Saturday was one hell of a day to be a Major League Baseball fan. Not only was it the non-waiver trading deadline for the 2010 season, but there were some fantastic games to be seen in both leagues. Some major impact players were moved to new clubs and while there is no way to cover all of them in one single blog, I will do my best to pinpoint some of the bigger moves made over the past couple of days. So without further ado, let's get to it.
When I blogged two days ago the Houston Astros had just dumped one of their best starter pitchers of all-time. Roy Oswalt was traded to the Phillies for J.A. Happ and some other prospects. Happ won his first game for his new team. Oswalt did not. However, that is far from an accurate precursor to how this deal might pan out. Houston was busy again the next day though, sending the last of the Killer B's, Lance Berkman, to the New York Yankees. In case you don't know, the Killer B's consisted of Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell, and said Lance Berkman. They combined to make Houston a powerful contender in the N.L. Central for a good part of the 90's and early 00's. Now though, Fat Elvis is wearing pinstripes, and will make the Yankee's lineup even more dangerous. Berkman will most likely hit in the designated hitter spot, occasionally spell Mark Texiera at first, and probably bat second. Which means opposing pitchers now have to look forward to a lineup that reads: Jeter, Berkman, Texiera, Rodriguez, Cano, Posada, Granderson, Swisher, Gardner. The only person on that list who hasn't been an All-Star is Brett Gardner, but forgive him, because he's only in his second full year. On the flip side, Houston received some nice prospects and might prove to be the quickest team to rebound from being sellers one year, to buyers the next. Or may the year after.
In another major move, the St. Louis Cardinals were part of a three-way trade that sent Ryan Ludwick to the San Diego Padres, and bolstered their pitching staff by adding Jake Westbrook of the Cleveland Indians. The Cardinals already have one of the best pitching rotations in the majors with Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright, and rookie Jaime Garcia tearing up the competition. But I guess the St. Louis front office didn't think Brad Penny or Kyle Lohse were recovering from injuries fast enough. Westbrook was having a decent year on a very bad team, going 6-7 with a 4.65 ERA. He'll most likely be a fourth starter that can eat some innings late in the season. Ludwick, on the other hand, adds a legitimate power bat to the Padres' offense. Reggie Yinger of BaseballPress.com writes "With the Cardinals shipping Ludwick out, they will now give Jon Jay the everyday right fielder job. Jay, 25, is hitting .429 since the All Star break with a .519 OBP, but with only 126 career plate appearances at the Major League level, it's a huge gamble by the Cardinals." I agree with Yinger's point about Jay only having limited at-bats. However, Ludwick had shown fits of inconsistency over the pass two years, and Colby Rasmus needs more playing time to develop into the perennial All-Star he can become. It's definitely a risky bet, but one that I think will pay off in time for St. Louis.
There were plenty of other moves as well. The L.A. Dodgers made a splash by picking up SP Ted Lilly and INF Ryan Theriot from the Chicago Cubs. I was mad about this trade because I wanted Theriot to go to the Mets so I can get a jersey that says: 'The Riot' on it. But this should work out well for L.A. It gives them veteran depth to a young pitching rotation, and Theriot is a solid fielder and good average hitter that needed a change of scenery. In other news, the Yankees also acquired RP Kerry Wood from the Indians to presumably take over the 8th inning job from Joba Chamberlain. The Atlanta Braves picked up a few valuable additions in OF Rick Ankiel, and RP Kyle Farnsworth. But selling teams made out as well. Teams like the Arizona Diamondbacks, and the aforementioned Astros, and Indians all helped strengthen their respective farm systems with young, hopefully franchise-building talent. It turned out to be a fairly excited trading deadline after all, just not the names we all thought were going to go.
The excitement on the field Saturday was excellent as well. There were four walk-off hits provided on Saturday. David Ortiz hit a walk-off double with the bases loaded against Phil Coke of the Detroit Tigers. Three runs scored, and Red Sox Nation was sent home happy. Carlos Beltran also drove in a run with the bases loaded, but all he needed to do was hit the ball hard enough to score the runner from third. A sacrifice fly walk-off isn't as pretty as a double off the Green Monster, but it gave the N.Y. Mets a win nonetheless. Ryan Zimmerman provided some dramatics by sending a ball deep over the center-field wall versus Brad Lidge. His three-run blast marked a come-back win for the Washington Nationals over the Phils, as the Nats won 7-5. But all of these walk-offs paled in comparison to what Carlos Gonzalez did for the Colorado Rockies Saturday night.
This young man has a mighty bright future ahead of him. Until the ninth inning, Mr. Gonzalez had a single, a double and a triple, meaning he needed only a homerun to get a coveted cycle. There had only been five cycles in Rockies' history up to that point. But on the first pitch in the bottom of the ninth, Carlos sent a ball to the upper-deck in right field that was a no-doubter from the second it left the bat. I love the sound of a 48,000-plus crowd screaming at precisely the same moment, and last night was one of the best I've ever heard. Not only was it Carlos' first career walk-off HR, but "It was the first time a Major Leaguer clinched a cycle with a walk-off homer since Dwight Evans did it for the Red Sox on June 28, 1984." Thank Joey Nowak of MLB.com for that last quote. Carlos has been doing great things like this all season. He's batting a stellar .321 with 21 homers, 68 RBIs and 13 SBs, and he's a solid defender to boot. A lot of talk has been doled out for young talent in both leagues, but Carlos Gonzalez seems to slip through the cracks at times. But leave no room for doubt, this kid has the talent to be a star for years to come. That's enough gushing. See you next time!
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