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‘07 Trade Deadline Arrives With A Bang

July 31st was the final day for Major League Baseball to trade players to opposing teams without waiver restrictions — a period of time that sometimes fizzles and other times, like this year, provides a bevy of moves that gives all of the MLB mouthpieces plenty to talk about for the next few days (just like we are doing here).  Not only do active trading periods provide sufficient journalistic fodder, they also indicate the final stretch run to the playoffs is about to begin.

So, did your team do enough to make a splash in October?  Before your answer that, let’s look at a couple of the more compelling deals that went down before the 4pm EST deadline:

The Atlanta Braves add a Much-Needed Bat and some Kansas City Pitching Relief
In two separate deals, the Atlanta Braves acquired the rights to Texas slugger Marc Teixeira — who is considered one of best players available — and KC Royals reliever Octavio Dotel.  Currently, the Braves trail the division leading New York Mets by 4.5 games and are locked in a 7-team race for the NL wild card spot (only 3.5 games separate the leader from the final contender).

Teixeira provides some needed pop in the Braves line-up and you can never turn down quality pitching.  Plus with the Mets deciding to “dance with who brung em,” it’s safe to say the Braves will be in contention for the NL Central right until the end of the regular season.  However, the same can be said for the division rival Philadelphia Phillies (currently ahead of the Braves in the NL East), who made some small but potentially effective moves of their own.

The question is, did the Braves do enough to make a difference?   Considering the Braves’ 14-to-1 Division Championships/World Series Ring ratio, a stat that would even make the most bitter Buffalo Bills fan smile, the next question is would it matter if they did?

Braves Trading Deadline Roundup:

- Texas Rangers (fire sale anyone?) sends 1B Mark Teixeira and LHP Ron Mahay to the Braves for C Jarrod Saltalamacchia, SS Elvis Andrus, 2 minor leaguers to be named later.

- Kansas City sends RHP Octavio Dotel for RHP Kyle Davies

The Boston Red Sox Take a Quick Look in the Mirror, See Yanks Closing
In an effort to hold off the hard charging New York Yankees (Didn’t ESPN’s Mike Golic declare them dead?  Nicely done there, Big G.  I can only hope you curse my Wildcats the same way…), the BoSox entered the trade deadline festivities trying to shore up their already exceptional bullpen and add another bat to the line-up.

And how did they do? While failing to wrangle Jermaine Dye away from the Chicago White Sox, the Red Sox did manage to acquire Texas closer Eric Gagne — a long-proven closer who has converted on 16 of 17 save opportunities for the last place Texas Rangers who will only make the Sox’ bullpen that much better, at least on paper.

One out of two ain’t bad, especially in baseball.  But is it enough to hold off the hated Yankees?

Red Sox Trading Deadline Roundup:

- The Texas Rangers continue to deal veteran talent by sending RHP Eric Gagne to the BoSox for LHP Kason Gabbard; minor leaguers David Murphy and Engel Beltre… and perhaps a pile of magic beans.

BoSox, Braves Not Only Active Teams
Of course, these aren’t the only teams to improve their lot, but Braves and the Red Sox did acquire the most notable players in Teixeira and Gagne.  Other teams who made noteworthy moves:  The San Diego Padres received plenty of pitching depth by trading RHP Scott Linebrink to the Milwaukee Brewers.  Both teams are in contention for both the wild card and the championship of their respective NL division.

Surprisingly, the Yankees only made one move by sending RHP Scott Proctor to the Dodgers for a utility player Wilson Betemit. Is this enough to close the 8-game gap with the Red Sox?  Probably not.  Is it enough to secure them a wild card spot? Again, with such a non-noteworthy trade, it’s doubtful this is the move that seals the deal for the Yankees.  All-in-all, it’s been a busy time for the MLB.  Are you ready for the stretch run?

For an in-depth blogosphere response to the trade deadline shenanigans, check out Deadspin’s wrap-up.  Of course, if reading awesome fan responses to the all the trading deadline news is your thing, check out Fark’s discussion thread.  You won’t be disappointed.

Chris Richardson is the web communication specialist for Ticket Solutions. At Ticket Solutions, we have tickets for games to every MLB baseball game you can think of, including the World Series.  Check out our MLB ticket inventory. Watch for the Ticket Solutions sports blog launching soon.

 

 

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