MLB Trade Deadline: Ranking the 5 Most Influential Deadline Deals

August 1st is here. That means we are two-thirds of the way through the 2011 MLB season. With a flurry of trades made at the July 31st trade deadline, here are five trades that I feel will likely have the most impact in retrospect.

All of these trades, incidentally, have been made to contending teams by teams that are—barring a miracle—out of contention.

Hunter Pence to Philadelphia Phillies

Much has been said about how the “rich have only gotten richer” regarding the Philadelphia Phillies’ acquisition of Hunter Pence from the Houston Astros. Pence, who is hitting .306 on the year with 11 home runs and 63 RBI, provides the dominant right-handed bat the Phillies wanted to bolster their lineup. The acquisition of Pence makes Philadelphia’s lineup almost as dangerous as its vaunted pitching staff, which will improve even more with Roy Oswalt scheduled to return soon.

Pence came at a hefty fee, however. First baseman Jonathan Singleton and right-handed pitcher Jarred Cosart are two of the best prospects in the Philadelphia farm system. With Houston also bringing in pitcher Josh Zeid and a player to be named later from Philadelphia’s minor league system, the Astros are putting themselves in position to compete in the future.

The immediate future centers on Pence, however, as Philadelphia has made a bold statement that it aims to win now.

Carlos Beltran to San Francisco Giants

Perhaps the largest rumor that has been swirling since the beginning of July has been Carlos Beltran joining the San Francisco Giants. The Giants, among the worst offenses in the league by virtually any metric, acquired Beltran from the New York Mets. While Beltran’s impact has not yet been felt by the Giants, GM Brian Sabean anticipates that this move will spark the Giants offense.

Beltran, a five-time All-Star, is hitting .281 with 15 HR and 67 RBI.

The New York Mets received Giants pitching prospect Zack Wheeler, who is ranked 35th on Baseball America's Midseason Top 50 Prospects List. His erratic control in the minor leagues (47 walks in 92 innings this year), however, raises some doubt as to whether Wheeler can live up to an ace status.

Regardless, the Mets were smart in trading Beltran and being able to get a nice return for him is a bonus. This deal looks as though it will benefit both parties. 

Ubaldo Jimenez to Cleveland Indians

This move baffles me, as Cleveland did not seem to do much to bolster its team outside of this deal. Regardless, Cleveland has put itself in much better position to contend this season by acquiring the ace of the Colorado Rockies, Ubaldo Jimenez.

Jimenez, who was 19-8 with a 2.88 ERA last season, has not been nearly as dominant this year. The right-hander is currently 6-9 with a 4.46 ERA, but has improved somewhat over his previous few starts.

Despite Jimenez’s improvement, it is still hard to justify trading left-hander Drew Pomeranz, who many sports analysts consider to be one of the best arms in the minor leagues. The fact that Cleveland also gave up three other prospects can only mean two things: GM Chris Antonetti has gone senile, or he believes that this move will benefit the Indians not only this season, but next season as well. 

Derrek Lee and Ryan Ludwick to Pittsburgh Pirates

I’m going to cheat here and combine both of these deals into one slide. Many have speculated upon whether or not the Pittsburgh Pirates are built to contend this season, a season that is shaping up to be their first winning season since 1992.

The general consensus is that they will not be able to win their division. Tell that to GM Neal Huntington, who acquired Derrek Lee (.246, 12 HR, 41 RBI) and Ryan Ludwick (.238, 11 HR, 64 RBI) from the Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres, respectively.

Neither one of these hitters is a marquee name, but both are significant offensive upgrades to a team that already has one of the top pitching staffs in the National League. The infusion of an additional 20-plus home runs through the course of the season could, given the strength of the Pirates staff, put the team over the top. Furthermore, the relative price of both acquisitions favors Pittsburgh tremendously.

Erik Bedard to Boston Red Sox

Last night, I was ready to write an article about Rich Harden. Instead, I’m writing one about Erik Bedard. Bedard was indeed the better fit for the Boston Red Sox, who are coming to grips with news that Clay Buchholz is apparently done for the season with a stress fracture in his back.

Bedard, who was a standout for the Seattle Mariners this season, is 4-7 with a 3.45 ERA for the team with the worst offense in the major leagues. Odds are his record will improve dramatically with Boston’s high-powered lineup.

The Red Sox gave up four prospects for Bedard, none of whom were projected to make it in the already dominant Boston Red Sox lineup. The players Seattle gets are a good defensive infielder and a few strong arms, all of whom Seattle can groom to eventually sell off again at a later date.