which, in Coors Field, is at least understandable. Givens is not Kenley Jansen – at least not yet – but should provide some much-needed stability in the late innings in Colorado.

Nevin, a 23-year-old corner infielder, reached Double-A for the first time last year. (There is no minor league season this year.) MLB Pipeline now rates him No. 22 in the Orioles’ minor league system.

Vavra is a 23-year-old middle infielder who made it to Single-A Asheville last year and put up some impressive numbers, batting .318/.409/.489 over 102 games. He’s now No. 12 in the Orioles’ system. Nevin and Vavra are a solid haul for a relief pitcher, helping the Orioles restock for the future.

Rays trade 1B/DH José Martínez to the Cubs for a player to be named later and cash

Martínez was a bit of a disappointment for the Rays this year, putting up a meager .717 OPS over 24 games. He has been a lefty-killer over his career, putting up a .946 OPS against them compared to .773 against righties, but he’s had a more even .718/.712 split so far this season.

The first-place Cubs haven’t done well against lefties, collectively posting a .659 OPS against them versus .775 against righties. They are betting on Martínez regressing towards the mean, so they will slot him in at DH when a southpaw is on the bump for the final month of the season and during the playoffs.

Orioles trade SP Tommy Milone to the Braves for two players to be named later

The Braves badly needed starting pitching depth and Milone hadn’t been bad through six starts, so the trade made sense. Despite a 1-4 record, the lefty had a 3.99 ERA with 31 strikeouts and only four walks over 29 1/3 innings.

The Braves might take a mulligan if they could. On Sunday night, the Braves provided Milone a 10-spot of run support in the second inning against the Phillies, but he nearly gave it all back. Over 2 1/3 innings, Milone coughed up seven runs on eight hits, including a pair of home runs. The Braves escaped with a 12-10 win.

Milone will start next against the last-place Nationals. If he struggles again, one wonders if the Braves will run him out there for a third time or find someone else. And, hey, they may not be done acquiring starting pitching anyway.

Red Sox trade 1B Mitch Moreland to the Padres for 3B Hudson Potts and CF Jeisson Rosario

Moreland, who turns 35 years old in a week, has had a monster season. Over 22 games, the lefty has hit .328/.430/.746 with eight home runs and 21 RBI. He has always been a slightly above-average hitter, but this performance has been something else, and he’ll provide a big boost to an already fearsome Padres lineup. Moreland will likely see most of his playing time as a DH with Eric Hosmer remaining at first base.

MLB Pipeline rates Potts and Rosario No. 20 and 16, respectively, in Boston’s system now. Potts is a 21-year-old third baseman who made it to Double-A last season, putting up a middling .240/.302/.423 slash line over 111 games. He also has experience at shortstop and second base, and a little bit at first base. His versatility may ultimately be what gets him to the majors.

Rosario, 20, played for High-A Lake Elsinore last season, posting a light .686 OPS over 525 trips to the plate. Despite losing an entire season of development due to the pandemic, he is still ahead of schedule, so the Red Sox are right not to be turned off by his subpar offensive numbers thus far. Scouts speak highly of his athleticism and speed. The bat should come with time and maybe a few extra lb’s.

Angels trade C Jason Castro to the Padres for P Gerardo Reyes

The Padres badly needed catching help with Austin Hedges underperforming and Francisco Mejía injured. Castro is an experienced backstop with the potential to be a solid offensive contributor down the stretch. Over parts of 10 seasons, Castro has a career .703 OPS. He should be valuable in the clubhouse with an otherwise young and inexperienced Padres roster.

Reyes debuted briefly for the Padres last year, yielding 22 earned runs in 26 innings of relief. He’s not a prospect but could provide value to the Angels eating up some innings in middle relief in the coming years.

Mariners trade P Austin Adams, C Austin Nola, and P Dan Altavilla to the Padres for P Andres Muñoz, C Luis Torrens, CF Taylor Trammell, and 3B Ty France

The biggest trade of the 2020 season to date. The Padres are clearly gearing up for a legitimate playoff run, dealing away a legit prospect in Trammell.

Nola has had a terrific season thus far, batting .306 with a .903 OPS. He’ll be the Padres’ new starting catcher with Castro backing him up.

Adams has pitched briefly in the majors, racking up 38 innings, including 32 last year. His 53 strikeouts show potential for greatness, but he’ll need to improve his control as he walked 16 batters as well in 2019.

Altavilla has mostly struggled over his five seasons in the bigs, including a 7.71 ERA this season. Similar to Adams, his strikeout rate is solid but control has been a lingering issue. Over 106 career innings, he has struck out 117 and walked 55. It’s a combination that is typical of middling relievers in this day and age but it’s a risk the Padres can afford taking since their bullpen was terrible to begin with.

Trammell is now the Mariners’ No. 6 prospect, per MLB Pipeline. The soon-to-be 23-year-old spent last season at Double-A in the Reds’ and Padres’ systems, posting an aggregate .689 OPS. The Padres saw him remaining in center field but some think he will eventually find a home in left field. And that home will now be T-Mobile Park in Seattle.

Muñoz made his MLB debut last year, spending time in the Padres’ bullpen from mid-July to mid-September. He was solid, limiting opponents to 10 runs on 16 hits and 11 walks with 30 strikeouts in 23 innings. Muñoz had Tommy John surgery in March so he likely won’t debut for the Mariners until the middle of the 2021 season at the earliest.

Torrens had been backing up Hedges behind the plate with Mejía injured. He was solid, hitting a light .273 in seven games. But with the additions of Nola and Castro, Torrens was the odd man out in San Diego. The Mariners will be able to get him some much-needed playing time.

France put up some lofty numbers at Triple-A El Paso last season, finishing with a 1.247 OPS, 27 home runs, and 89 RBI over 348 plate appearances. He earned a promotion to the majors in late April and remained there until early June. The Padres called him back up in mid-August to finish out the season. Overall, France’s major league numbers last year weren’t impressive, but he turned things around in 2020. Thus far, he has hit .314/.375/.510 with a pair of homers and 10 RBI in 19 games. While France has mostly played third base, he does have experience at first and second base which should help him find some regular playing time in Seattle.

We should be seeing plenty more action in the coming six and a half hours or so. The Padres probably aren’t done dealing. The Braves still need starting pitching. The Twins also want to add a starter, as might the Blue Jays. The Reds want some bullpen help. You have to figure the Rays do something. It seems like Indians starter Mike Clevinger and Rangers starter Lance Lynn could be moved today. The Pirates could deal starter Joe Musgrove. The Diamondbacks could dangle Starling Marte, Robbie Ray, and Archie Bradley. Perhaps the Angels send Andrelton Simmons to a contender.

Buckle up, it should be an interesting day.

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