So I just barely missed the trade deadline blog by about 5 weeks. Many, many apologies, but it’s been really busy around here lately. So, I’ll do my best to get up to speed on all the big baseball moves of the last month.

The Philadelphia Phillies acquired Cliff Lee from the Indians and so far the results have been mixed. Lee has gone 5-1 with an ERA under 2. He’s good. The Phillies were set the tone for the July trade deadline and as they tried and tried to land Toronto Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay, they stumbled into this little deal that netted them last year’s AL Cy Young winner, a right handed bench hitter that can play every outfield position, and they did all of this without giving up any of their top prospects. In the street we call that armed robbery with intent to do bodily harm. In Cleveland they call it business as usual. The Phillies now boast a playoff rotation of Lee, World Series MVP Cole Hamels, Joe Blanton, rookie star J.A. Happ and potentially Pedro Martinez or Jamie Moyer depending on need. It was strong statement and the Phils have been rolling ever since.

Jake Peavy was the National League’s Cy Young winner in 2007 and after a winter that saw the White Sox try to deal for him, a spring that saw him spend most of his time on the DL, Chicago GM Kenny Williams finally got his man, as Peavy agreed to waive his no trade clause and join the White Sox for their playoff push. The Good Guys have fallen further behind the Tigers in the AL Central, and the Minnesota Twins led by Joe Mauer aren’t far behind them. Speaking of Joe Mauer, I made a tiny wager with a few friends that Joe wouldn’t hit .390 this year, and for about a week there, I thought I was going to have to flee the country. Hey Joe, do me a favor and keep it around .370 will you? Peavy might not start again this season, but gives the White Sox 4 legitimate starters heading into next season. Should be fun to watch.

Alex Rios came to the White Sox as well in the biggest salary dump in MLB history. Rios and his 60 million plus remaining on his contract head to Chicago. The White Sox in return will send the Blue Jays a fruit basket and a thank you note. Rios has all the tools: he’s an above average outfielder, he can hit for power, average and steal bases, but he hasn’t really been able to put together a full season since signing his contract. We’ll see if a change of scenery will make a difference for him.

Victor Martinez also “left” Cleveland to join Boston, where the switch hitting catcher will provide a power presence behind the plate, at first base and DH. His value to a team like the Red Sox is really immeasurable, and he should help them as the chase the Yankees to the playoffs this year and next as well. Plus, his knowledge of handshakes in unparalleled in Major League Baseball.

Matt Holliday was perhaps the quietest and most important of all offensive player moves , as he went from ghost town Oakland to one of baseball’s best cities; St. Louis. Now I would argue that I could hit behind Albert Pujols and be an everyday major leaguer, but Holliday is hitting over .400 since his acquisition and the Cardinals have rocketed into first place in the division, so I’d say St. Louis made out pretty well here….Observe Matt Holliday in the AL. And now in the NL.

Who else, who else??? Scott Rolen went from Toronto to Cincinnati for a package of prospects. Scott is 35 years old, a heck of a baseball player and simply not worth a box of crackerjacks to the Cincinnati Reds at this juncture. Bizarre move by Cincinnati.

Jarrod Washburn went from Seattle to Detroit to shore up their rotation as they look to get back into the playoffs.

Finally, my childhood hero, Jim Thome went to the Dodgers to provide lefthanded power off the bench. Thome has entered the Karl Malone or Ray Bourque stage of his career where he’s ready to start chasing a championship. And I don’t blame him one bit. My only hope is that if the Phillies and Dodgers don’t meet again in the playoffs and save me from the uncomfortable situation of wishing prfound failure upon someone that I like so much.

And I think that about brings us up to speed in baseball. It was about the busiest deadline in recent memory and with the playoffs just around the corner, we’ll see which of these transactions works out best as the season wraps up.

Item of the week is any of these. Pick one up and celebrate a little vintage style as your team marches into the playoffs.

Back with more football previews sometime next week. Enjoy the long weekend.

Tags: Alex Rios, Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Jake Peavy, Jim Thome, Joe Mauer, Los Angeles Dodgers, Matt Holliday, Minnesota Twins, Philadelphia Phillies, Roy Halladay, St. Louis Cardinals, Victor Martinez

This entry was posted on Friday, September 4th, 2009 at 1:23 pm and is filed under MLB, video. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.