KA Sports Talk is all about explaining why teams make certain trades and if it will help their team be successful. In this blog we are explaining where this year’s postseason contenders stand in October due to the deadline or if it had any affect at all.
*In no particular order*
HOUSTON ASTROS:
Additions: RHP Zack Greinke, RHP Aaron Sanchez, RHP Joe Biagini
Adding Greinke to the Houston rotation was probably the biggest trade for the Astros due to the Houston’s GM Jeff Luhnow not giving up his top 2 prospects. Greinke’s first game (6 innings) with the Astros didn’t go as planned, the Astros got the win but he gave up 7 hits, 5 earned runs, 1 home run, and has a 7.50 ERA (in Houston). Also landing pitchers Aaron Sanchez and Joe Biagini added depth to to Houston’s arms. Sanchez is a sinker/slider pitcher which fits great with fellow teammate Wade Miley. Sanchez has pitched 6 innings for the Astros and has a 0.00 ERA, and no hits. Biagini has pitched 3 innings and has a 3.00 ERA for the Astros. The rest of the second half going into October looks set for the Astros. On paper the Houston Astros look like they could be the best team in the league.
Chance to make playoff: 100%
They have the pitching and lineup to make it to October!
ATLANTA BRAVES:
Additions: RHP Shane Greene, RHP Mark Melancon, RHP Chris Martin
With Atlanta’s Bullpen struggling the Braves GM had no choice but to shop in the bullpen section. With OF Nick Markakis hurt, questions arose before the deadline if the Braves should look for an outfielder to take on the roll. But Adam Duvall has come up from the minors and helped the Braves out a lot with the OF situation. Not to mention the rotation is doing rather well, RHP Mike Soroka is on the ROY watchlist and the CY Young watchlist as well. With a 2.45 ERA, and 1.11 WHIP Mike Soroka is arguably the best in the Braves rotation. Shane Greene has pitched in 3 games (3 IP) and has a 15.00 ERA. Not a good start for the closer coming into Atlanta with a 1.18 ERA in Detroit. Melancon has pitched in 2 games (2 IP) and has a 0.00 ERA which is not bad at all. Chris Martin is also one who didn’t get off to a great start in Atlanta pitching 2 games (2 IP) and having a 10.80 ERA. Not what Atlanta expected from Greene and Martin, but it might take a few games to settle into the new environment.
Chance to make playoff: 94%
If these moves solidify Atlanta’s bullpen the Braves could be a very strong competitor for the NL pennant.
CHICAGO CUBS:
Additions: OF Nicholas Castellanos, OF/2B Tony Kemp, RHP David Phelps, LHP Brad Wieck, LHP Derek Holland
Adding Castellanos was probably the biggest addition for the Cubs. It looks as though Maddon is going to give him every chance to be full time. While people have been complaining about their bullpen their offense has been overall outstanding and Castellanos will help with that. Especially since Contreras is on the IL. In 29 AB Castellanos has a .379 BA, .400 OBP, and 1.090 OPS. LHP Derek Holland has pitched 5.2 innings for Chicago and has a 1.59 ERA, and a 0.71 WHIP. David Phelps pitched 2.1 innings and has a 3.86 ERA, and 1.71 WHIP. LHP Brad Wieck is currently on the 40-man roster. In 5 games Tony Kemp has a .214 BA, .200 OBP, and .414 OPS. You also can’t forget what Rizzo, Bryant, Baez, Heyward, and Happ have to offer at the plate. Chicago might not have the best bullpen but their offense will keep them in the chase for the pennant.
Chance to make playoff: 90%
Due to the Cubs being 6th in the NL in runs per game adding more offense is only going to boost their ranking and maybe their chance in October.
LOS ANGELES DODGERS:
Acquired: LHP Adam Kolarek, IF Jedd Gyorko, and 1B Tyler White
With LA having a pretty generous lead in the West, and the best record in the league you can guess that they didn’t want to change much. They needed to fill in spots at 1B and 2B until they get David Freese, Enrique Hernandez, and Chris Taylor back in the lineup. Jedd Gyorko is currently on the IL. Tyler White didn’t have a great start in his Dodger uniform with 14 AB and only has a .071 BA, .235 OBP, and .307 OPS. Fans were skeptic since they didn’t add to their bullpen, but there is definitely potential in the bullpen they already have. And the Starting Rotation for the Dodgers is one of the if not the best in the league. RHP Walker Buehler threw a complete game this past Saturday against the Padres. Kershaw just surpassed Koufax in strikeouts. Not to mention the offense that LA has Bellinger, Muncy, Turner, Verdugo, Seager, Pederson, Pollock, Beaty, Martin, and Smith. And the Dodgers can’t wait to have Ryu back in the rotation. LA didn’t have to add much to their already stacked team they just needed to have insurance due to their IL.
Chance to make playoff: 100%
Due to their starting rotation, great offense, and very comfortable lead in the West the Dodgers will see themselves in their 7th consecutive postseason.
NEW YORK METS:
Additions: RHP Marcus Stroman
Going into the middle of July if we told you the Mets would be in the race for postseason play you would have probably told us we were crazy (we would have told ourselves that we were crazy). On July 12, the Mets were 40-51, several games out of the Wild Card spot. At the time they also had the second-worst record in the NL. So with a record like that Noah Syndergaard’s name was being thrown into the rumors of people who could be available. With the Mets decision to keep Syndergaard might have not been a bad idea at all. He is 8-5 with a 3.96 ERA. But, the first game for Marcus Stroman didn’t go as plan. Pitching 4.1 innings and having a 6.23 ERA. The best thing to come out of his first start was his amazing defensive play. The Mets are now 59-56 and 1 games behind for the wild card.
Chance to make playoff: 40%
Due to the Mets coming out of the first half slump on fire is certainly jumping them into the race.
CLEVELAND INDIANS:
Additions: OF Yasiel Puig, OF Franmil Reyes, RHP Hunter Wood
Adding Puig and Reyes the Indians were hoping the trade would give pop to the lineup. Cleveland also hoping Kluber will fill in the place of Trevor Bauer when he gets fully healthy. While we have only seen 1 scoreless inning out of Wood you can see potential. Yasiel Puig has a .286 BA, .348 OBP, and .729 OPS in his 21 AB as an Indian. Reyes is not off to a good start in the Indians uniform hitting a .091 BA, .087 OBP, and .223 OPS in 22 AB. With Lindor leading the Indians in Batting Average (.304) and Slugging (.531). Along with Santana leading the team in Home Runs (24), RBI (63), OBP (.403), and OPS (.927); adding Puig and Reyes to the lineup could possibly help the Indians more. There are 10 head-to-head games against the Twins that might decide the division.
Chance to make playoff: 80%
If they don’t surpass the Twins in first they have a good shot at getting a Wild Card.
WASHINGTON NATIONALS:
Additions: RHP Daniel Hudson, RHP Hunter Strickland, LHP Roenis Elias
There is no doubting that the Nationals have a great rotation. Especially since Max Scherzer has been in and out of the IL, Stephen Strasburg has stepped up recently despite giving up 9 runs and 3 home runs against the Diamondbacks. Before the Diamondback game, Strasburg won 7 starts in a row along with not giving up a home run in July. The Nationals had to also shop in the bullpen section. Unfortunately Elias pulled a hamstring while running to first and is expected to miss 10 days. Strickland has pitched 3 innings for the Nationals and has a 3.00 ERA, and Hudson has 2 inning with the Nationals and has a 0.00 ERA. The Nationals lineup is solid as well, with Anthony Rendon, Trae Turner, and Juan Soto who are great offensively and defensively.
Chance to make playoff: 84%
Even if the Nationals don’t clinch the division we do think the will get a Wild Card.
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES:
Additions: LF Corey Dickerson, LHP Jason Vargas
While the Phillies stacked up in the offseason with Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, Jean Segura, Andrew McCutchen, and David Robertson they still find themselves 7.5 games away from 1st in the East and 1 game away from 2nd. Bryce Harper having a pretty average season with 19 home runs (55 players have at least 20) was not what the Phillies were looking for so maybe he can get it going for August and September. Scott Kingery and Rhys Hoskins are hitters that have stepped up. Every one of his stats are higher than last years except his strikeouts. And being in the league for 2 years he doesn’t look that bad at all. In 12 at bats Corey Dickerson has a .333 BA and OBP with 2 home runs and 4 hits. LHP Jason Vargas has pitched 6.1 innings and has a 2.84 ERA with 5 strikeouts. Another pitcher that has been doing well recently is Aaron Nola, in the last 15 games Nola has a 3.00 ERA (96.0 IP) with a 1.14 WHIP, and 115 strikeouts.
Chance to make playoff: 70%
Due to the lack in all around pitching the Phillies will have to fight hard to stay in the race.
MINNESOTA TWINS:
Additions: RHP Sam Dyson, RHP Sergio Romo
Minnesota’s home run game this year is pretty historic and Nelson Cruz is at the center of it. Cruz homered 3 times Saturday after he homered 3 times on July 25. Since June 5, he is hitting .315/.413/.758. Due to the pace of their home runs the Twins might break the Yankee’s record (set last year) by the end of August. One thing that didn’t really please Minnesota or the fans is that Dyson landed on the IL immediately. Although, Sergio Romo has pitched 4 games (4.1 IP) and has a 0.00 ERA. And not to mention Taylor Rogers has been excellent this season with a 2.10 ERA. And RHP Ryne Harper debut year has been well too. With a 3.5 GB from the Indians the 10 head-to-head games might decide who clinches the division.
Chance to make playoff: 96%
If the Twins keep this offense up, they will definitely find themselves playing in October.
MILWAUKEE BREWERS:
Additions: RHP Jake Faria, RHP Jordan Lyles, LHP Drew Pomeranz
There is no question that the problem with the Brewers has been their pitching. With arguably their best pitcher Brandon Woodruff out until September. Jhoulys Chacin is out because of a lat strain. Which are too many injuries for the Brewers when they already struggle with pitching. Outside of pitching the lineup for Milwaukee is pretty solid you have 2 time MVP candidate Christian Yelich, obviously, rookie Keston Hiura came into the lineup doing very well having a .298 batting average and 12 homers since his debut in May, and not to mention the other rookie Trent Grisham who made his debut on August 1st hitting .333 BA, 1 HR, and .933 OPS. You can also depend on Cain, Arcia, Braun, Gamel, Grandal, and Moustakas. RHP Jordan Lyles has done outstanding so far pitching 10 innings and having a 1.80 ERA for the Brewers. Both Faria, and Pomeranz have a 0.00 ERA with 2 innings pitched. The lineup for the Brewers is the last thing they are worried about it is the pitching, they fix that they make it too October.
Chance to make playoff: 35%
Due to the pitching not being very dependable from the starting rotation to the closers, fighting off pitching from the Cubs, and Cardinals is going to be very hard.
OAKLAND ATHLETICS:
Additions: RHP Tanner Roark, LHP Jake Diekman
Oakland is one of those teams that get the job done in the shadows. And the second half always manages to fall into the favor of the A’s. They have gone 31-14 since June 10. Roark had a very good debut for Oakland beating the Cardinals and only giving up 1 run in 5 innings. Plus the offense for the A’s is great, you have Matt Chapman, Matt Olson, and Marcus Semien. While Diekman is struggling a little bit pitching 2.1 innings and having a 7.71 ERA. The Oakland Athletics almost always find a way to stay in the race.
Chance to make playoff: 40%
Due to their great start to the second half and being 7-3 in the last 10 games. There is a slight possibility that the A’s might find themselves in their 2nd consecutive Wild Card.
BOSTON RED SOX:
Additions: None (acquired Andrew Cashner earlier)
After taking 3 out of 4 against the Yankees last weekend the fans couldn’t wait to see what the organization would add to the roster to keep it going. Except they added no one and it is starting to show. The Red Sox are 1-9 in their last 10 games including getting swept by the Rays and the Yankees. The pitching for the Red Sox has been struggling, Chris Sale allowed 8 runs against the Yankees. And Rick Porcello has not been great either with a 5.74 ERA. In Cashner’s four starts he hasn’t been great.
Chance to make playoff: 18%
Just look at the stats on the rotation: 2018: 10th in WAR, 3rd in win probability added 2019: 14th in WAR, 20th in win probability added
NEW YORK YANKEES:
Additions: None
With Edwin Encarnacion with a fractured wrist and Aaron Hicks with a sore elbow. Also Gary Sanchez still being out, Giancarlo Stanton out till September, and Dellin Betances expected to come back this month. A key injury for New York is RHP Luis Severino. Due to some pretty big names on the list it was quite shocking that the Yankees didn’t add at least a starter to help take some pressure off of LHP James Paxton. He is not a bad pitcher we just think Manager Aaron Boone would like to see consistency going into postseason which is what Paxton is struggling with. But the Yankees have a 9.0 GB in the East due to a great bullpen and backups filling the roles greatly. We would expect the rest of the season going into October the biggest concern for the Yankees due to the fact that they still have to figure out their rotation.
Chance to make playoff: 98%
Due to the rotation struggling recently and their ERA constantly going up, might make things difficult in the long run for New York. The rotation’s ERA in July was 6.28.
TAMPA BAY RAYS:
Additions: 1B Jesus Aguilar, RHP Nick Anderson, RHP Trevor Richards, 2B Eric Sogard
Aguilar is a good addition for the Rays being a 2018 All-Star with the Brewers. He also did very well part time with the Brewers in July with a .921 OPS. With 16 AB Aguilar has had a fantastic start in a Rays uniform with a .375 BA, .450 OBP, and 1.013 OPS. 2B Eric Sograd has rocketed into his Rays debut with a .348 BA, .444 OBP, and 1.140 OPS in 23 AB. Anderson has started his Rays debut with a 0.00 ERA in 3 innings. Trevor Richards is currently not on the active roster for the Rays. With CY Young winner Blake Snell’s surgery on his elbow in July the Rays are hoping he will be back by Mid-September. And All-Star second baseman Brandon Lowe who is slow to recovery from a right shin bruise. To stay in the race they will need to capitalize on the rest of their season. They have definitely opened the second half with a good frame in mind. Plus their depth helps them overcome the injuries. There is potential with the Rays and October.
Chance to make playoff: 70%
If they capitalize August and September and keep winning they will probably make it into the off season. The only worry we have is before closing the season with Toronto, the Rays have to face the Dodgers, Red Sox, and Yankees which are difficult series.
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS:
Additions: None
Matt Carpenter coming back from his right foot injury and Yadier Molina possibly returning next week from his injury might be good news for St. Louis. Which neither have had the season they wanted (Carpenter .688 OPS, Molina .654). But if Carpenter can come back and get hot in leadoff it would help the offense out a lot. While the Cardinals have outstanding pitching. The question is do they have the offense to get them into October? In the National League, St. Louis is 11th in runs per game. Since the All-Star break the Cardinals are 14-8. Paul Goldschmidt has heated up to help the offense. But, they still have 7 games against the Cubs and nine against the Brewers. So the race in the NL Central is one you don’t want to miss out on.
Chance to make playoff: 60%
Due to their great pitching, and their offense starting to come alive a bit. The St. Louis Cardinals has found themselves in the chase to October.
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