This past week was one of the biggest weeks for Major League Baseball. Why do you ask? The time to trade before going through the waiver wire process ¹,was coming to a close on July 31st. This means, that there would be many players moving from team to team in a short period of time.  An example of that  this year is Adam LaRoche ²of the Atlanta Braves. He started this week on the Pittsburgh Pirates and then was dealt to the Boston Red Sox. He played two games for them before being dealt to the Atlanta Braves. Lets run down some of the bigger impact trades ³ that happened this week and see which club benefited the most.

Minnesota Twins & Oakland Athletics:

Changing Lids

Athletics Receive:                                     Twins Receive:

Tyler Ladenford(SS)                              Orlando Cabrera(SS)

Information reported by Kelly Thesier of MLB.com4.

Analyze That?:

Well this is most certainly a move that will solidify the Twins defense. Cabrera adds an infielder who is as steady as they come and can also hit quite a bit. He will be placed in the top of the order and can contribute to their offense right away.

The Goods Are In:

Minnesota

Pittsburgh Pirates & Seattle Mariners:

Changing Lids:

Mariners Receive:                         Pirates Receive:

Jack Wilson(SS)                            Ronny Cedeno(SS)

Ian Snell (RHP)                             Jeff Clement (1B)

Pirates Also Received:

Aaron Pribanic (RHP)

Brett Lorin(RHP)

Nathan Adcock(RHP)

Reported by Buster Olney of ESPN.com⁵

Analyze That?:

It seems as though the Pirates are restructuring their team again. The term “fire sale” has been thrown around but I don’t think that does it justice. The Mariner’s on the other hand were able to get a stellar middle infielder in Jack Wilson and Ian Snell can give them some quality starts down the road.

The Goods Are In:

Seattle

Seattle Mariners & Detroit Tigers:

Changing Lids:

Mariners Receive:                           Tigers Receive:

Luke French(LHP)                      Jarrod Washburn(LHP)

Mariners Also Received:

Mauricio Robles(LHP)

Reported by Jason Beck of  MLB.com⁷

Analyze That?:

This trade has all to do with the addition of Jarrod Washburn to the starting rotation for the Tigers. Washburn gives the Tigers a third pitcher capable of shutting down oppenents every time he goes to the mound. He will also have more offensive support and can relax more on the mound. The Mariners were able to get a couple of quality arms from the Tigers in return. French and Robles are both pitcher’s who have shown promise.  In the long run this may work out for the Mariners but the Tigers were able to really cash in on this deal.

The Goods Are In:

Detroit

San Diego Padres & Chicago White Sox:

Changing Lids:

White Sox Receive:                     Padres Recieve:

Jake Peavy (RHP)                 Clayton Richard (LHP)

Padres Also Received:

Aaron Poreda (LHP)

Dexter Cater (RHP)

Adam Russell (RHP)

Scott Merkin of MLB.com reported the trade⁸

Analyze That?:

The White Sox were able to really bolster their staff for the years to come. Even with the knowledge that Peavy may not return until late in the season (September?), Peavy adds another quality arm to an already well “armed” staff.

The Goods Are In:

Chicago

St. Louis Cardinals & Oakland Athletics:

Changing Lids:

Athletics Receive:                        Cardinals Receive:

Brett Wallace (3B)                         Matt Holliday (OF)

Athletics Also Received:

Clayton Mortenson (RHP)

Shane Peterson (OF)

Matthew Leach of MLB.com reported the trade⁹

Analyze That?:

If the St. Louis Cardinals were not favorites before, they sure are now. The acquisition of Holliday gives the lineup more depth around Albert Pujols. Opposing pitchers may not be able to pitch around Pujols as much as they would in the past. With pitching capable of holding teams to a few runs a game, this team is built to go deep into October.

The Goods Are In:

St. Louis

Boston Red Sox & Cleveland Indians:

Changing Lids:

Red Sox Receive:                           Indians Receive:

Victor Martinez (C,1B,DH)          Justin Masterson (RHP)

Indians Also Received:

Nick Hagadone (LHP)

Bryan Price (RHP)

Ian Browne of MLB.com reported the trade¹⁰

Analyze That?:

Red Sox were able to aquire one of the best young hitting catchers in the game today in Victor Martinez. This will also help them to sure up the catching spot if anything happens to Jason Varitek in the coming years. The Indians, in return, were able to give the bullpen a boost by adding Justin Masterson. Bryan Price and Nick Hagadone are also developing into arms the Indians could use in the coming years as well.

The Goods Are In:

Boston

Cleveland Indians & Philadelphia Phillies:

Changing Lids:

Indians Receive:                  Phillies Receive:

Carlos Carrasco (RHP)              Cliff Lee (LHP)

Jason Knapp (RHP)             Ben Francisco (OF)

Indians Also Recieved:

Lou Marson (C)

Jason Donald (SS)

Jayson Stark of ESPN reported the trade. The Associated Press also contributed information¹²

Analyze That?:

The Phillies made a tremendous trade for a former Cy Young award wining pitcher in Cliff Lee. He will help to solidify the rotation and complement  Cole Hamels. The best part of this trade, is the fact that the Phillies did not have to trade away their top prospects J. A Happ and Kyle Drabek in order to get a Cy Young quality pitcher like Roy Halliday.

The Goods Are In:

Philadelphia

Player Profiles were found at MLB.com (Major League Baseball) and MILB.com (Minor League Baseball)

____________________________

1. Jayson Stark is a senior writer for ESPN
2. Ian Browne is a writer for MLB.com
3. USA Today: Trade Central
4. Kelly Thesier – MLB.com reporter
5. Buster Olney – ESPN The Magazine Writer
6. Video from Youtbue
7. Jason Beck – MLB.com reporter
8. Scott Merkin – MLB.com reporter
9. Matt Leach – MLB.com reporter
10. Ian Browne – MLB.com reporter
11. Video by Boston.com
12. Jayson Stark of ESPN.com and Associated Press
13. Video by Associated Press