Although the Red Sox are consuming the headlines with the trades of Jon Lester and John Lackey, a number of other deals have occurred today. As for teams like the Washington Nationals, they have just minutes before today's deadline.
It was reported yesterday that Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman has a Grade 3 hamstring strain, which means he's likely to miss a lot of time. Washington was preparing for such news and have been looking to acquire an infielder to fill-in during Zimmerman's absence, but they haven't had any luck - and they're running out of time.
A few days ago Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo contacted the Texas Rangers about the availability of third baseman Adrian Beltre, but he was swiftly turned down when they said he would not be traded. Ever since, the Nats discussed a trade internally about middle infielders Asdrubal Cabrera and Daniel Murphy. However, reports suggest that no deals are close between the Nationals and either of these teams. As Washington struggles to land a player of their liking, a number of other moves are going down across the league.
The Arizona Diamondbacks traded outfielder Gerardo Parra to the Milwaukee Brewers for two prospects: outfielder Mitch Haniger and left-handed pitcher Anthony Banda. Although Parra is having a mediocre season (.259 average with 51 runs scored and 30 RBIs), he will be joining a stacked lineup featuring Carlos Gomez, Ryan Braun, Jonathan Lucroy, Aramis Ramirez, and Jean Segura. With a number of prolific hitters, Parra should be able to see some pitches and increase his average.
Aside from acquiring Jon Lester, the Oakland Athletics sent starting left-hander Tommy Milone to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for outfielder Sam Fuld. After the Athletics acquired Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel from the Chicago Cubs, Milone was sent to the minor leagues despite posting a 6-3 record with a 3.55 ERA. The A's sent Cespedes to the Red Sox for Lester, so it's likely Fuld will play a role in replacing him in the outfield.
The Mariners jumped into the mix and traded for an outfielder as well. Earlier today the M's sent a pair of minor leaguers (outfielder Abraham Almonte and pitcher Stephen Kohlscheen) to the San Diego Padres for outfielder Chris Denorfia. Although he's only hitting .242, Denorfia is capable of playing all three spots in the outfield, which will give the lineup some flexibility.
The trade window is coming to a close, so any possibility of an exchange after today will have to involve a waiver trade.
THIS JUST IN: The Washington Nationals have acquired shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera and cash considerations from the Cleveland Indians for shortstop Zach Walters.
