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Tuesday July 31st, 2012

Bernie Olshansky:  What a busy day! Here are the last of the major deals that led up to the 4:00 p.m. eastern time deadline:

Hunter Pence to the Giants

The Giants and Dodgers are in a tie for first in the NL West as of today. Leading up to the deadline, the Dodgers have acquired Hanley Ramirez, Shane Victorino, and Brandon League. With the Dodgers making such big moves to add to their offensive lineup, the Giants needed to get a big bat. Hunter Pence is the solution the Giants were looking for, hitting .271with 17 homers and 59 RBI. For Pence and cash considerations, the Giants sent outfielder Nate Schierholtz, minor league catcher Tommy Joseph, and minor league pitcher Seth Rosin. This year, Schierholtz hit .257 in 196 plate appearances. Joseph hit .260 in 335 plate appearances in Double-A, and Rosin held a 4.31 ERA in 56.1 innings in Single-A. I love this move for the Giants. Already with Pablo Sandoval (on the DL now but expected back soon), Melky Cabrera, and Buster Posey in the lineup, the Giants look good. Now with Hunter Pence, they will put up some serious competition to the Dodgers for the NL West crown. The Phillies also get some good talent. Nate Schierholtz never really made it with the Giants, so hopefully he will get a fresh start in Philadephia. Tommy Joseph also was a highly regarded prospect in the Giants organization, and he looks like he will be the catcher of the future.

Shane Victorino to the Dodgers

Victorino went to the Dodgers from the Phillies for reliever Josh Lindblom and pitching prospect Ethan Martin. Both teams win in this trade. Lindblom has been great for the Dodgers this year and will bring a lot of talent to the Phillies bullpen, and Martin went 8-6 with a 3.58 ERA with Double-A Chattanooga this year. Martin also spent some time in Double-A last year, so it seems like he should be in the majors soon enough. Victorino will join Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp in the outfield for the Dodgers and oppose the Giants’ acquisition Hunter Pence in the NL West. It looks like both teams will be locked in a race for the division down the stretch.

Ryan Dempster to the Rangers

In order to compete with the Angels in the AL West, the Rangers needed a pitcher. There were talks that the Rangers could go after Matt Garza, but in the end they went with Dempster due to concerns about Garza’s health. Dempster will help fill in for Colby Lewis, who is out for the year after getting Tommy John surgery. Dempster has gone 5-5 this year with the Cubs with a 2.25 ERA. Dempster could help shut down the Angels’ powerful offense with Mike Trout and Albert Pujols leading the way. Don’t forget the A’s—they’ve been on a jag recently going 8-2 in their last 10 games. For Dempster, the Rangers had to give up minor league third baseman Christian Villanueva and minor league pitcher Kyle Hendricks. Villanueva has hit .285 in Single-A, and Hendricks has a 2.82 ERA in Single-A. While the Cubs build for the future, the Rangers try to compete for the AL West title.

Jonathan Broxton to the Reds

The Reds added Jonathan Broxton to possibly help set up Aroldis Chapman. Headed to the Royals for Broxton are two pitchers: Donnie Joseph and J.C. Sulbaran. Joseph has gone 8-3 with a 1.72 ERA and 18 saves at Double-A and Triple-A, and Sulbaran has gone 7-7 with a 4.04 ERA at Double-A. Broxton will help the Reds try to win the NL Central from the Pirates. I think they have a good shot at doing that once Joey Votto returns.

Gaby Sanchez (Marlins) to the Pirates for outfielder Gorkys Hernandez

Gaby Sanchez reached the end with the Marlins after getting sent down to Triple-A this season. Sanchez was an All Star last year when he hit .266 with 19 homers and 78 RBI. In 2010, he hit .273 with 19 homers and 85 RBI. This year isn’t his best so far as he’s hitting just .202 with three homers and 17 RBI. Maybe he isn’t a fan of the new stadium or of Ozzie Guillen. I think a change of scenery will make a difference for him and he will help the Pirates reach the playoffs. The Marlins will get outfielder Gorkys Hernandez. Hernandez hit .257 with two homers and 25 RBI this year in Triple-A Indianapolis. Before the 2009 season, Hernandez was ranked the #62 prospect by Baseball America in the Pirates organization.

Other Moves:

Lars Anderson (Red Sox) to the Indians for minor league pitcher Steven Wright

Craig Breslow (D-Backs) to the Red Sox for Matt Albers and Scott Podsednik

Edward Mujica (Marlins) to the Cardinals for third baseman Zack Cox

Casey McGehee (Pirates) to the Yankees for Chad Qualls

I see the Dodgers as winners of this trade deadline. After acquiring Hanley Ramirez, Shane Victorino, and Brandon League, I would stack their lineup next to any other team’s. The Angels and Giants each did well, coming away with Zack Greinke and Hunter Pence respectively.

***Today’s feature was prepared by Bernie Olshansky, Baseball Writer & Facebook Administrator.  We highly encourage you to leave your comments and feedback at the bottom of the page and share in the discussion with our readers.  You can also follow Bernie on Twitter (@BernieOlshansky)***

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