Winners and Losers of the 2016 MLB Waiver Trade Window
Past seasons have seen notable names from Josh Beckett to Chase Utley change teams during MLB's waiver trade window, as last-chance contenders have to add big league players who will be eligible for postseason play to their respective rosters.
This year's waiver trade window has seen some notable names thrown around, including Ryan Braun (per Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal) and Brian McCann (via Jon Heyman of Today's Knuckleball), but neither one is going anywhere. Per Heyman, Yasiel Puig has been claimed, but all signs indicate he's unlikely to escape from Los Angeles before the offseason.
While none of the players who have changed teams over the past few weeks are nearly as notable, some saw their situations improve, while others likely wish things had never changed.
Who are the biggest winners and losers of the 2016 waiver trade window? Let's take a look.
Loser: A.J. Ellis
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Had Jimmy Dugan ever played with a guy like A.J. Ellis, he never would have gone on his legendary "There's no crying in baseball" tirade (warning: NSFW language). Because more than a few folks shed a tear upon learning that Los Angeles and Philadelphia had swapped backup catchers. Ellis was a Phillie, Carlos Ruiz a Dodger.
As Ellis told Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times, he and Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw "wept together" upon learning of the deal.
While Ellis says he's starting to feel "re-energized" and "refilled with a sense of purpose," per the Philadelphia Inquirer's Matt Breen, going from a contender to a rebuilding team is no fun for a veteran. Especially one who had spent his entire career with the same organization.
Winner and Loser: Carlos Ruiz
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In being traded from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, Carlos Ruiz has made the jump from last to first, which in and of itself makes him a winner of the waiver window. Ruiz knows as well as anyone that trips to the playoffs aren't guaranteed, and at 37 years old, this could be his last shot at another World Series ring.
But he's nothing more than hired help for the Dodgers, a short-term rental with a defined, limited role. Manager Dave Roberts made that perfectly clear to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times last weekend.
"On Sunday, the Cubs started lefty Jon Lester, against whom Ruiz is hitless in 14 career at-bats. Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts said that track record was a secondary factor in the decision to start Grandal over Ruiz.
“He’s a backup catcher,” Roberts said.
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In Philadelphia's clubhouse, the man affectionately known as Chooch was seen as so much more than that. Like the man he was traded for, A.J. Ellis, he's lost his home field advantage.
Losers: Atlanta Braves
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When Atlanta traded outfielder Jeff Francoeur and cash to Miami for fringe catching prospect Matthew Foley, it looked as if the Braves were going to unload their veteran free agents and bring back more young talent to supplement the organization's rebuilding process.
But that was the extent of Atlanta's moves during the waiver trade window. Infielder Gordon Beckham, reliever Jim Johnson and catcher A.J. Pierzynski could have been of some value to contenders, yet they'll play out the season with the Braves and likely find new homes elsewhere in a weak free-agent class.
It's better to get something for your disposable assets rather than nothing, even if that something doesn't turn out to be much of anything.
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Winners: New York Yankees
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Brian Cashman and the New York Yankees have been playing the blocking game during the waiver trade period for years, submitting claims on players they have no real interest in acquiring. Such was the case when they claimed Carlos Pena back in 2011 but never even spoke to the Chicago Cubs about a potential deal involving the veteran first baseman.
So it wasn't much of a surprise to see that other executives told ESPN's Buster Olney that the Yankees have once again been "aggressive" on the waiver front, submitting claims on a wide range of players.
Some of those players were likely of interest to the teams ahead of them in the playoff hunt: Baltimore, Boston, Detroit, Kansas City, Houston, Seattle and Toronto. Thwarting the efforts by their competition to add potentially useful pieces for the home stretch makes the Yankees one of August's big winners.
Losers: Baltimore Orioles
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Things haven't been completely quiet during the waiver trade window in Baltimore, with the Orioles signing free-agent reliever Tommy Hunter to bolster their bullpen. But it sure sounds like the team hoped to do more.
“There’s usually an opportunity to supplement your club,” Orioles Executive Vice President Dan Duquette told the Baltimore Sun's Jon Meoli on Sunday. “This is probably the last chance, right? The last roundup. So we’ve been working on it. … You want to make your bench as strong as you can make it, and also get as much pitching depth as you can.”
As previously noted, the division-rival Yankees have had a lot to do with Baltimore's inability to add pieces, claiming players before the Orioles had a chance to.
Winner: Coco Crisp
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A frustrated Coco Crisp unloaded on the Oakland Athletics two weeks ago in a conversation with Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, bringing the organization's integrity into question.
"This is shady. Everyone else is getting used off the bench,” Crisp said. “BoMel [A's manager Bob Melvin] can’t even look me in the eye right now. ...
I want to suit up, but there are some nights where there is no point—they’re not going to put me out there anyway, and there isn’t anything I can do about it. I’m down there waiting on the bench, wearing my batting gloves, holding my bat. I’m like that kid in class who when the teacher asks a question is waving his hand up and down, ‘I know, I know, call on me, I’m right here!’ and the teacher says, ‘Is there anyone else?’
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Late Tuesday, the Bay Area News Group's John Hickey reported that the A's had reached an agreement to trade Crisp to Cleveland, the organization he broke into the majors with and where he spent the first four years of his career.
Crisp not only joins a legitimate playoff contender, but finds himself in a position where he's going to get more playing time, with Michael Brantley out for the season and Abraham Almonte ineligible for the postseason, thanks to the 80-game performance-enhancing-drug-related ban he served earlier this year.
Unless otherwise noted, all statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and are current through games of Aug. 30.
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