MLB Trade Deadline 2015: Biggest Surprises from Final Day

Can we maybe extend the MLB trade deadline for another day? Does it really have to be over?

Teams can still acquire players through waivers, but the bulk of transactions were completed before Friday's 4 p.m. ET deadline.

Although a number of landscape-changing trades were made in the days and weeks leading up to the deadline, the final day featured a few shocking deals. In addition, some teams made waves simply by standing pat and doing nothing.

Looking back on how everything shook out, these were some of the more surprising developments.

A.J. Preller Channels Lloyd Christmas

Lenny Ignelzi/Associated Press

Heading into Friday's play, the San Diego Padres were eight games back in the National League West and 7.5 games back in the wild card. According to Baseball Prospectus, their playoff odds were a measly 3 percent.

Apparently, that's a high enough percentage for Padres general manager A.J. Preller to push all of his chips in on winning in 2015, per Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal:

Team president Mike Dee offered his view on San Diego's deadline-day inaction, per MLB.com's Corey Brock:

"

We like this team, and we believe with 60 games to go that we can make a great run. There was no mandate from ownership to slash payroll or save money. It was really about what it should be; baseball decisions and smart baseball decisions. At the end of the day, the old adage 'Sometimes the best deals you do are the ones you don't' [fit]. For this team, staying put was the best of all options.

"

Apparently, Preller doesn't believe in the idea that discretion is the better part of valor. As much as it would hurt Preller's pride and upset Padres fans, the team was better off being a seller at the deadline.

You could argue San Diego was right to hold onto Justin Upton. Barring a massive offer, you might as well keep the slugger since you can make a qualifying offer to him in the offseason, thus receiving a compensation pick if he signs elsewhere.

In the case of almost anybody else, the Padres should've entertained almost any offer. As Rosenthal noted, the team is bound to lose a number of players to free agency:

Instead of letting the likes of Joaquin Benoit, Ian Kennedy and Will Venable leave for nothing, Preller could've somewhat rebuilt a farm system he gutted to make way for Matt Kemp, Justin Upton and Craig Kimbrel.

Mets Lift Up the Couch and Find $3.7 Million

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

When the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Tom Haudricourt reported the New York Mets backed out of the Carlos Gomez trade for financial reasons, it strengthened the perception the Wilpons are too frugal to make the team a true contender.

Then the Mets went out and traded for Yoenis Cespedes. According to ESPN.com's Adam Rubin, New York will pick up all of the $3.7 million remaining on Cespedes' contract as well.

This tweet from ESPN Stats & Info highlights how much of an upgrade the 28-year-old outfielder will be for the Mets offense:

Cespedes is in the midst of an offensive campaign only bettered by his spectacular rookie season. In his 102 games with the Detroit Tigers, he hit 18 home runs with 61 runs batted in. He also had a .354 weighted on-base average and 125 wRC+ to go along with a .213 isolated power.

Here's a look at where Cespedes stacks up with both Juan Lagares and Curtis Granderson in the New York outfield:

Player	HR	RBI	AVG	OBP	SLG	ISO	wOBA	wRC+	WAR
Yoenis Cespedes	18	61	.293	.323	.506	.213	.354	125	4.2
Juan Lagares	3	26	.254	.280	.333	.080	.268	71	0.7
Curtis Granderson	16	36	.255	.350	.440	.185	.345	125	3.0

Calling the Mets World Series favorites is a bit premature, but no team will want to face that pitching staff in a five- or seven-game postseason series. Cespedes was the missing piece of the puzzle, and more importantly, his arrival is a sign that ownership is serious about winning.

Top Closers Remain Where They Are

John Minchillo/Associated Press

Many baseball fans wondered if the Padres would deal Kimbrel to a team in a better position to contend. The same went for the Cincinnati Reds and Aroldis Chapman.

When you're on the outside of the playoff picture, having a top-end closer is more of a luxury than a necessity. That's why the Atlanta Braves offloaded Kimbrel before the season—well, that and the fact he's owed at least $25 million between 2016 and 2018, per Spotrac.

According to ESPN's Jayson Stark, the Reds were asking a bit too much in return for Chapman, who has one year of arbitration left:

Since Chapman is still under team control through 2016, Cincinnati might have felt the need to move him wasn't there quite yet.

The New York Post's  Joel Sherman reported the Padres turned down a great offer for Kimbrel, with Preller's defiance scuttling the potential trade:

There's no need to dive deeper into why it's insane for San Diego to pass up the opportunity to not only unload Kimbrel's contract and a large chunk Jedd Gyorko's, but also add a talented prospect in Jorge Mateo.

Valuing a closer can be so tricky. The position is arguably the most interchangeable on an MLB roster. Every year, a handful of guys emerge to save 20-plus games, while one or two great closers from a year ago begin declining and blowing saves.

With that said, what team wouldn't envy having Chapman or Kimbrel to call upon in the ninth inning of a close playoff game?

You'd have thought one or both of those guys who be joining new teams today.

Note: Stats are courtesy of FanGraphs and up to date as of 11:30 p.m. ET on Friday.