Re-Evaluating MLB's Biggest Offseason Trades at the 1-Month Mark
High-profile free-agent signings tend to overshadow the offseason trade market on a yearly basis, but that simply wasn't how things played out this past winter, which we could dub "General Managers Gone Wild."
Teams swapped players at breakneck speed—sometimes flipping a recent acquisition in the span of a few hours or days—all in an effort to better position their clubs for on-field success in 2015 and beyond.
Typically, these deals take years to truly evaluate, especially given the demand for young, inexpensive prospects to be included in almost every swap. A deal that finds established players being traded for established players has become something of a rarity—though we did see a few of those as well.
But just because it tends to take a while to fully appreciate and understand how all the moving parts fit with their new clubs doesn't mean that, just over a month into the regular season, we shouldn't revisit the biggest deals of them all and see how things are playing out.
How do we determine which deals are the "biggest," considering how many trades were completed? Simple—we're going for shock and awe. The deals that involved the biggest names, the ones that made us reach out to a fellow fan and ask "What just happened?"—those are the trades that we'll focus on here.
Let's take a look at the 10 trades that stand out above the rest, and we'll see which side has the early advantage.
Boston Trades Yoenis Cespedes to Detroit for Rick Porcello
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The Deal
Boston Got: RHP Rick Porcello
Detroit Got: OF Yoenis Cespedes, RHP Gabe Speier and RHP Alex Wilson
Overview
A balanced deal that seemed to benefit both clubs has, in fact, been tremendously one-sided thus far.
Yoenis Cespedes has not only effectively replaced Torii Hunter in right field, but he has helped make up for Victor Martinez's ineffectiveness while the designated hitter continues to build strength in his surgically repaired left knee.
That he's fit seamlessly into Detroit's clubhouse and culture doesn't hurt the Tigers' side of the equation, either, as manager Brad Ausmus recently explained to MLive.com's Chris Iott:
"When you look at him from the other side, he looks like he's almost kind of mean a mean edge to him. But he's really kind of a fun-loving guy. He's got that look on his face like he's pissed at the pitcher and he's going to make the baseball pay for it. But he's not like that when you get to know him. He enjoys being around his teammates and joking around and having fun.
"
Boston, on the other hand, decided that Rick Porcello was worth $20 million a year before he ever threw a regular-season pitch for the club, signing him to a four-year, $82.5 million extension to keep him off the free-agent market later this year.
While Porcello is still young—in his age-26 season and three of his five starts have been quality ones—his 4.38 ERA, 4.24 FIP and 3.65 xFIP all indicate that he's simply not worth such a high annual salary, making that extension a move the Red Sox might come to regret.
Advantage: Detroit
It's not even close, as Cespedes has been everything the Tigers could have hoped for, while Porcello has been mediocre at best.
Los Angeles Trades Matt Kemp to San Diego
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The Deal
Los Angeles Got: RHP Zach Eflin, C/1B Yasmani Grandal and RHP Joe Wieland
San Diego Got: C Tim Federowicz, OF Matt Kemp and cash considerations ($32 million)
Overview
After a hot start to the season, Matt Kemp has run into a wall, hitting only .148 (4-for-27) over his last seven games. Still, the veteran's .297/.336/.423 slash line is solid, and he's backed up his preseason claim that the arthritis San Diego's medical staff found in his hips wouldn't be an issue.
While he's not a big thumper at the plate, Yasmani Grandal has been everything that Los Angeles could have hoped for offensively, hitting .261 with a .370 on-base percentage. Defensively, he's struggled to control the opposition's running game, successfully stopping only three of 13 stolen-base attempts.
Advantage: Even
Both teams got what they wanted out of the deal.
The Dodgers needed to move one of their expensive outfielders and improve behind the plate, and they were able to take Zach Eflin, package him with other pieces and turn him into Jimmy Rollins.
The Padres, meanwhile, changed the culture of the team by adding Kemp and a potent bat to what was a lackluster offensive attack.
Oakland Trades Josh Donaldson to Toronto
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The Deal
Oakland Got: SS Franklin Barreto, RHP Kendall Graveman, IF Brett Lawrie and LHP Sean Nolin
Toronto Got: 3B Josh Donaldson
Overview
It's a deal that left more than a few people—including some of Oakland's players—scratching their heads, but it's one that A's general manager Billy Beane believed he had to make. But it's hard to say that either team is better off for having agreed to the swap, considering that both sit with losing records on the year.
Josh Donaldson has been a prolific run producer in Toronto's lineup, keeping pace with rookie standout Devon Travis for the team lead in nearly every offensive statistical category. But Donaldson's defense, which advanced metrics typically fawn over, grades out as below average just over a month into the regular season.
Oakland hasn't noticed a drop-off defensively at the hot corner, where Brett Lawrie has flashed above-average leather, but he's been mediocre at the plate, coming in with a below-average 81 wRC+ and .652 OPS.
The other players Oakland received in the deal haven't done much to inspire confidence.
Kendall Graveman made it out of the fifth inning in only one of his four starts before being sent down to Triple-A, while Sean Nolin has yet to toe the rubber in an A's uniform, still working his way back from offseason hernia surgery. Franklin Barreto is still years away, struggling in his first taste of High-A ball.
Advantage: Toronto
While Donaldson's defense hasn't been quite as sharp as it's been in the past, it hasn't been horrible. And given the early-season struggles of Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Reyes, his bat has been a major reason why Toronto hasn't fallen far behind the pack in the AL East.
Had Graveman been as ready for prime time as many of us believed he was, I'd be more apt to call this one a push.
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San Diego Lands Wil Myers in a Three-Team Deal
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The Deal
San Diego Got: LHP Jose Castillo, C Ryan Hanigan, OF Wil Myers and RHP Gerardo Reyes
Tampa Bay Got: 1B/DH Jake Bauers, LHP Travis Ott, C Rene Rivera, RHP Burch Smith and OF Steven Souza
Washington Got: RHP Joe Ross and a PTBNL (will be SS Trea Turner)
Overview
Nobody's about to confuse Wil Myers for Rickey Henderson, but as San Diego skipper Bud Black explained to Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune, the 24-year-old is just what his team needed atop its lineup in 2015:
"If (Myers) has a 15-year career, most of it won't be spent leading off. For this group of players, we need him to lead off. But you look at what you done, he's leading the National League in runs, so he's getting on base enough to let the other guys knock him in and I like the fact that he's got four homers. There's danger right off the bat for the starting pitcher.
"
In fact, Myers leads all of baseball with 25 runs scored, one of only nine players in the majors to have crossed home plate at least 20 times so far. Sure, his .311 on-base percentage leaves much to be desired—as does his defense in center field, which hasn't been nearly as bad as advanced metrics would lead you to believe—but he's gotten the job done on both fronts with little grumbling from his club.
Down in Tampa Bay, Steven Souza has flashed the combination of power and speed that made him an attractive replacement for Myers, leading the club with four home runs and trailing only Desmond Jennings for the team lead in stolen bases. Souza has also struck out a MLB-high 41 times, though.
Advantage: San Diego
It's going to take years for us to truly be able to gauge which of the three teams involved in this massive 11-player swap comes out ahead, as many of the pieces involved haven't yet hit the big leagues. The early returns look pretty good in San Diego.
Oakland Trades Jeff Samardzija to Chicago
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The Deal
Chicago (AL) Got: RHP Jeff Samardzija and RHP Michael Ynoa
Oakland Got: RHP Chris Bassitt, C Josh Phegley, 1B Rangel Ravelo and IF Marcus Semien
Overview
Chicago needed Jeff Samardzija to stop its five-game losing streak on Tuesday night, and the Shark did just that, tossing seven innings of two-run ball in Minnesota to pick up his second win of the season. But consistency has eluded him thus far, intertwining decent outings with dreadful ones and sitting with only three quality starts in six outings.
That's not the pitcher the White Sox thought they were getting from Oakland in exchange for a package of young talent, highlighted by infielder Marcus Semien, who despite shaky defense, has filled the hole at shortstop created when Jed Lowrie left the A's for a reunion with the Houston Astros last winter.
Chris Bassitt has been effective when called upon as Oakland's long reliever, while Josh Phegley has been an adequate backup for starting catcher Stephen Vogt. Rangel Ravelo, destined for the upper levels of the A's farm system, has yet to play this season after undergoing wrist surgery in spring training.
Advantage: Oakland
While Samardzija can, and probably will, bring the advantage back to Chicago as the season progresses, you have to give the edge to the A's, who have gotten more consistent contributions from three of the four pieces they received in the swap.
Atlanta Trades Justin Upton to San Diego
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The Deal
Atlanta Got: LHP Max Fried, IF Dustin Peterson, IF Jace Peterson and OF Mallex Smith
San Diego Got: RHP Aaron Northcraft and OF Justin Upton
Overview
Whether John Hart became the primary decision-maker in Atlanta or not, the Braves weren't going to be able to keep Justin Upton from testing the free-agent market after the 2015 season, so a trade of the talented slugger was inevitable.
The package of talent that Hart landed in exchange for Upton (and former prospect Aaron Northcraft) was substantial, but thus far, only Jace Peterson, Atlanta's starting second baseman, has made any impact in the big leagues.
While he's held his own by hitting .270 with a .341 OBP, he's mustered only one extra-base hit and scored seven runs over 25 games—hardly earth-shattering levels of production.
Upton isn't setting any records in San Diego, but he certainly looks more like the player many believed at one point or another was destined to win an MVP, leading the Padres in home runs (seven), RBI (21) and OPS (.924).
Advantage: San Diego
Eventually, Max Fried and company will tilt the scales back toward the middle, if not over to Atlanta's side of the equation—especially if Upton winds up being nothing more than a one-year rental for the Padres. But that's then, and Upton currently has the Padres coming out way ahead.
Philadelphia Trades Jimmy Rollins to Los Angeles
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The Deal
Los Angeles Got: SS Jimmy Rollins and cash considerations
Philadelphia Got: RHP Zach Eflin and LHP Tom Windle
Overview
Trading Jimmy Rollins wasn't going to bring Philadelphia the big haul of talent it needed to finally kick its rebuilding process into overdrive, but it was a move that the Phillies needed to make, no matter how popular Rollins was.
While neither Zach Eflin nor Tom Windle projects to be a front-line starter, both have a legitimate chance to be solid contributors to the team's rotation in the not-too-distant future. There's always a need for quality arms that can eat innings, and the Phillies very well might have landed a pair of them in this deal.
Rollins isn't the player he once was and has struggled mightily at the plate for the Dodgers, hitting a paltry .168/.254/.317. He does have eight extra-base hits (three home runs) and provides the club with far better defense at a premium position than it's had in years.
Advantage: Los Angeles
Despite Rollins' lack of production, he's helped to solidify the team's up-the-middle defense, and that alone makes the Dodgers come out on top in the early returns. It certainly doesn't hurt that he's the only player involved in the deal who's currently in the majors, either.
Atlanta and St. Louis Swap Young Stars
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The Deal
Atlanta Got: RHP Tyrell Jenkins and RHP Shelby Miller
St. Louis Got: OF Jason Heyward and RHP Jordan Walden
Overview
The tragic passing of St. Louis' 22-year-old super prospect Oscar Taveras last October stunned the baseball world and left the Cardinals with a gaping hole in right field, a position that the upstart youngster was expected to fill for years to come.
While the team's decision to trade a pair of young starting pitchers to fill that hole with Atlanta's Jason Heyward might have surprised some, it was a move that ESPN.com's Keith Law believed was a win for both clubs:
"The trade makes a ton of sense for both teams, although it's an acknowledgment on Atlanta's part of the weaknesses of the current roster and farm system and may not read very well to some of their fans. The Cardinals are -- and should be -- in win-now mode; they needed to upgrade their production on the corners and have some pitching depth to play with.
"
Heyward is a notoriously slow starter, so his .224/.276/.337 slash line isn't nearly as big a concern as it otherwise would be, especially when you factor in his Gold Glove-caliber defense.
Jordan Walden, viewed as something of a throw-in to the deal, has helped solidify the St. Louis bullpen, allowing only one earned run over 10.1 innings of relief.
But it's Shelby Miller who has shined the brightest thus far, emerging as the ace of Atlanta's starting rotation, something of a surprise considering that the Braves already had a darn good youngster filling the role in Julio Teheran.
Over six starts, Miller has gone 4-1 with a 1.66 ERA and 0.97 WHIP, holding opposing batters to a .176 batting average and .551 OPS—the best numbers of any Atlanta starter thus far.
Advantage: Even
Both teams got what they needed in this deal. Heyward has been a perfect fit in St. Louis even without much production at the plate, while Miller is giving the Braves a chance to win every time he steps on the mound.
Tampa Bay Trades Its Middle Infield to Oakland
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The Deal
Oakland Got: IF Yunel Escobar and IF/OF Ben Zobrist
Tampa Bay Got: C/1B/DH John Jaso, CF Boog Powell, SS Daniel Robertson and cash considerations
Overview
That Tampa Bay traded Ben Zobrist (or Yunel Escobar, for that matter) really wasn't much of a surprise, given the team's limited finances and rebuilding efforts after losing both general manager Andrew Friedman and manager Joe Maddon in the span of a few weeks last winter.
What was surprising was to see Zobrist struggle over his first 14 games in an A's uniform, both at the plate and in the field, before a knee injury that ultimately required surgery to repair knocked him out of action until late May or early June.
John Jaso has never been the picture of health, but nobody expected that he'd be injured on Opening Day in his first plate appearance for Tampa Bay, suffering a wrist injury that continues to keep him sidelined and without any tentative date for his return.
Advantage: Oakland
Even with Zobrist's early-season struggles and subsequent injury, the A's have gotten far more out of this deal than the Rays, having flipped Escobar to Washington for All-Star reliever Tyler Clippard, who remains a solid contributor to their bullpen.
Ultimately, the scales figure to tip back in Tampa Bay's favor, as both Boog Powell and Daniel Robertson are off to solid starts with Double-A Montgomery and could be long-term fixtures for the Rays before too long—at least until they become too expensive for the club to keep.
Milwaukee Trades Yovani Gallardo to Texas
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The Deal
Milwaukee Got: RHP Marcos Diplan, RHP Corey Knebel and IF Luis Sardinas
Texas Got: RHP Yovani Gallardo
Overview
Texas needed another established, innings-eating starter to complement Yu Darvish and Derek Holland atop its rotation, and Milwaukee's Yovani Gallardo fit that description perfectly. But as we now know, the baseball gods have no love for the Rangers, having decimated their rotation with injuries for the second consecutive season and leaving Gallardo as the team's default ace.
Gallardo hasn't been quite as maddening as Jeff Samardzija in Chicago, but the 29-year-old hasn't been nearly as consistent as the Rangers had hoped, delivering only three quality starts in his six outings on the year and sitting with a rather pedestrian 4.05 ERA and 1.44 WHIP.
In exchange, the Brewers picked up a right-handed reliever in Corey Knebel, Marcos Diplan—a starting-pitching prospect who is still years away from making an impact—and Luis Sardinas, who could be the team's future at second base, or a career utility player.
Advantage: Texas
While Gallardo hasn't been great, he's at least contributing to the cause in Texas, while none of the three players Milwaukee received in the deal have made their Brewers debut.
The key to swinging things in Milwaukee's favor is how Sardinas continues to develop, and whether he can produce as an everyday player once he does get the call to The Show.
Unless otherwise linked/noted, all statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs and are current through games of May 5.
Hit me up on Twitter to talk all things baseball: @RickWeinerBR
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