Under ordinary circumstances, the White Sox trading for a second baseman (César Hernández) and a reliable reliever (Ryan Tepera) would constitute a busy day at the office for any MLB front office.
Then the Dodgers showed up.
With such a distinct division between buyers and sellers, it could've set the stage for a general complacency. Instead, it became an arms race, especially in the NL West, where the Dodgers added another ace starter and an All-Star shortstop when it seemed like the Padres were closing in on the former.
Here's a quick look at what happened on the last full day of the 2021 before the trade deadline, which arrives this afternoon at 3 p.m. CT.
Dodgers trade for Max Scherzer, Trea Turner
Assuming it goes through, the Dodgers will have given up a haul for two-plus months of Scherzer and an extra year of Turner, who was placed on the COVID-19 IL earlier Thursday. It cost four prospects, two in the top 100. The headliners are Keibert Ruiz (No. 16 prospect according to Baseball America) and right-handed pitcher Josiah Gray (No. 59), along with Double-A righty Gerardo Carillo and Double-A outfielder Donovan Casey. It's the deal they can afford to do, partially because they have a second catcher ranked in the top 100.
The Dodgers now can throw Scherzer, Clayton Kershaw and Walker Buehler in any order during a postseason series. They can also run out this lineup when everybody's healthy:
- C: Will Smith
- 1B: Max Muncy
- 2B: Trea Turner
- 3B: Justin Turner
- SS: Corey Seager
- LF: AJ Pollock
- CF: Cody Bellinger
- RF: Mookie Betts
- DH: Chris Taylor
Bellinger has been fighting a hamstring strain for a lot of the season. Seager and Betts are on the injured list, but they're supposed to come off the shelf this weekend.
Dodgers trade for Danny Duffy
At one point on Thursday, Scherzer appeared to be headed to the San Diego Padres. I suppose his fate was uncertain enough to the point that the Dodgers acquired Duffy from Kansas City with cash for a player to be named later. Duffy is on the injured list with a flexor strain, but the PTBNL is not contingent on Duffy's health.
Duffy, the reigning Most AL Central Pitcher, first surfaced with the Royals back in 2011. He went 68-68 with a 3.95 ERA over 234 games with Kansas City, and 10-7 with a 4.28 ERA in 27 games and 141 innings against the White Sox.
Padres trade for Daniel Hudson
Having missed out on the market's best starter, the Padres had to settle for one of the market's best relievers. Hudson racked up 48 strikeouts against seven walks over 32⅔ innings for the Nationals before being one of numerous Nats to land on the COVID-19 IL Thursday morning. The Padres traded pitching prospect Mason Thompson and A-ball shortstop Jordy Barley. That's a price the White Sox could have paid, but Tepera also does the job.
Red Sox trade for Kyle Schwarber
Schwarber's injury basically ended the Nationals' hopes for a midseason rally. Before straining his right hamstring on July 2, Schwarber belted 16 homers over a 21-game period, helping push the Nats two games over .500 by the end of June. The Nats went 6-16 without him in July, and he's still a couple of weeks away from returning, which is why he only cost A-ball pitching prospect Aldo Ramirez. If he's able to return to the field in full working order, he'll probably help out the Red Sox at DH and first base, where Bobby Dalbec isn't getting the job done.
Mariners trade for Diego Castillo
The Mariners' controversial trade of Kendall Graveman to the Houston Astros now makes more sense, as Jerry Dipoto replaced his former closer with Tampa Bay's closer. Graveman's having the better season, but he's also a free agent after the season, whereas Castillo is under team control for three years beyond this one. He's hoping that Abraham Toro is worth the temporary headaches at third base.
Because the Mariners acquired Toro at the major-league level, they could part with third base prospect Austin Shenton, who has been raking all season. They also sent righty reliever JT Chargois, who might replace Castillo in a deep Tampa Bay bullpen.
Yankees trade for Anthony Rizzo
While the Cubs had previously traded Tepera and Joc Pederson, they finally cut to the bone by sending their captain to the Yankees. It seems as though the Cubs fared well enough for an impending free-agent first baseman having an average season, getting a 50 FV prospect in center fielder Kevin Alcantara, and a 45 FV A-ball pitcher in Alexander Vizcaino. It helped that the Red Sox were also eyeing Rizzo to replace the aforementioned Dalbec.
Rizzo will instead plug into the void at first base, where neither DJ Lemahieu nor Luke Voit have been what the Yankees have needed. The short porch in right field should be inviting for both Rizzo and Joey Gallo, whose late-breaking trade on Tuesday night was made official Wednesday morning.
Blue Jays trade for Brad Hand
The Nationals traded a whole host of capable veterans on Wednesday, starting in the morning by sending their closer to Toronto for 25-year-old catcher Riley Adams, whose performance at Triple-A hadn't yet translated to success in a small sample with the Blue Jays. Hand had been nails until a series of ugly outings in July, including three blown saves and a loss in a tie game over a stretch of five appearances.
(Photo by Arturo Pardavila IIII)
