And the winners are...........

The trade deadline has come and gone.

Who are the big winners, the big losers, and the big "wait and see" teams?

Big winners:

Atlanta Braves - One of the smartest organizations in baseball did the best job in improving their team. I can't say enough about the Mark Teixeira trade. He fits almost any team looking for a first baseman, but he is even more of a perfect fit for the Braves. Look at that lineup now: Willie Harris, Edgar Rentaria, Mark Teixeira, Chipper Jones, Andruw Jones, Brian McCann, Jeff Fronceour, Kelly Johnson. That, right there, is automatically the best lineup in the NL and one of the best in the major leagues. It is an AL lineup. Potentially, there isn't a hole in it. It is stacked and it is even. Plus, because of Teixeira's stellar defense, the Braves don't lose anything in that regard and they stregthen their bench.

Then, the Braves went and added Octavio Dotel to the mix, giving them a quality eighth inning guy to back up veteran closer Bob Wickman. If there was any doubt the Braves were making a move this year, you can put those doubts to rest. Depending on how well the Mets play in the second half, the Braves may have just made themselves the favorites to win the NL East. Add in the fact that the Braves have either given themselves some major insurance if Andruw Jones walks away after this year with Tex or have added another component to a 1-2 punch that could be formidable for years to come, the Braves made a trade that sacrificed little for the future.

Boston Red Sox - God, you have no idea how much it pains me to say this, but the Gagne trade is a major coup for the shit head nation of fuck nut losers (I'm not a big Red Sox fan). First, it gives the Sox the best 1-2-3 punch out of the bullpen in baseball. Paplebon is one of the best closer's in the game. He might not be Rivera circa 1996-2000 automatic but he is as close as anyone has come to that. Okijima, the throw in Japanese lefty who was suppose to just keep Dice K company, has been one of the best set up men in the game and will now be relegated to the seventh inning, making most Red Sox games six innings. Now, throw in Gagne for the eighth and the Sox are stacked. Their one GLARING weakness was their bullpen outside of their big two. Now, with that one addition, the problem seems to be solved.

But this move works for two other major reasons. One, the Sox got away with not having to give up any real prize possessions from their system. They kept the big pieces. They didn't have to give up a DeCarmen, a Lester or anyone of that type of ilk. They gave up good parts, but players they probably wouldn't have used anyway. The second reason that this move is great for them, and it's a reason no one else has mentioned (making me a GOD for realizing it) is that Gagne not only helps the Sox this year, but if he stays healthy and pitches well, it allows them to do what they have wanted to do for the last two years now, which is move Paplebon back into the starting rotation. The Sox wanted to do that this year, yet it became perfectly obvious that the closer situation was just too wide open. Paplebon lobbied to go back in a close, but if the Sox were to resign Gagne, there would be no reason not to move Papleboner into the rotation next year, something they may NEED to do if they decide to cut ties with the always quiet, shy Curt Schilling. Think of the Sox NEXT YEAR: A rotation of Beckett, Dice-K, Papleboner, Lester and Wakefield (until the carry his dead carcass off the field I will always assume Wake is there to fill out the rotation). Then, your bullpen could be Gagne closing, Okijima set up, DeCarmen seventh, fill in the blanks afterwards. That gives the Sox some amazing pitching, provided dipshit Paplebon could make the move back to the rotation, which one would have to assume he could. By the way, did I mention I hate this fucking team?

New York Mets - Okay, it was only one move, but the Mets snagging the Twins 2B Luis Castillo was the best, most underappreciated move of the weekend. First, Castillo is having a nice year this year batting over .300. Second, he is another speedster, stealing over 25 bases almost every year. He is a GREAT small ball type of player, moving runners over, getting bunts down, making the pitcher work to get him out. He NEVER strikes out (he has only struck out 90 times once in his career) and he is a GREAT defensive second baseman. And, he is still only 31 years old (just turned this year) and has never had an injury problem in his career.

Why is this such a great move for this team?

Because, aside from replacing Jose Valentin with an All Star caliber second baseman, the Mets get themselves the prototypical #2 hitter for a lineup, right in front of Beltran, Delgado, and Wright. It puts Lastings Milledge, who is gonna force either Shawn Green or Moises Alou to the bench, into a position in the lineup where he can drive in runs, it puts more speed on the bases for the Mets, and it gives them a double play combination in Reyes and Castillo to die for. The infield of Wright, Reyes, Castillo, Delgado (assuming Delgado is just having an off year, which I think is the extent of it for him) will be the Mets infield for a LONG time to come. And, again, the Mets did it without relinquishing any of their big bargaining chips, like a Mike Pelfrey, Phil Umber, Aaron Heilman or Lastings Miledge. Smart deals like this one by Omar Minaya is what leads to a team having a successful decade rather than just one successful year.

Texas Rangers - How do you trade away two of your best players and up winners? Because we like everyone here at From The Free Seats, except those pricks up in Beantown............and the Dutch.

But truthfully, the Rangers walked away with a bounty of prospects, all of whom seem to have some pretty good upside. I, for one, have a man crush (meaning I would have sex with him) on Jarrod Saltalamcchia. First, I love his name. It is gonna be funwatching John Kruk pronounce that name for the next 1o years. My over under for when Kruky gets it right is at about year 7, or never. But besides the name, Salty is a man child. He is huge. He has CRUSHED the ball at every level, even playing first at the big league level. He is a catcher who plays good defense, has a cannon for an arm, and is a potential 40 homer a year guy. AS A CATCHER!!!!! I love Teixeira, but Salty may end up being better than him, playing a far more important position.

The word on SS prospect Elvis Andrus is that the slick fielding short stop will be one of the GREAT defensive players this league has seen in a while. And, according to scouts, while he may not be a hitter in the vein of the great ss hitters of today (Jeter, Tejada, etc...) he is gonna hit enough to be a really, really good everyday player. Most people feel that, right now, today, Salty and Andrus could be up and playing for the big team and performing at a high level.

After that, the Rangers picked up Neftali Feliz, a young fireballer who many feel is destined to be a big time closer, an outfield prospect in David Murphy who some people feel could be another Jeff Froncouer, and two pitching prospects (Matt Harrison and Kason Gabbard) who people like as back end of the rotation types of guys.

The truth is that Texas needs to rebuild. They need new, young blood, and that seems to be what they got. Salty will probably be a perrenial all star for them at catcher and Andrus may crack a mid summer classic from time to time as well. Feliz could be their closer of the future and the Rangers are starting to add some young pitching depth to their system now that may pay off in the future. All in all, it was a good trade deadline for the Rangers.

And the losers are....................

L.A. Angels of Anaheim - I don't get the Halos. They need ONE MORE BAT to be the best team in the AL, perhaps the best team in baseball, and for another trade deadline they come up empty. How in the hell did the Angels strike out getting a bat last July, get NOTHING in the offseason except Shea Hillenbrand, and strike out again this July. REALLY? Are you serious? I understand the Blue Jays may have been asking a lot for Troy Glaus but, come on, that deal made SOOO much sense it really doesn't make a lot of sense for them not to have invested in it. Glaus is only 31, won't cost much, is GREAT defensively, started his career with the Angels, and would have been a great big bat to put behind Vlady.

Or you know who would make even MORE sense? Mike Piazza. Piazza had some injuries this season that has hampered him but his bat has come around more and more. Piazza could help with catching duties and could DH, leaving the 3B spot open for super prospect Brandon Woods. Imagine this lineup: Chone Figgins, Orlando Cabrera, Vlady Guerrero, Garret Anderson, Mike Piazza, Casey Kotchman, Gary Matthews Jr., J Mathis, Howie Kendrick.

The Angels seem to always be one player, one bat, one pitcher away from seperating itself from the pack and making themselves the obvious team to beat, and they always seem to fall short of getting that player. Again, the Angels seem to be one player away. Can they pull off an August coup and perhaps get themselves a Piazza, who will more than likely be put on waivers? Possibly, but July 31 was still yet another disappointing day. And here is the question I leave the Halo's with; if the prospects they have are so good it isn't worth giving even one up for a veteran bat, how come they aren't up with the big team producing?

Philadelphia Phillies - The Braves picked up the best hitter and one of the best relievers available. The Mets picked up an all star caliber second baseman that will make their already dynamic offense even more potent. The Phillies? They did notin. They did less than notin, it doesn't even appear the Phillies were in the hunt for ANYONE. Now, the case can be made that the Phils didn't have anything to hunt anyway. They weren't gonna be in on Teixeira because they have a pretty good young first baseman themselves in Ryan Howard. They weren't gonna be in on a Castillo deal cause they have themselves the best second baseman in the league, when he is healthy, in Utley. There was no pitching of consequence, so they didn't lose out there. So, as I said, you can make the case nothing was done by the city of brotherly love because there was nothing to get done.

However, you're telling me the Phils couldn't have gotten in on the Jermain Dye discussions? Dye wouldn't look good in a Phillie uniform for the next few years? He wouldn't help that offense and possibly help the team move Pat Burrel out of the starting lineup and into the land of John Rocker, in other words anywhere but right fucking there?

Or how about a smaller deal? How about getting in on Wilson Betemit? Betemit is a 26 year old switch hitter who can play every single infield position. He was used as a role player by the Dodgers (after sucking it up as their every day third baseman early in the year) but a lot of people feel that Betemit, with a great glove, a good eye, and a lot of pop in his bat, is still an everyday player in the making. He couldn't have made a difference at third base?

While the Braves and Mets stand to battle it out in the second half one has to wonder what the real commitment is on the part of the Phillies. Are they there for the long haul? This week was not a good sign.

Cleveland Indians - I was hesitant to put any AL Central teams on this list because no one made a move, and unlike the Twinkies (who we'll get to later), they at least didn't deal anyone away. But Cleveland makes the list because they needed SOMETHING to try and seperate themselves from the pack. Detroit is still, pound for pound, a better team and they are about to get Joel Zumaya and Carlos Rodney back in their bullpen, taking care of their biggest problem. Plus the fact that the Tigers already have a World Series appearance under their belt. The Indians? Well, 1995 would be their last trip to the series and we all know when it was that they last won one...................so the Indians need to do it a little bigger and better than everyone else. Now, what do they need? They need bullpen help, no question about that. They weren't in the running for Gagne, they weren't in the running for Dotel, they don't seem to have inquired about Wheeler or even Reyes. Hell, they weren't even involved in possibly acquiring Kyle Farnsworth who, with a change of scenery, might have been a really valuable player for them.

The Indians have a lot of good young talent, and they have a great young team. They are situated to be able to compete in the most balanced division in baseball for years to come. But they have a chance to win THIS YEAR. With the Twinkies down, the White Sox out and the Tigers vulnerable (plus the wild card well within their sights) this might be their best chance. They needed to throw the long suffering Tribe fans a bone and they don't seem to have done that. They better hope to catch some lightning in a bottle.

Minnesota Twins - Okay, the Twins are only 5 games out of the wild card, 6 games out of the division. They have the best pitcher on the planet. They have one of the best catchers and first basemen on the planet. They have one of the best closers on the planet. They need one more veteran bat to really solidify the roster and give their kids some breathing room. So what do they do? They go and SELL OFF their all star second baseman. What the fuck?

I understand the Twins do this every year with smoke and mirrors, but why, oh why, would they not take a flyer on a Mike Piazza or someone like that, a rental bat that won't cost too much, to try and put them really in the hunt? If nothing else, why would they be sellers at this time of year? They have no payroll to speak of. They have a new stadium coming in a few years, one that should bring in a TON of revenue. Why not just throw a small amount of cash at another bat and try and win the central...........again?

What's worse is that they seem to have pissed off all universe Johan Santana, who decided to discuss his displeasure with the media today, questioning why he would want to be a part of the team when their mindset of "win within costs" will all exist. You are gonna have to convince Santana to take a hometown discount to begin with to stay with the Twins, why would you go and piss him off? The Twinkies are always a feel good story for baseball, and they still have such a good foundation of young players I wouldn't put a second half push past them, but eventually they have to anti up and pitch in and you would hope they'd do that before moving into their new stadium.

Cincinatti Reds/Washington Nationals - I am combining these two for one reason and one reason only..................they SHOULD have sold some of their assets. The Reds have a guy in Adam Dunn whose value is only going to go down. July was the perfect time to trade him. They could have easily taken advantage of a team desperate for a bat, who would have convinced themselves that Dunn was their savior. Those 40+ homers go a long way in disguising all those strikeouts and that pathetic defense (and a rep. for not really giving a shit). Instead, the Reds seemed to have wanted to not only trade with a team but bend that team over, strip that teams pants off, and then rape that team with a Shaq dildo for about three hours. You're the Yanks and you're interested in Dunn? Sure, we'll take Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain. Halos? No problem, how about Brandon Wood, Ervin Santana, and Eric Adenhart.

What a fucking stupid tact to take. The Reds have some young outfielders coming up that they assume will be a part of their future. They need pitching. They could have gotten pitching. Maybe not the top, top, top of the line pitching everyone wanted but good pitching none the less. Why GM's continue to look at trades as if it is fantasy baseball, only wanting to move someone if they can easily rape the other team, makes no sense to me.

And The Nats fall into the same category. The rumor is that the Mets offered top pitching prospect Phil Umber for Chad Cordero. It certainly may be that the Mets have cooled towards Umber, who many felt might be a better prospect than Mike Pelfrey, but there is no doubting the kids arm and ability. Why not take a chance on a kid that COULD be a top of the line pitcher for your rotation for years to come? What the hell does a shitty team like the Nats need with a top line closer? Anyone think the Nats are gonna get good in time for a closer to matter?

Trade your assets away and get quality young players. Take advantage of some desperate teams. Most importantly, don't get so greedy that you price yourself out of the market. The Reds and the Nats screwed themselves by NOT making deals.

And the not winners, not losers are.........................

Seattle Mariners - The Mariners are in the hunt for a playoff spot and they need pitching. So, the fact that they didn't make any move may put them in the loser category. HOWEVER!!!! The only legit name the Mariners were talking about was Kei Igawa. Now, while the ENTIRE Yankee's organization would have been buying the city of Seattle roses for the next three years had they taken Igawa off their hands, it would have been the absolute worst move they could have made. Igawa is horrible. So while the Mariners did nothing to help themselves, they were smart enough to not get involved in a panic move like Igawa. That might actually help them in the long run.

New York Yankees - I LOVE the Wilson Betemit for Scott Proctor deal. Betemit is 26, he is a switch hitter, he has power, he plays almost every position on the field and plays them well, and he has a good eye. At the worst, Betemit will be a super sub for the Yanks, filling in for guys when they are hurt, need a rest or in a slump, pinch hitting when needed or playing defense late in innings when needed. At best, Betemit will fullfill the potential he has and find a permanent spot in the yanks lineup, probably as their first baseman of the future. Betemit is the type of deal the Yanks USED to make. Betemit is a guy with a lot of potential who just hasn't had it happen for him yet. It might never happen for him, but if it does they got a kid with a lot of upside for a decent albeit overused middle reliever.

That puts the Yanks in the plus side. The minus side would be the fact that the Yanks did not trade Kyle Farnsworth. Much of the attention was given to Eric Gagne and why the Yanks didn't make that move, but with the Rangers asking for one of the Yanks best pitching prospects in Ian Kennedy and essentially their everyday center fielder, it would have been foolish of them to make that deal. However, they should have shipped Farnsworth out on the first train they could find. He is a lost cause in NY. He will never amount to anything there. He hates the manager, the catcher, the city, and the feeling is mutual. Why they decided to hang on to him is beyond me, especially when they could have shipped him to Atlanta for Bob Wickman, a guy who just gets the job done, is durable, can pitch every day, and has played, and succeeded in NY before. Just a bad non move by the Yanks.

The word is that they will be bringing up phenom pitcher Joba "The Hut" Chamberlain. I don't know if I like the idea of putting him in the bullpen. First, his future has to lie in the starting rotation. He is just too good not to have him throwing 200 innings a year rather than 85 a year. Second, who knows how he is going to respond to being put in the bullpen? I am not in favor of babying kids at all, but I am also not in favor of screwing up a kid who has a chance to be DOMINANT in this league. And finally, I would rather not have The Hut subject to the bullpen whims of Joe Torre, who has ruined more than one career by pitching them out of the bullpen too much. Torre's handling of a bullpen is so bad, if I were a reliever I would refuse to go to the Yanks. However, the kid does throw 100 MPH and he has been utterly dominant, meaning that, if he did translate that into the majors he would be every bit as valueable as Gagne would have been.