MLB Trade Deadline 2011 Winners and Losers: Grading Each Team

The 2011 MLB trade deadline has come and gone, leaving the baseball landscape much different now than it was before.

To quickly recap, the July trading frenzy got off to an unusual start, with the Milwaukee Brewers trading for Francisco Rodriguez and little else of consequence following.

That was until the last week, during which baseball fans saw an absolute flurry of big names flying from city to city. Among the highlights, there was Carlos Beltran to the San Francisco Giants, Colby Rasmus to the Toronto Blue Jays, Ubaldo Jimenez to the Cleveland Indians and Hunter Pence to the Philadelphia Phillies.

There were also plenty of notable players who'd been talked about as trade fodder but who stayed put. However, it's entirely possible that the likes of B.J. Upton, Carlos Quentin and Wandy Rodriguez hit the waiver wire in August to find new homes.

For now, though, we can (attempt to) judge how each and every team made out at the end of July. Sure, the dust won't really have settled until we know how all those prospects turned out, but we can certainly give it a shot.

With that in mind, let's have a look at the trades, and in some cases non-trades, that each team pulled off and how they graded out.

—Josh Martin

Arizona Diamondbacks

Traded: 1B Brandon Allen and P Jordan Norberto

Traded for: P Brad Ziegler

Grade: B-

At 31 years of age, Ziegler is a solid pitcher, but Norberto and Allen both have a bit more value at this point. The Athletics are expected to bring up Norberto to the majors right away, as he has pitched very solidly so far this year.

Traded: Cash

Traded for: OF Ryan Langerhans

Grade: B-

It's tough to give the D-Backs any praise or guff for this move. They needed some outfield depth, and they got it at a reasonable price, but Langerhans is thoroughly underwhelming as the option they chose.

Traded: SS Zach Walters

Traded for: RHP Jason Marquis

Grade: B+

Like so many teams eyeing the postseason, Arizona needed an extra arm in its rotation to have any shot at catching up to the Giants in the NL West. The D-Backs were able to acquire a quality arm in Jason Marquis (3.95 ERA in 120.2 innings pitched) while giving up only a former ninth-round pick who has some power potential, but nothing out of this world for a shortstop.

As Borat might say, "Great success!"

—Josh Martin 

Atlanta Braves

Traded: CF Jordan Schafer, RHP Juan Abreu, RHP Paul Clemens and LHP Brett Oberholtzer

Traded for: CF Michael Bourn

Grade: A

The Braves have desperately lacked a leadoff hitter since Rafael Furcal left, and they finally landed a new one with Bourn.

Bourn is an exceptional talent and could be the piece that puts the Braves over the top as a serious threat to contend in the National League.

While it is risky to give up talented pitching prospects like Juan Abreu and Brett Oberholtzer, the deal just makes sense for the Braves.

Traded: Cash

Traded for: C Wil Nieves

Atlanta needed some temporary backstop insurance after Brian McCann went down with a strained oblique. Nieves gives the Braves just that at no cost to their current personnel.

—Josh Martin 

Baltimore Orioles

Traded: RHP Koji Uehara

Traded for: 1B Chris Davis and RHP Tommy Hunter

Grade: A-

I really like this trade for the Baltimore Orioles, as it benefits them for the long term. However, Uehara is extremely underrated, having averaged over a strikeout per inning since joining the O's.

That being said, Davis is a quality young player who has had success at the major league level in the past and needs only consistent playing to prove that he can be that guy once again. Hunter is also major league-ready but has struggled with a recurring groin injury this season.

Traded: 1B Derrek Lee

Traded for: 1B Aaron Baker

Grade: B+

Aaron Baker is nowhere near as good as Derrek Lee, but this trade was necessary for the Orioles. They aren't going to win now and needed to clear space for Davis to play in the meantime.

There was no reason to keep Lee, and it was best to send him to the Pirates, who are looking to win now.

Traded: IF Nick Green

Traded for: LHP Zach Phillips

Grade: B

Green is a journeyman infielder who hasn't played in the majors this year. Phillips is a 24-year-old left-handed reliever with a WHIP of around 1.50. Result? Meh.

—Josh Martin

Boston Red Sox

Traded: C Tim Federowicz, RHP Stephen Fife, RHP Juan Rodriguez, OF Chih-Hsien Chang

Traded for: RHP Erik Bedard and RHP Josh Fields

Grade: A

Who cares how many prospects the Red Sox trade to get their guy? They wanted a starter, and they went out and got Bedard. While Bedard has been a bit injury prone, the Red Sox will find no problem replacing him after the season if it doesn't work out.

Bedard could make the Red Sox the favorites coming out of the American League if he pans out.

Traded: IF/OF Yamaico Navarro, RHP Kendal Volz

Traded for: IF Mike Aviles

Grade: B

Aviles is a veteran infielder who has an occasional bit of pop in his bat and can play just about anywhere around the diamond. He'll give Boston some added depth behind Dustin Pedroia and Marco Scutaro. Navarro had played sparingly for the Red Sox, with similar versatility as Aviles but lesser plate potential. Volz has shown good control from the mound thus far but is still only in Class A ball.

Traded: OF Mike Cameron

Traded for: Cash

Grade: B

Cameron wasn't doing much of anything for the Bo Sox, so they swapped him to Florida for cash. 'Nuff said.

—Josh Martin

Chicago White Sox

Traded: RHP Edwin Jackson and 3B Mark Teahen

Traded For: RHP Jason Frasor and RHP Zach Stewart

Grade: B+

The Chicago White Sox got a solid deal out of this three-team trade, as they landed two mid-level prospects and shed some salary.

This trade doesn't hurt the White Sox's big league roster, and it gives them the flexibility to pursue a veteran player that can help get them to the playoffs.

—Josh Martin

Chicago Cubs

Traded: OF Kosuke Fukudome 

Traded for: RHP Carlton Smith and OF Abner Abreu

Grade: C

Fukudome hasn't turned out to be the player the Cubs thought they were getting back in 2008, and now they have parted ways with him. He has three home runs and a slash of .273/.374/.369 in 345 plate appearances. Fukudome does a good job of getting on base, with a walk rate of 13.3 percent, but he was not a part of their future.

However, the prospects they traded for are far from front-line guys.

—Josh Martin

Cinncinnati Reds

Traded: OF Jonny Gomes 

Traded for: OF Bill Rhinehart, LHP Chris Manno

Grade: A 

The Reds don't figure to miss Gomes too much. The veteran outfielder struck out a whopping 74 times in 264 plate appearances in Cincinnati this season. Gomes has pretty good power but is something of an odd man out in Cincy, playing behind Drew Stubbs, Chris Heisey and Jay Bruce while competing with Fred Lewis and Yonder Alonso.

Manno is a young reliever who has shown acumen for striking out his opponents. As for Rhinehart, he's shuttled between Double-A and Triple-A over the last two years while demonstrating 20-homer potential and improving plate discipline at both levels. 

—Josh Martin

Cleveland Indians

Traded for: OF Kosuke Fukudome 

Traded: RHP Carlton Smith and OF Abner Abreu

Grade: B-

Fukudome is a slight upgrade over Travis Buck. He has three home runs and a slash of .273/.374/.369 in 345 plate appearances and does a good job of getting on base with a walk rate of 13.3 percent.

This move isn't going to drastically change the Indians, but the prospects they traded are far from front-line guys.

Traded: RHP Joe Gardner, LHP Drew Pomeranz, INF/OFMatt McBride, RHP Alex White

Traded for: RHP Ubaldo Jimenez

Grade: C-

Ubaldo Jimenez is not the same pitcher that dominated before the All-Star break last year, going 15-1. Since then, he has been absolutely terrible.

He has just 10 wins in his last 36 starts, and the Indians opted to give up their two best pitching prospects for him.

One scout recently spoke with ESPN about Jimenez:

"

His velocity, over his last 12 starts [before Saturday] was 1.7 miles an hour lower than last year. His average fastball was 95.8 mph. Last year it was 97.4. Early in the season it was more like a 3-mile-an-hour drop. So he's been better as he's gotten healthier.

"

Maybe health was a factor, but I am not a fan of giving up two of your top pitching prospects and guys that could anchor your staff for a long time for Jimenez. It is a high risk, high reward trade that I'm selling right now.

Traded: INF Orlando Cabrera

Traded for: OF Thomas Neal

Grade: B+

The Indians no longer had a need for Cabrera's services with the emergence of young second baseman Jason Kipnis. As such, Cabrera became a surplus asset that Cleveland spun into a major league-ready prospect.

Neal has spent the 2011 season at Triple-A Fresno in the Giants organization, though injuries have limited his power and production this season. When healthy, Neal has shown an ability to hit for a solid average with occasional pop.

Colorado Rockies

Traded: RHP Ubaldo Jimenez

Traded for: RHP Joe Gardner, LHP Drew Pomeranz, INF/OF Matt McBride, RHP Alex White

Grade: A

The Colorado Rockies got exactly what they were looking for in exchange for Jimenez. They landed themselves a package of young players, including two quality pitching prospects in Pomeranz and White. White was having a terrific AAA season and showed major league potential in three outings for the Cleveland Indians before suffering a finger injury, which he is expected to return from shortly.

The real prize of the trade, though, is Pomeranz, who is one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball. He was the No. 5 overall pick back in 2010 and has certainly lived up to the expectations thus far. He won't be officially named in the trade until August 16th but will be well worth the wait.

—Josh Martin

Detroit Tigers

Traded: 3B Francisco Martinez, OF Casper Wells, LHP Charlie Furbush, player to be named later

Traded for: RHP Doug Fister, RHP David Pauley

Grade: B

The Tigers needed some arms, particularly for their starting staff, and that's exactly what they got in this deal with the Mariners.

Fister isn't a fireballer by any means but has put together a solid season thus far and should slide into the middle of Detroit's rotation quite nicely. Pauley has shuttled between the majors and the minors throughout his career, though he's put together a strong year and figures to flash in the pan long enough to be worth the Tigers' while.

As for the prospects given up, Martinez is the only one of the bunch who is thought to have much long-term big-league potential. Thus, the Tigers win out in this one, though not by a particularly significant margin.

Traded: LHP Antonio Cruz, C Julio Rodriguez

Traded for: INF Wilson Betemit

Grade: B+

Brandon Inge's poor performance and subsequent demotion put the Tigers in a bind, out of which Wilson Betemit should help them. Betemit sports a useful bat, to say the least, and can even man the middle infield in a pinch.

Cruz and Rodriguez are still at the Single-A level, so it will likely be at least another two or three years before either of them has an impact in the majors.

—Josh Martin

Florida Marlins

Traded: Player to be named later or cash

Traded for: OF Mike Cameron

Grade: C

Frankly, this deal didn't really matter for the Marlins or the Red Sox. Florida, in particular, wasn't about to go anywhere in early July and hasn't moved since.

The big victory for the Fish comes by way of what they didn't do. Despite rampant speculation that GM Larry Beinfest was open to trading pitchers Leo Nunez, Anibal Sanchez and Ricky Nolasco and possibly even shortstop Hanley Ramirez, the Marlins hung on to all of their principal players. As such, the Fish now find themselves well-positioned for a big year in 2012 to open up their new stadium with a bang.

—Josh Martin

Houston Astros

Traded: OF Hunter Pence and cash.

Traded for:  1B Jonathan Singleton, RHP Jarred Cosart, RHP Josh Zeid and a player to be named later

Grade: C-

The Astros are losing one of their best bats, but they are also unloading a big contract that was set to get bigger through arbitration. Pence is in the midst of yet another fine season, hitting .308 with 11 home runs. However, the Astros aren't going anywhere this year or even next year, for that matter.

The Astros acquired some quality prospects, though only Single-A types at this point, and they have financial room to help them improve. Where this becomes a problem for Houston is in its now clear lack of a franchise star around whom to build for the future.

Traded: Michael Bourn

Traded for: CF Jordan Schafer, RHP Juan Abreu, RHP Paul Clemens and LHP Brett Oberholtzer

Grade: D

The Houston Astros gave up a proven leadoff man in Bourn for a lot of prospects who are hit or miss. Schafer has been extremely inconsistent and has failed to turn the corner as many thought he would.

Abreu and Oberholtzer have loads of talent but are far from proven prospects, which makes this trade a bit of a head scratcher.

The bigger issue for the Astros in this deal, however, was their inability to pry away any of the Braves' top pitching prospects in the deal. Said Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports of the deal:

"

"To send him to Atlanta without getting at least Mike Minor or Randall Delgado, let alone Julio Teheran or Arodys Vizcaino, shows a deep misunderstanding by GM Ed Wade of the proper way to rebuild." 

"

The Astros could have gotten a sure thing for Bourn, but they didn't. If any of these guys pan out, it could be worth it, but all of the guys they got could easily go bust.

Traded: 2B Jeff Keppinger

Traded for: RHP Henry Sosa, RHP Jason Stoffel

Grade: B+

Keppinger, solid a player as he may be, was not in the long-term plans for the struggling Astros. Sosa, now 26, will likely continue to languish in the minors until he finally learns to throw strikes. The same goes for Stoffel, though at 22, he has the potential to be a big-league closer once he gets his control, well, under control.

—Josh Martin

Kansas City Royals

Traded: INF Mike Aviles

Traded for: INF/OF Yamaico Navarro, RHP Kendal Volz

Grade: A-

Frankly, Aviles didn't fit into the Royals' long-term plans and wasn't really needed once Mike Moustakas was promoted from the minors, so whatever Kansas City got from the deal is a plus.

What they got was a big-league utility infielder in Navarro and a young pitcher in Volz who might soon be on the fast track to the majors now that he's been converted from a starter to a reliever.

Traded: INF Wilson Betemit

Traded for: C Julio Rodriguez, LHP Antonio Cruz

Grade: B

Like Aviles, Betemit had emerged as a sort of surplus asset amidst the Royals' youth movement.

Both of the prospects KC got in return are still in A-ball, so it will be some time before we know if they're any good at the major league level. Rodriguez doesn't have much power as yet but has shown a strong ability to make contact. Cruz has split time between starting and relieving this season but projects better as a bullpen arm down the road.

—Josh Martin 

Los Angeles Angels

Traded: Zip

Traded for: Zilch

Grade: D-

Giving a team a failing grade when management doesn't make a deal at the deadline is harsh, but the Angels deserve the next best (or worst) thing.

Rather than push hard for a big-time bat to assist the Halos' ailing offense, GM Tony Reagins seemingly sat on his hands, hoping a bloated payroll and some largely unproven youngsters would be enough in support of what has emerged as one of the best starting rotations in all of baseball.

—Josh Martin

Los Angeles Dodgers

Traded: Rafael Furcal

Traded for: Alex Castellanos

Grade: B+

This trade makes a lot of sense for the LA Dodgers, as Furcal had become all but a waste of space. He was batting under .200 and was more of a liability on the field than anything.

This qualifies as a quality salary dump for a team that desperately needs to shed some money.

Castellanos likely won't even make a serious impact at the major league level, but he could develop into a solid role player at some point.

Traded: OF Trayvon Robinson

Traded for: C Tim Federowicz, RHP Juan Rodriguez and RHP Stephen Fife

Grade: B-

This trade will be very tough to grade for the Dodgers at this point, as they gave up a prospect of their own for more prospects. GM Ned Colletti stated that they really wanted a defensive catcher, so they got in the middle of the Erik Bedard deal to acquire Tim Federowicz. However, they may soon rue the day they let Robinson go, as he's shown five-tool potential in Triple-A.

Traded: Cash or a player to be named later

Traded for: OF Juan Rivera

Grade: B

The Dodgers, an organization strapped for cash by owernship's legal woes, basically bought Juan Rivera from the Toronto Blue Jays.

Why, you ask? Your guess is as good as mine.

—Josh Martin

Milwaukee Brewers

Traded: Cash

Traded for:  INF Felipe Lopez

Grade: B+

Once upon a time, Lopez showed some promise but has since fallen on tough times, hitting .216 in 101 at-bats for the Rays.

Lopez, a 2005 All-Star and Silver Slugger winner, hit .310 as recently as 2009. But it has been all downhill from there, as he hit a mere .233 in 2010.

Still, this move was a success for the Brewers. They want to stay in the race, and after Rickie Weeks went down with an ankle sprain, Milwaukee GM Doug Melvin did what he could to fill the hole left behind in Weeks' absence. Lopez also happens to be a fine defensive player.

Traded: Two players to be named later and cash

Traded for: RHP Francisco Rodriguez

Grade: A+

This deal, albeit not strictly a deadline swap, was a big win for the Brewers on multiple levels. For one, Melvin was able to acquire a quality arm with postseason experience to bolster the team's bullpen while providing some insurance for closer John Axford. More impressively, he was able to do so without pillaging the Brewers' farm system.

What's more, the Brewers were able to convince K-Rod to rework his deal to allow for a $4 million buyout rather than forcing the team to tiptoe around a $16 million vesting clause for 2012.

Traded: OF Erik Komatsu

Traded for: INF/OF Jerry Hairston Jr. 

Grade: B

As mentioned earlier, the Brewers have been in search of infield help since losing Rickie Weeks to an ankle injury. While no one will soon replace Weeks' production, Hairston is still a solid utility guy and a veteran presence for a club that has its eyes fixed firmly on the postseason.

—Josh Martin 

Minnesota Twins

Traded: Nobody

Traded for: No one

Grade: A-

Like the Reds in the National League Central, the Minnesota Twins found themselves a curious case at the deadline as a team not out of contention but not exactly in contention either.

Thus, while rumors swirled about Denard Span going to Washington or GM Bill Smith fielding offers for All-Star Michael Cuddyer, the Twinkies stood pat and will now count on the improved health of some key players to push them to the front of a rather weak race in the American League Central.

—Josh Martin

New York Mets

Traded: Carlos Beltran

Traded for: Zack Wheeler

Grade: A

Thanks to the financial troubles of team owner Fred Wilpon, the Mets were bound to be sellers at the deadline, come hell or high water. Luckily for them, Carlos Beltran turned out to be healthy this year, boosting his production back to an All-Star level and his value as a two-month rental to that of at least one top-tier prospect.

That's exactly what New York got by swapping Beltran to San Francisco for Zack Wheeler, the Giants' top pitching prospect. Wheeler won't likely see the light of day in the majors for at least another two or three years but has the stuff to potentially be an ace down the road.

Traded: Francisco Rodriguez

Traded for: Two players to be named later and cash

Grade: C

This wasn't exactly a deadline deal, but it was a significant one for the Mets nonetheless. As was the case with Beltran, New York sent K-Rod packing to save money, though they incurred quite a bit more by ridding themselves of what would've been another year of Rodriguez at $16 million. This grade could improve for the Mets in time, assuming they choose wisely from the prospects the Brewers will make available to them.

—Josh Martin 

New York Yankees

Traded: Nada

Traded for: See above

Grade: C-

For the first time since 1999, the July 31st non-waiver trade deadline has passed without the New York Yankees making a deal of any kind.

The Pinstripers' silence speaks volumes about the market for pitching in the month of July. The Yankees clearly needed to pick up a starter to hold up the rotation behind CC Sabathia and as insurance in the event that A.J. Burnett, Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia turn out to be mirages.

The Yanks were involved in the Ubaldo Jimenez talks for a time and were involved with Wandy Rodriguez until the final moments before the deadline but still couldn't come up with anything.

At the very least, they should've tried a bit harder to convince Hiroki Kuroda to waive his no-trade clause. Perhaps a goodie basket would've swayed him, or something quirky from FAO Schwarz.

—Josh Martin

Oakland Athletics

Traded: RHP Brad Ziegler

Traded for: 1B Brandon Allen and LHP Jordan Norberto

Grade: B

There is no way to give the Athletics a poor grade for trading a relief pitcher, as they had a surplus bullpen arms. However, it is something of a surprise that they brought in another reliever in this deal.

They landed prospect Jordan Norberto, who has been pitching well in the minors and is expected to join the Athletics bullpen right away.

Allen is still young and has potential but still has plenty of work to do to reach his full potential.

—Josh Martin

Philadelphia Phillies

Traded: 1B Jonathan Singleton, RHP Jarred Cosart, RHP Josh Zeid and a player to be named later.

Traded For: OF Hunter Pence and cash 

Grade: A+

As good of prospects as Singleton, Cosart, Zeid and whoever is to be named later may be, they're pretty much all A-level youngsters who could just as easily swim as they could sink.

Pence, on the other hand, is a two-time All-Star outfielder who puts good wood on the ball and can spark a team with his energy and hustle. What's more, the Phils own his rights for another two years after this, though his salary will likely blow up a bit in arbitration.

If Pence can get the trio of Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard back up to speed, the Phillies will prove to be that much more of a winner when all is said and done.

—Josh Martin

Pittsburgh Pirates

Traded: 1B Aaron Baker

Traded for: 1B Derrek Lee

Grade: A-

Look, the Pirates want to win the division, and they needed a first baseman and another big bat. Lee provides that for them and will certainly help this club down the stretch while allowing them to dump Lyle Overbay.

For a team that has been the trash can of the division for quite some time, this deal was an easy one to make.

Traded: A player to be named later

Traded for: OF Ryan Ludwick

Grade: B+

As was the case with Lee at first, the Pirates simply needed a corner outfielder who can swing a solid stick, and they got one in Ludwick. He may not be Carlos Beltran or Hunter Pence, but he comes at a negligible cost and should add some power to Pittsburgh's punchless attack.

—Josh Martin

San Diego Padres

Traded: LHP Mike Adams

Traded for: RHP Robbie Erlin and Joe Wieland

Grade: B

Adams had developed into an eminently reliable relief pitcher over the years but proved to be more valuable at the deadline to most teams than two months of Heath Bell.

Interestingly enough, the Padres got for Adams what they'd wanted for Bell—two quality prospects, if not more—but also surrendered a guy under contract for another year in the process. That being said, Erlin and Wieland are both in Double-A ball at the moment and should be up in San Diego by the time Adams is out of Texas.

Traded: OF Ryan Ludwick

Traded for: A player to be named later

Grade: C

It was a tough market for the Padres through which to move Ludwick, but they were bound to do so nonetheless. The prevalence of available outfielders helped the Pirates rob the Padres of Ludwick for little more than a pittance.

Not that Ludwick was really worth much more than that anyway.

—Josh Martin 

San Francisco Giants

Traded: Zack Wheeler

Traded for: Carlos Beltran

Grade: A-

The San Francisco Giants traded their top pitching prospect to the New York Mets in exchange for outfielder Carlos Beltran. It was no secret to anyone that the Giants were desperate to land an impact hitter, and Beltran fit the bill quite beautifully.

Giving up your top pitching prospect is always difficult, but the Giants are in a position to win now and were smart to give up Wheeler to do so.

In Beltran, the Giants get the bat they desperately needed to help them make a run at another World Series. Beltran is far from the player he was in 2004, when he carried the Houston Astros to a deep postseason run, but he's proven this year that he can still produce at an All-Star level when healthy.

Traded: RHP Henry Sosa, RHP Jason Stoffel

Traded for: 2B Jeff Keppinger

Grade: B+

The Giants' infield had been such a hodgepodge this season that trading for an infielder became a necessity. Keppinger doesn't have much pop in his hat but is among the best contact hitters in baseball.

Sosa is a 26-year-old who has yet to demonstrate enough control of his stuff to reach the majors. As for Stoffel, he could be a big league closer someday once he figures out how to throw strikes on a more consistent basis.

Traded: OF Thomas Neal

Traded for: INF Orlando Cabrera

Grade: C

The shortstop position has been a black hole for the Giants this season. Cabrera, in the midst of arguably the worst season of his career, doesn't figure to solve that problem but may yet be the best option San Fran has.

As for Neal, he's had some injury woes of late but has demonstrated some propensity for power when healthy.

—Josh Martin

Seattle Mariners

Traded: RHP Erik Bedard and RHP Josh Fields

Traded for: CF Trayvon Robinson and OF Chih-Hsien Chiang

Grade: A-

Any trade should be considered a good trade for the Mariners at this point. This team isn't going anywhere anytime soon, and while they might have been able to pick up a couple more prospects, Robinson and Chiang should become quality players for Seattle.

The lack of starting pitching on the market coupled with the Mariners' offensive woes necessitated moving good arms like those of Bedard and Fields. Bedard has struggled with injuries throughout his career, and frankly, the M's were lucky to get as much for him as they did given that he's as fresh off the disabled list as he is.

Traded: RHP Doug Fister, RHP David Pauley

Traded for: 3B Francisco Martinez, OF Casper Wells, LHP Charlie Furbush, player to be named later

Grade: C

Meanwhile, the Mariners weren't able to get much for Fister and Pauley, both of whom are enjoying unusually strong seasons, at least by their own standards. None of the prospects sent over by the Tigers figure to amount to all that much, though Martinez does have some plus power potential at this point in his young career.

—Josh Martin

St. Louis Cardinals

Traded: OF Colby Rasmus, LHP Brian Tallet, LHP Trever Miller, RHP P.J. Walters

Traded for: RHP Edwin Jackson, RHP Octavio Dotel, LHP Marc Rzepczynski, OF Corey Patterson and three players to be named later or cash

Grade: B-

The St. Louis Cardinals were not going to keep Colby Rasmus around to butt heads with Tony La Russa for much longer, so it made some sense to get rid of him for what they could, and that ended up being more pitching.

The big name for them was Edwin Jackson. Jackson is a solid pitcher, but he is not going to make or break a pitching staff, so I'm not too high on this deal. It could be worse, but it seems more like the Cardinals were making a deal just to make a deal.

Traded: Alex Castellanos

Traded for: Rafael Furcal 

Grade: D

At 33 years of age, Furcal does not provide much for the St. Louis Cardinals other than a warm body at shortstop. He is batting under .200 on the season amidst myriad injuries.

To make things worse, the Cardinals are taking on his $4 million salary. While Castellanos is not expected to make any serious impact in the majors, trading for Furcal doesn't make much sense.

—Josh Martin

Tampa Bay Rays

Traded: INF Felipe Lopez

Traded For: Cash

Grade: C

Lopez is no big loss. He was hitting .216 in 101 at-bats for the Rays, as he has fallen on tough times. Once upon a time he showed some promise. 

Lopez, a 2005 All-Star and Silver Slugger winner, hit .310 as recently as 2009. But it has been all downhill from there, as he hit .233 in 2010.

The bigger news, and perhaps bigger failure, for the Rays lies in their inability to strike a deal for B.J. Upton. The Rays already have his replacement ready in the person of Desmond Jennings but appear content to wait until the offseason to entertain further offers for the struggling Upton.

—Josh Martin

Texas Rangers

Traded: RHP Koji Uehara

Traded for: 1B Chris Davis and RHP Tommy Hunter

Grade: B

The Texas Rangers sacrificed two players that could have played a role in their team's future over the next couple of years for some help in the short term.

That help, though, just so happens to be quite good. Uehara is a very underrated closer and has improved with each year he's been stateside. He averages over a strikeout per inning for his career and should be a great addition as a setup guy and spot closer for the Rangers.

Traded: LHP Robert Erlin and Joseph Wieland

Traded for: RHP Mike Adams

Grade: A-

The Texas Rangers are looking to win now and feel they can win a World Series with a top-of-the-line relief pitcher. Well, they got (another) one when they acquired Mike Adams from the Padres.

Adams has a 1.13 ERA in 48 relief appearances with the Padres this season and should help the Rangers shorten games by another inning or two.

Erlin and Wieland are both quality prospects, but such is the price to be paid for a fleeting chance for a championship.

—Josh Martin

Toronto Blue Jays

Traded: RHP Jason Frasor, RHP Zach Stewart, RHP Octavio Dotel, RHP Marc Rzepczynski, OF Corey Patterson and three players to be named or cash

Traded for: 3B Mark Teahen, OF Colby Rasmus, LHP Brian Tallet, LHP Trever Miller and RHP P.J. Walters.

Grade: B

The biggest name in this three-team trade is Colby Rasmus, and he landed with the Toronto Blue Jays. Rasmus will certainly be a boon in the outfield for the Blue Jays, and at just 24 years of age, he has the potential and the tools to develop into a star.

He is batting just .246 on the season, but there is no denying he has a ton of talent and figures into the long-term plans for the Blue Jays. While they gave up a couple prospects in the deal, they did not lose anything significant, making this deal a good one for Toronto.

—Josh Martin

Washington Nationals

Traded: RHP Jason Marquis 

Traded for: INF Zach Walters

Grade: C-

As patently average as Marquis has been for the Nationals this season, it's tough to believe they couldn't have gotten more than a Single-A shortstop for his services, especially given the lack of starting pitching on the market.

Traded: INF/OF Jerry Hairston Jr. 

Traded for: OF Erik Komatsu

Grade: B+

As inconsequential as this deal may seem, the Nats actually did pretty well for themselves. In dealing Jerry Hairston Jr. to the Brewers, Washington received Komatsu, a Double-A outfielder with good plate discipline and some speed on the basepaths. 

Traded: OF Bill Rhinehart, LHP Chris Manno

Traded for: OF Jonny Gomes

Grade: D

The Nationals were so enthused by their own trade for Jonny Gomes that they spent the rest of July working out potential trades for B.J. Upton and Denard Span.

Giving away Rhinehart wasn't particularly egregious, though Manno has shown excellent potential as a closer in Single-A ball this year.

—Josh Martin