The Los Angeles Dodgers, Miami Marlins and Atlanta Braves made the largest trade before the deadline, but it seems as if it kind of went a bit under the radar because it was sandwiched between the Cole Hamels and David Price deals. Let's take a look at this transaction and see who came out on top.
The Hamels and Price trades were a bit different than this one. Those deals mostly consisted of prospects or rookies, so it's likely we won't know who came out on top of those moves for a few years. The 13-player trade between the Dodgers, Marlins and Braves involved seven MLB players, five prospects and one Cuban defector (who should make his MLB debut soon) and we can perhaps determine who came out on top of this one right now.
It was the Dodgers.
Here's the breakdown of the trade:
Dodgers received: SP Mat Latos (MIA), 1B/OF Michael Morse (MIA), SP Alex Wood (ATL), RP Jim Johnson (ATL), RP Luis Avilan (ATL), SP Bronson Arroyo (ATL) and second baseman prospect Jose Peraza (ATL)
Braves received: INF Hector Olivera (LAD), RP Paco Rodriguez (LAD), prospect starting pitcher Zachary Bird (LAD) and the Marlins' 2016 Competitive Balance draft pick (34th overall)
Marlins received: prospect pitchers Kevin Guzman (LAD), Jeff Brigham (LAD) and Victor Araujo (LAD) as well as cash
Why the Dodgers won:
Los Angeles was looking to do two things before the trade deadline - bolster their starting rotation and bullpen. Beyond a handful of pitchers, the Dodgers' staff has been struggling this season and it was a primary area the team needed to address as they compete for a division title down the stretch.
On top of adding depth in the rotation and bullpen, the Dodgers also acquired Peraza (the MLB's No. 26 overall prospect according to Baseball America) to their already stacked farm system. Additionally, Los Angeles did not surrender a top-10 prospect in the deal when they sent those three pitchers to Miami and one to Atlanta. Olivera was ranked their No. 3 overall prospect, but he's 30 years old and is considered an MLB-caliber type player, so to say he's a prospect is perhaps up for debate.
As for the others, they ended up trading Morse to the Pittsburgh Pirates for catcher Jose Tabata. If they want they can pick up Arroyo's 2016 $11 million player option and keep him in the rotation if he proves in August/September that he's capable of pitching effectively after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
While Johnson, Latos and Arroyo can hit free agency after the season, the Dodgers will have Wood through the 2019 season and Avilan through 2018. Peraza could be the candidate that succeeds impending free agent Howie Kendrick at second base if the Dodgers don't re-sign the veteran in the offseason. Peraza was batting .294/.318/.379 with 52 runs scored, 3 home runs, 37 RBIs and 26 stolen bases in Triple-A Gwinnett before the trade.
The Dodgers set themselves up for 2015 and beyond with this deal.
The only disadvantage for Los Angeles is that they ate a lot of salary in trading Olivera (they already paid him a $28 million signing bonus on his $62.5 million deal) and they're paying a chunk of Morse's salary as well, even though money isn't an issue for them. But other than that, Johnson is pretty much owed nothing for the rest of the season and the team will be responsible for only $500,000 of Arroyo's 2015 salary.
Now here's why the Marlins and Braves lost the deal:
While the Marlins received three prospects that can help improve their 26th-ranked farm system, the organization is not being viewed in a positive manner after this trade.
"The alarm bells rang in New York this week not because of the behavior of the Dodgers, but because of the behavior of the Marlins," writes Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. "The players' union has renewed its scrutiny of the Marlins' operations after this week's three-way trade, in which Miami traded players and a draft pick to shed salary, with the return limited to low-level minor leaguers. The Dodgers are covering 25% of the Marlins' player payroll this season."
The Marlins traded away their Competitive Balance draft pick for the third consecutive season, which is just baffling considering the state of their farm system. They simply dumped salary for low-level prospects.
As for the Braves, I'm not really sure how they benefit from this. First of all, the prospect they acquired from the Dodgers, Zachary Bird, is 16-35 with a 4.74 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 209 strikeouts in 83 games (71 starts), totaling 351 innings, between the Dodgers' rookie league, the Arizona Fall League, Class A Great Lakes and Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga since 2012. Sure, he's only 21 and likely has upside, but the Braves gave away their top prospect and one of their best starters.
They did get Olivera on the cheap because his deal is now pretty much for five years and $34.5 million, but the guy has played in only 152 games since the 2011 season due to injuries/defecting from Cuba. Additionally, MLB scouts are largely unsure where he will play defense (whether it's second or third base) and there were reports earlier this season that he had a damaged UCL in his right elbow. The only advantage in that respect is that Atlanta will get another year of Olivera at $1 million if he undergoes Tommy John surgery at any point under his current contract.
But tack on another year to Olivera's contract and that'll be in his age-36 season.
"I feel like the Braves probably aren't getting a star here," ESPN Insider Keith Law said on the Baseball Tonight Podcast. "I don't like the age, the injury profile, and to give up that many years of control of Alex Wood (and others) to get Olivera seems pretty heavy to me."
Rodriguez, 24, is a solid acquisition since he's under club control through 2019, but the left-hander has pitched in only 37 games since 2014 and is currently dealing with elbow issues.
Olivera and Rodriguez have the potential to be good contributors, but there are too many red flags surrounding them at this moment to guarantee anything, let alone to give up a top prospect and a starter with a career 3.10 ERA.
So again, the Dodgers clearly won this transaction given all of the circumstances involving each team and player in the trade.
Money can buy happiness after all: the Dodgers are paying over $30 million for Latos, Wood, Johnson, Avilan and Peraza.
