Trade Deadline Trade Analysis: PIT-ARZ, TB-ARZ, CLE-STL-SD, CHC-LAD, NYY-CLE, SF-PIT, BAL-FLA, BOS-SF, DET-ATL, LAD-PIT, TEX-BOS, KC-ATL

• ARZ Gets: SS Bobby Crosby OF Ryan Church RP DJ Carrasco  PIT Gets: C Chris Snyder 3B Pedro Ciriaco     ANALYSIS: The Diamondbacks will use the vets good.  Crosby is going to get a bit better in Arizona and will give their line-up a boost after all the trades, his defense and versatility make him a great player in this trade.  Carrasco won’t be an outstanding reliever but he will have his good outings.  Church is going to keep playing well and he will be mostly offense for the D’backs.  Snyder won’t be good and will soon be a back-up and Ciraco will be a decent utility guy, but the Pirates gave up to much.  EDGE; D’Backs
• TB Gets: RP Chad Qualls   ARZ Gets: PTBNL    ANALYSIS: The Rays get a guy who will help the bullpen a lot.  He helps them in the late innings a lot and now the Rays have an almost unstoppable bullpen,  Qualls will be a nice setup man and won’t blow many games, but it will happen from time t time.  In the AL he might more struggles but he will get over them quick.  EDGE: Rays
• STL Gets: SP Jake Westbrook P Nicholas Greenwood   SD Gets: OF Ryan Ludwick   CLE Gets: SP Corey Kluber   ANALYSIS:  Ludwick should hit okay for San Diego and now they have the right amount of offense.  Ludwick won’t be a huge force especially right away but he will be a good player.  Westbrook won’t be that good for the Cards down the stretch, he will bring some good tools but I don’t think he will be a big force for them.  Greenwood could be okay out of the bullpen.  Kluber will be a good starter as son as next year.   EDGE:Padres   LOSER: Cardinals, losing Ludwick will hurt
• CHC Gets: SP Ted Lilly IF Ryan Theroit  LAD Gets: IF Blake Dewitt P Kyle Smit P Brett Wallach   ANALYSIS:  Lilly is going to do great in LA, he will win many games and make the rotation deep.  Theroit is going to be great, he will play all over and use his speed, he will also be a better tablesetter.  Theroit will start to get better.  Lilly will just be Lilly.  Dewitt might get better in Chicago but I don’t see him ever being more than a good back-up.  Smit will be a decent major leaguer.  Wallach will d fine too.  EDGE: Dodgers
• NYY Gets: RP Kerry Wood      CLE Gets: PTBNL     ANALYSIS: Wood will get some holds, but he’s older now and his decline is going to start big.  He’s a lot better than Joba though.  Wood will be more valuable if the Yankees make the playoffs.  He will blow a few games but at the price they got him for he will be a good reliever.  Just don’t; expect to much out of him.  He will adjust to his new role just fine.  EDGE: Yankees
• SF Gets: RP Javier Lopez   PIT Gets: RP Joe Martinez   OF John Bowker    ANALYSIS:  Lopez is a good addition and will help the bullpen, but he won’t be more than just a situational guy.  He will get the out and is a key for this bullpen.  Bowker should be a good hitter for now.  Martinez should be a good guy out of the bullpen with a power fastball and could be really good someday.  Bowker and Martinez shouldn’t be affected by the move.  Lopez will just be a good lefty to have for the Giants though.  EDGE: Pirates
• BAL Gets: SP Rick Vanden Hurk   FLA Gets: RP Will Ohman    ANALYSIS: Ohman will be decent, but he doesn’t improve the Marlins and their bullpen.  He won’t be amazing for the Marlins, but he will help big in some games.  Hurk could be a good starter, right now he just needs a chance to do well.  Both guys should do decent for their new teams.  Hurk is going to do really well right now and Ohman the same.  EDGE: Orioles
• BOS Gets: P Daniel Turpen    SF Gets: RP Ramon Ramirez    ANALYSIS: Ramirez will be a decent power reliever over the rest of the year.  The Giants did a good job here and Ramirez will make the bullpen a lot better and his will always be a good reliever for them.  He will run into trouble though.  Turpen will be an on and off reliever for Boston.  EDGE: Gaines
• ATL Gets: OF Wilkin Ramirez   DET Gets: PTBNL or Cash    ANALYSIS:  This deal is bigger than it seems.  Wilkin will be a huge pinch runner in September and if he gets a chance, I think he will hit.  He won’t hit all the time but he should help the Braves a lot.  Ramirez will also play good defense and bring a good brand of ball with his tools.  Ramirez will be the best hitting but his steals could get higher too.  EDGE: Braves
• LAD Gets: RP Octavio Dotel   PIT Gets: OF Andrew Lambo SP James McDonald     ANALYSIS: Dotel si very good still and with the Dodgers he will be good in whatever role they give him.  He will do the best out of any reliever traded besides Capps.  He might drop off a bit at the end of the year but his good stuff will make him lights out for now.  Lambo won’t be an all-star but he is going to be a good everyday outfielder soon and he will do okay with Pittsburgh.  McDonald will good in relief for now but if he stays there he won’t amount.  McDonald will have a good career as a five guy the Pirates.  EDGE: Pirates
• BOS Gets: C Jarrod Saltalamacchia  Tex Gets: 1B Chris McGuiness P Roman Mendez PTBNL    ANALYSIS:  This is a steal for the Sox.  Salty problems will be gone soon and his hitting is going to be great and down the stretch he will start hitting.  He won’t be as good as he was supposed to but in Boston he has his best chance.  Mendez is perfect for the Texas bullpen.  McGuiness should be a great platoon lefty.  Salty has too much talent not to succeed.  EDGE: Red Sox
• KC Gets: OF Gregor Balnco P Tim Collins RP Jesse Chavez  ATL Gets: OF Rick Ankiel RP Kyle Farnsworth   ANALYSIS: Ankiel will improve, Farnsworth will always be bad.  The Braves bullpen gets a bit worse with this deal and Farnsworth should have a very high ERA.  Ankiel will play good defense and make a big impact all around.  His offense should get very good.  Balanco should start hitting better and be a textbook leadoff hitter.  His steals will be biggest this year.  Chavez is going to be a great power reliever for a long time and might make a good closer if Soria goes.  Collins will be an okay pitcher.  EDGE: Even, Ankiel is great for Atlanta and Chavez and Balnco for KC.

Trades: Oswalt, Cantu, Tejada, Capps, Jackson, Berkman, Guzman, Kearns

• Roy Oswalt was traded to the Philllies.  This will keep the Phillies in the race for a while at least.  Oswalt and Halladay should do well down the stretch but Hamles might now.  Oswalt won’t be an ace but he will be on top of his game and will be a great for getting outs and wins.  Oswalt still has a few good seasons in him after this year and he would do fine in Philly.  The Phillies gave up JA Haap, who will be a decent pitcher but he won’t ever be an ace.  They also got Anthony Gose and flipped him for Brett Wallace.  Wallace is going to be great for the Astros.  EDGE: Phillies
• The Rangers got Jorge Cantu.  He won’t be as good from the bench, but his offense will always be big and he should have a few key hits down the stretch.  He will be big at first and won’t let them down.  His power will thrive big in his new home.  The Marlins new pitchers, Omar Poveda and Evan Reed should both be nice bullpen guys down the road.  EDGE: Rangers
• The Padres acquired Miguel Tejada.  Tejada won’t be the offense they need but he won’t do nothing, he will be okay n defense and will be a good veteran.  His average will continue to fall, but Tejada is going to keep getting worse.  He will still show flashes of good play.  Wynn Pelzer isn’t going to be real good though, so it was worth it, plus the protection will be decent.  EDGE: Padres
• The Twins got Matt Capps.  Capps will do great.  He will always get a save or a hold for these guys.  His power and his stuff will be great the rest of year.  He will be a better closer but Capps is going fantastic no mater what.  The only problem is the Twins gave up Wilson Ramos, he will be an all-star.  His hitting tools are going to keep getting higher too.  The Nats also got Joe Testa, who might make it to the MLB.  EDGE: Nationals
• Edwin Jackson was acquired by the White Sox today.  Jackson is going to do a bit better and have tons of strikeouts.  He will get more earned runs and will only help the Sox once and a while.  Jackson won’t do that good at first but start to get better.  His stuff won’t always be on, but when it is he will have a great start.  The D’Backs got Daniel Hudson, who will be a very great pitcher one day and David Holmberg should be decent.  EDGE: D’Backs
• The Yankees got Lance Berkman.  This may revive Berkman career a bit.  He wills still have some struggles and won’t bring any help besides the bat, but now the Yankee offense is complete.  Berkman numbers will all go up tons.  He should DH well and hit in the middle of the line-up just as good.  Berkman and the Yankees are perfect.  The Astros got Mark Melancon, who will be a good reliever soon and Jimmy Paredas, a good young hitter.  EDGE: Yankees
• The Rangers got Christian Guzman, who will pretty much just be a good h=average utility guy fr the rest fo the year, nothing more.  Guzman won’t do a lot of damage but is worth it.  The Nats got Tyler Roark, a guy who won’t have a big MLB career and Ryan Tatusku, who won’t be that good either.  EDGE: Rangers
• The Yankees got Austin Kearns for a PTBNL, Kearns will have a successful stint as a good pinch hitter who hits a few homers for the Yanks. EDGE: Yankees

Trades: Peralta, Podsednik

• The Tigers got Jhonny Peralta for Gio Soto.  Peralta won’t always be a big player for the Tigers but he should do enough to make the deal good.  Peralta will hit a lot of homers but his average won’t have any big raise.  He won’t have any trouble adjusting and will be as good for the Tigers as he has done in his career.  Peralta won’t be worth much on the base paths and fielding.  Giovanny Soto might be a good pitcher, he has god mechanics. Peralta is going to be a bit of a force behind Boesch and Cabrera.  EDGE: Tigers
• The Dodgers got Scott Podsednik.  He won’t really make a huge difference but his speed will be really good.  He’s going to be nice at the top of the line-up replacing Ramirez for a while.  He won’t be a .300 hitter for them but he should play a nice part in the Dodgers line-up.  For the prospects it was worth it.  Podsednik should  put up a .280 average with about 20 steals.  He will have a good stint for the Dodgers.  EDGE: Dodgers

Edwin Jackson and Trades

I think Edwin Jackson would do just as good wherever he pitches.  He may get bombed from time to time, but he should improve.  I just wouldn’t want him for down the stretch, he will let you down.  He will whiff tons but he will also walk a lot and give up runs.  From time to time he will keep the team in the game, but he just won’t be that good this year.  If he goes to the Nationals it makes some sense.  He would slow down and regain his stuff and be a good veteran to have a round next year.  Jackson won’t be an all-star again but the team that gets him should get a better Jackson next year.  Some problems he will always have too and the team that acquires him will only have a middle of the rotation guy.  I wouldn’t go after him but he could give you a few god starts.  He is more likely to be a disappointment.

Tigers Notes: Injuries, Call-ups, Rest of Year

• The Carlos Guillen injury is even bigger for the Tigers because, Will Rymes is a different player and the Tigers will struggle after Boesch.  When Guillen comes back it will help the offense get better again.  The Tigers need an outfielder or middle infielder the most at this point in order to stay in the race.
• Will Rhymes will hit good after a few at-bats and he will be a good player during his tenure with the Tigers, he won’t be great all-around though.  Jeff Larish will have power but may not hit very well all the time.  These guys will help the Tigers a bit, but the Tigers will still have a though time.
• I think the Tigers will have a great rest of the year if they acquire an outfielder and pitcher, and if not they will limp but stay in the race.  They are bound for a great September.

Angels Acquire Dan Haren

THE ANGELS: This is a good move for Los Angeles, they got an ace who won’t let them down.  I still don’t think the Angels have enough for the playoffs though.  They will do really good having Haren and Weaver, especially if they go back to back.  The Angels rotation is going to be good for a while too, which makes this a great deal for them, plus Haren will be a ton better than Saunders. Haren is going to be a the true ace the rest of the year and will take the Angels as far as possible and he should pitch some really good game while racking a lot of runs.
THE D’BACKS:  They got a really good prospect, Tyler Skaggs.  He will develop into something big and pretty soon.  The D’Backs will love him, he will be a great major leaguer for the Diamondbacks.  Joe Saunders isn’t going to do very much for them but he won’t hurt them starting for the rest of the year.  Patrick Corbin will be decent for the D’Backs and Rafael Rodriguez could be a decent reliever.  The D’Backs won’t be able to replace Haren in the future and with this move they probably won’t compete again until 2012.
THE FINAL ANALYSIS:  The deal will be good in some aspects for the D’Backs but was great all around for the Angles
EDGE: Angels

Tigers Outfield for the rest of the year

With Magglio out for 6-8 weeks this is what the Tigers outfield will be like…

ANALYSIS: I don’t think the Tigers should acquire an outfielder.  I would just start Ryan Raburn.  This is a big loss for the Tigers and now their chance of making the playoffs goes down, they should still stay in the pennant race. They will struggle scoring runs for a while.  Austin Jackson will be the one guy who will carry this offense and Boesch should get better soon.  This loss is big and without Maggs the Tigers will always find struggles, he was the perfect number three guy and now they will lose a lot of runs.  When Magglio does come back the Tigers will thrive.
LINE-UP:

1. CF Jackson
2. DH Damon
3. 1B Cabrera
4. RF Boesch
5. 2B Guillen
6. 3B Sizemore
7. LF Raburn
8. C Laird
9. SS Santiago

Roy Oswalt and Cardinals

I think Roy Oswalt would do great in St. Louis and they would be tough to beat and if they do make the postseason.  If the Cardinals give up Brendan Ryan it wouldn’t be that bad but if they let go of Jon Jay it might turn out a bit different.  Oswalt would form a big three with Carpenter and Wainwright that would make them front-runners for next years NL Central crown.  This year he would be very reliable and keep his ERA low.  The Astros would make out good if they got out with Ryan, Jay and a top prospect like Daryl Jones or Allen Craig.  I think St. Louis is the best fit for Oswalt.  He would do good with the Twins but would be slightly worse and get a few less wins.  He would do good with Philly too but not any better than he’s doing with Houston.  Whoever gets Oswalt will get an ace for the next two seasons who won’t do worse than he doing now.

Angels get Callaspo

The Angels got Alberto Callaspo and I think it’s great.  He is going to hit .300 and do everything they need him too, he fits with the Angels and will do good for them wherever he bats.  Callaspo won’t be that good at defense and I think Kevin Frandsen should still get some starts.  The thing that is bad is the Angels gave up Sean O’Sullivan, who would be a great pitcher for them the rest of the year which he will do for the Royals and they also gave up Will Smith, who could do KC some good.  I think Callaspo is so great for the Angels though, and beyond this year he will do good for them.  Callaspo would be a bench player for them beyond this year but he would be okay in that role.  He was worth giving up O’Sullivan for and will always be one of their better hitters and will be a average guy and be a pivotal part of this years team.  EDGE: Angels, barely

Sizemore recalled

Scott Sizemore was recalled to play third base.  I think he will do a lot better this time.  He will hit very well once he gets used to the pitching and will have some power with that.  He will be good at third but he will make some errors and won’t have the best range.  I don’t think he should platoon with Don Kelly because he won’t do good on a constant basis.  Sizemore will always be a great hitter for the Tigers once he gets the hang of it and will be a big table setter.  When he does pay second it will be worth it, his defense will be awesome their, I think Guillen should slide to third for now.  Sizemore should be really big the first few days on the big club.  He might go through another slump this year but by the end of the year he will hold his own in the majors.  He will have tons of good days and will make a big impact on the Tigers.