Yes, teams can still find an impact bat after the non-waiver trade deadline. (Getty Images) |
With the non-waiver trade deadline now in our rearview, we can look ahead to trades that might happen in August. For examples of the types of deals that get done, we can look to the past. Just one year ago, to be exact. Here are the August trades from last season.
Note the relative flurry of activity on August 31. That is because postseason eligibility lists must be established before the clock strikes midnight ET and the calendar turns to September.
August 15: Delmon Young traded to Tigers; Twins get player to be named (Cole Nelson)
Young had been a major disappointment in the Twins' all-around disappointing 2011 season, but he hit the ball much better for Detroit -- .274/.298/.458 with eight homers and 32 RBI in just 40 games. He then had a 1.170 OPS with three homers in the Tigers' ALDS win over the Yankees in five games.
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August 18: Tim Wood traded to Rangers; Pirates get cash
Wood hasn't been back to the majors since. In fact, he signed back with the Pirates in the offseason and is now with Triple-A Indianapolis.
August 23: Aaron Hill, John McDonald traded to Diamondbacks; Blue Jays get Kelly Johnson
Considering this happened in August, it was a bit of a blockbuster. Johnson was coming off a 26-homer season and playing for a playoff contender. Hill was an All-Star in 2009 but had struggled since. The move was just what Hill needed. He hit .315/.386/.492 the rest of the way and is again having a very productive season this year as the D-Backs look for back-to-back NL West titles. McDonald also has contributed, as he's great with the glove and actually sports a decent line (.267/.305/.478) this season. Johnson, meanwhile, is still struggling to find that 2010 form again.
August 26: Jim Thome traded to Indians; Twins get player to be named
Thome was actually hoping to get through waivers, so he could rejoin his old team -- the Phillies -- also looking for that elusive ring. Instead, his first team -- the Indians -- placed a waiver claim on him and all parties agreed to a trade. Post-trade, Thome was very good (.296/.390/.479 with three homers and 10 RBI in 82 plate appearances), but the Indians were not. They missed out on the playoffs by a great margin.
August 31: Michael Gonzalez traded to Rangers; Orioles get Pedro Strop
The Rangers wanted a lefty, so they grabbed Gonzalez. He ended up throwing seven innings in September, sporting a 5.14 ERA and allowing one of his three inherited runners to score. He was able to get a few important outs in the postseason without being great. Strop, meanwhile, has been pretty excellent since joining Baltimore.
August 31: Matt Treanor traded to Rangers; Royals get cash
This was merely a depth acquisition. Treanor did not appear in the postseason and only had 12 plate appearances for Texas in the regular season.
August 31: Matt Diaz traded to Braves; Pirates get player to be named (Eliecer Cardenas)
Diaz hit .286/.297/.314 in 37 plate appearances as the Braves lost a double-digit wild-card lead to the Cardinals. Diaz is hitting .222/.280/.333 this season for the Braves.
August 31: Jack Wilson traded to Braves; Mariners get player to be named (Luis Caballero)
Wilson was pretty bad offensively (.220/.238/.244) after the deal, but that's not why you trade for Jack Wilson. He could still pick it admirably on defense, so this wasn't a lost deal. Of course, the Braves did have that aforementioned collapse.
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