Most Underrated Trade: OF/1B Brandon Moss to the St. Louis Cardinals
Okay so obviously Moss hasn't been the best player this year, hitting just .217 with 15 home runs. He simply hasn't been the hitter he was the last three season, but honestly that could change with the Cardinals' ability to get the most out of veteran players. Moss provides a corner outfielder that the Cards need after the injury to Matt Holiday, and many people seem to get that Moss has hit at least 20 home runs and maintained an on-base percentage over .300 in each of the last three season. Would it surprise me to hear in October that Moss has had a productive second half to 2015? Absolutely not.
Biggest Surprise: SS Troy Tulowitzki to the Toronto Blue Jays
This was one that nobody really saw coming, but the move makes sense, especially for Toronto. The Blue Jays add yet another powerful to their lineup in an attempt to surge and catch the division-leading Yankees. I didn't see the Rockies parting ways with the face of their franchise, but they also landed a pretty good shortstop themselves in Jose Reyes. The biggest key to Tulowitzki's second half will be staying healthy, and with the Blue Jays also adding David Price today, you can't say they aren't at least trying to catch New York.
Biggest Disappointment: All of the Atlanta Braves Trades
I'm all for the "rebuilding for the future" theory, especially if a team's nowhere even close to the top of the division, but the Braves just went ahead and started waving the white flag to the Mets and Nationals. Atlanta even aided the Mets by trading them Kelly Johnson and Juan Uribe, who haven't been superstars in 2015 but have contributed. The three-way deal the Braves took place in today which dealt Alex Wood, Jim Johnson and Luis Avilan was a bit confusing as well. I'm trying not to hammer them too bad because I don't get paid the big bucks to make these kind of decisions, but if I was a Braves' fan, I would feel pretty disappointed in my club.
Biggest Winner: Kansas Royals
The Toronto Blue Jays earn themselves a honorable mention here, but Kansas City absolutely addressed their needs with the couple of deals they made. The Royals added an ace with Johnny Cueto, who will be able to take his starts late into games where their dominant bullpen can take over and stack wins. Cueto will help the Royals keep their distance in the AL Central race. I also really liked the acquisition of Ben Zobrist, who will begin his time in Kansas City playing in left field for the injured Alex Gordon. Zobrist not only will be able to play in Gordon's spot while he works his way off the disabled list, but he will also supplement the Royals' middle infield that's been the weak spot for Kansas City offensively once Gordon comes back. The Royals went all-in with these moves and are determined to get themselves back to the Fall Classic.
Honorable mention: Houston Astros adding a great arm with Scott Kazmir and a powerful bat with Carlos Gomez. These two will be great pieces for the Astros in their attempt to hold off the Los Angeles Angels in the AL West.
Player that finds the most success with his new team: Troy Tulowitzki, Toronto Blue Jays
Tulowitzki will take advantage of the weaker AL East pitching that he'll face mostly for the remainder of the season. His move from Coors Field to Toronto won't vastly affect him, as he moves from hitter's park to another. If the Blue Jays find themselves in first place by the end of the season, Tulowitzki will have played a big part. Honorable mentions here would be Cole Hamels to Texas, where hitters have a tough time generating offense and Johnny Cueto, who will thrive with an excellent bullpen to lean on.
Player that finds the least success: Jonathan Papelbon, Washington Nationals
I understand that the Nationals want to upgrade to ensure that they don't blow crucial games late, but what does this say to Drew Storen? Storen was just fine, and Papelbon insisted that any deal made wouldn't relinquish his status as a closing pitcher. It will be interesting to see how Papelbon's tenure with Washington goes and how effective he'll be in October if the Nats can hold off New York.
As always, thanks for reading. Be sure to follow me on Twitter @griffaldo to see my latest work!
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