Post-Trade Deadline Predictions: American League

It seemed as though the month of July featured a whole entire summer’s worth of blockbusters…and we’re not just talking about The Dark Knight.

Starting with the Milwaukee Brewers throwing out everything but the kitchen sink to acquire C.C. Sabathia from the Cleveland Indians (in a deal that will only keep him there for the remainder of the season unless the Brewers are to resign him), there were trades galore until 4 p.m. on the last day of July.

The Chicago Cubs struck back the very next day following their NL Central foe’s mega-pickup of the reigning American League Cy Young Winner, spinning a deal for fireballer Rich Harden from the Oakland A’s.

And that was just the second week of July!

Other headliners traded along the way include Xavier Nady (to the Yankees), Casey Blake (Dodgers), Pudge Rodriguez (Yankees), and Mark Teixeira (Angels).

However, perhaps the two most notable names to switch teams were sent packing on the day of the trade deadline; one just seconds before 4 p.m.

Ken Griffey Jr. and Manny Ramirez, both of whom are future Hall-of-Famers and members of the prestigious 500-home runs club, were dealt to the Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers, respectively.

Griffey finally gets the chance to play for a team in a pennant race with the White Sox, something he never experienced in seven-and-a-half years with the Reds.

The Red Sox said enough is enough with Manny’s shenanigans, and essentially gave him away to the Dodgers. They agreed to pay off the remaining $7 million that was left on his pricey contract, and even threw in two other players, who were shipped to the Pirates in a three-way deal.

On the bright side, the Sox received Jason Bay, who was a very good player on a very bad team in Pittsburgh.

Now that July 31^st has passed and the fireworks have settled, let’s look ahead to October, beginning with the winners of each division and concluding with which team will win the World Series.

AMERICAN LEAGUE:

EAST –

The pick: RED SOX

The AL East’s “Big Three” (Rays, Red Sox, Yankees) all took extremely different approaches when it came to making trades.

The Rays stood idle, deciding to stick with the guys who have kept them in first place through 107 games this season. Not a bad idea considering how well they have played.

On the other hand, the two wealthiest residents in the neighborhood made a few moves.

The Red Sox dumped Manny, who had become more and more of a liability, while the Yankees made the most noise of the three, acquiring 14-time All-Star catcher Pudge Rodriguez, underrated outfielder Xavier Nady, and reliever Damaso Marte.

Just because they were the busiest of the bunch before the trade deadline, it does not mean that the Yankees are on their way to another AL East title.

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