MLB Trades 2019: Assessing Impact of League's Top Moves at the Deadline

MLB trade season is officially closed following the passage of Wednesday's 4 p.m. ET deadline. 

Unlike in past years, teams no longer have the month of August to finalize trades they were unable to get across the line before the non-waiver deadline. The Houston Astros famously landed Justin Verlander in August 2017, and he helped them win a World Series title.

Although players are still eligible to be placed on and claimed off waivers, there's unlikely to be a move that drastically swings the direction of the 2019 playoff race.

Up until the final moments, this year's deadline frenzy felt a bit underwhelming because the two biggest deals largely involved teams outside the postseason picture.

The Cincinnati Reds confirmed Wednesday they acquired Trevor Bauer in a three-team trade that included the Cleveland Indians and San Diego Padres. The New York Mets traded for Marcus Stroman while ultimately keeping Zack Wheeler and Noah Syndergaard.

With two of the best starting pitchers off the board, contending teams were left scrambling to improve their rotations.

The Astros already had Verlander and Gerrit Cole in tow, but that didn't stop them from adding Zack Greinke. According to the New York Post's Joel Sherman, they sent minor leaguers Seth Beer, J.B. Bukauskas, Corbin Martin and Josh Rosas to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Those players are the Nos. 3, 4, and 22 MLB.com's list of the Astros' top 30 prospects.

As if that wasn't enough, Houston also traded for Joe Biagini and Aaron Sanchez, per Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith.

Greinke ranks ninth among pitchers in WAR (3.6), having gone 10-4 with a 3.15 FIP in 22 starts. Sanchez has struggled since his All-Star season in 2016 but is a worthwhile gamble for the Astros given their impressive pitching depth.

Houston owns MLB's second-best record (69-39). At the very least, the Astros are now the favorite to win the American League pennant, and their deadline-day business was a stark contrast to the New York Yankees' inaction.

To some extent, it was the same story in the National League. 

According to MLB Network's Jon Morosi, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates continued to work toward a possible Felipe Vazquez trade. The two sides were unable to reach an agreement.

The Atlanta Braves, on the other hand, made a pair of moves to strengthen their bullpen for the stretch run. Atlanta didn't get one closer as good as Vazquez, instead trading for Shane Greene and Mark Melancon, per The Athletic's Robert Murray:

Greene has 22 saves and a 1.18 ERA in 38 appearances, though it's fair to wonder whether he's headed for a regression in the second half. His FIP (3.70) isn't quite as impressive as his ERA, and a .178 batting average on balls in play is skewing his stats a bit.

Melancon ceded the closer role to Will Smith yet remained an effective late-inning option for the San Francisco Giants. He's 4-2 with a 3.33 FIP in 43 appearances, and he's averaging 8.55 strikeouts per nine innings.

Together, Greene and Melancon will help a bullpen that's 23rd in FIP (4.78) and 21st in WHIP (1.41).

The Chicago Cubs are locked in a tight NL Central race, trailing the St. Louis Cardinals by one game. They strengthened their offense by acquiring Nicholas Castellanos from the Detroit Tigers, per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.

Castellanos has a .273/.328/.462 slash line, 11 home runs and 37 RBI. He's struggling to match what was a career year in 2018 and acknowledged how being in limbo regarding his future has made this a tough season. The seven-year veteran expressed his frustration with the dimensions of Comerica Park as well.

Castellanos should be a little more comfortable in Chicago, both because the specter of a trade won't be hanging over his head and he's calling a new ballpark home.

Now that they have another right-handed bat, which they sorely needed, the Cubs are poised to not only challenge the Cardinals but also potentially stand toe to toe with the Braves and Dodgers in the playoffs.

It's not a stretch to say the outcome of the World Series could hinge on which teams got better at the deadline—the Braves, Cubs and Astros—and which franchises failed to make any significant upgrades—the Yankees and Dodgers.

Stats are courtesy of FanGraphs