Foxx Grades the Trade Deadline

The trade deadline came and went. It was exciting, and we’re all on the edge of our seats to see how it will affect the season as we stampede toward the finish line. But I know what you were all really excited to see: Foxx grading how each team handled their deadline moves!

Nashville Gators

Added: CF Mike Trout

Lost: LF Brandon Marsh, CF Kevin Kiermaier, SP Kyle Bradish

The Wizards had a weakness in their outfield, and Trout will fill that and then some. He's one of the best players in the history of the SBa, and likely will be for several more seasons. His durability leaves something to be desired, but when he's on the field there are few better. This addition strengthens the Wizards offense and defense, and puts them in a great position to make a deep run.

All it cost were some “bench players” who weren't contributing much this season. Sure, they’ll be major contributors next season, but as we all know, Reed isn't concerned about losing some future prospects. Every year a new prospect is born to take their place. A+

Vatican Angels

Added: SP Kyle Bradish, C Ryan Jeffers, LF Brandon Marsh, CF Kevin Kiermaier, 3B Jason Vosler, DH Eloy Jimenez

Lost: CF Mike Trout, OF Kerry Carpenter, RP Scott Effross, C Seby Zavala, OF Jake McCarthy

The Angels saw the writing on the wall of a disappointing season, and pulled the plug. In doing so they have set themselves up for a lot of future success. Losing Mike Trout is a big loss, now and for the future, but Brandon Marsh and Kevin Kiermaier will usher in a new era of lock-down defense, slappy hitting (this part isn't new, actually), and speed in the Vatican outfield.

Some may overlook him now, but Ryan Jeffers could be the best catcher in the league next season, and like the new outfield duo, he won't be significantly limited by the Vatican ballpark.

Last, but certainly not least, once Kyle Bradish evolves into his true form, he'll be a bonafide ace that the team can build around for the next couple seasons. The future looks bright for the Angels. A+

Big Sky Snow Geese

Added: LF/DH Sean Bouchard

Lost: RP Jhoan Duran, IF Thairo Estrada

Relievers are a dime a dozen, right? Duran might have been one of the best and more durable, but he was also one of the most expensive. Thairo Estrada is a lefty mashing platoon player, and not a slam dunk keeper prospect. For these two they pulled Sean Bouchard, one of the best hitters in the current set. The Snow Geese are announcing to the world that they refuse to go quietly into the night, and they're doing their damndest to make a run in Season 9. I love it! A+

Milwaukee Bovines

Added: C Garrett Stubbs, RF Oscar Gonzalez, 1B Carlos Santana, RP David Bednar, 2B Kevin Newman

Lost: RP Andres Munoz, C Tyler Stephenson, OF Chas McCormick, 2B Trevor Story

Maybe not the sexiest moves, but the Bovines solved a problem with their injury-prone catcher (and improved the position), and filled holes they had in the outfield and their LH-platoon DH spot. Losing Andres Munoz could hurt, but David Bednar isn’t a slouch, and he has some keeper potential for the next set, as well.

McCormick is a nice keeper, but he’s not a slam dunk prospect. It could be argued that the Bovines needed to do more, but there’s nothing to complain about with the deals they made. A

Philadelphia Phantoms

Added: SP Dylan Cease

Lost: 2B Marcus Semien

Dylan Cease might actually be cursed. Was sending away the future potential of Marcus Semien worth a handful of starts by a beleaguered ace who will turn into a pumpkin once the off-season begins? Jump to my review of the Kaiju to learn more about Semien, but the Phantoms are going all in this season. Semien wasn't providing value to the team in the minors and, if he rights the ship, Cease could be the type of pitcher that helps win a championship. A-

Denver Zephyr

Added: 3B Nolan Arenado,  LF Kerry Carpenter, RP Andres Munoz, RP Scott Effross, C Tyler Stephenson, SS CJ Abrams

Lost: C Ryan Jeffers, 1B Brandon Belt, C Garrett Stubbs, SS Willy Adames, 3B Eugenio Suarez, RP David Bednar, 1B Carlos Santana

One of the busiest teams at the deadline, the Zephyr made multiple moves to try to strengthen the team's weaknesses as they head into the stretch run. They improved the bullpen fairly substantially, adding depth and durability to a bullpen that had struggled throughout most of the season.

Losing Garrett Stubbs and Willy Adames could hurt, as both of these players are better than the ones they got back. In the end, the lineup may be stronger with the addition of Kerry Carpenter and the return of Nolan Arenado. If nothing else, at least fans in Denver are happy (for now).

Belt, Bednar, and Jeffers could have been key assets heading into next season, but nothing of value was lost this year with that trio. B+

Dallas Drillers

Added: SP Zack Wheeler, 3B Rafael Devers, SP Jacob deGrom, OF Alex Call, C Seby Zavala, OF Jake McCarthy

Lost: CF Julio Rodriguez, SP Freddy Peralta, DH Eloy Jimenez, 3B Jason Vosler, SP Taijuan Walker

The Drillers found themselves in a position they hadn’t been in since the team was known as the Crabbers, and under a different management team: in contention. They went into this deadline looking to improve, and I think they did that.

Losing Julio Rodriguez hurts, but Zack Wheeler and Rafael Devers should be huge additions to the team for a long time. The buzzer beater trade of Freddy Peralta for deGrom is a huge move. deGrom has major durability issues, but he’s a real deal ace when he’s on the field.

I don’t love the additions of Call and McCarthy, and the loss of Jimenez and Vosler. I think that’s a net negative. But overall this was a job well done by Dallas. B+

Waikiki Whale Sharks, West Virginia Black Bears

Added: None

Lost: None

These two teams are the cream of the crop who have all but punched their ticket to the playoffs already. Why rock the boat when your team is cruising along as well as they are? B

Tokyo Kaiju

Added: 2B Marcus Semien, CF Julio Rodriguez

Lost: SP Zack Wheeler, 3B Rafael Devers, SP Dylan Cease

For the first time in franchise history, the Kaiju were sellers at the deadline, and they made some... interesting moves. Bringing in Marcus Semien, one of the more consistent players in SBa history, with a great glove up the middle and a power bat, sounds good on paper, but Semien has always been overpriced for his performance, and arguably doesn't even rank in the top 10 bats available at 2B in Season 10. Fortunately, all they lost was Dylan Cease, whose performance has been terrible and his future prospects don't look good. Could they have gotten more for Cease? Hard to say.

Julio Rodriguez may be the 2nd generational Kaiju lifer under 25, but the loss of Devers and Wheeler is a very steep cost for his potential. Wheeler has been an ace every year, and Devers is consistently one of the best hitters in the league. It might not be fair to make a real assessment of this trade until we see how these players' careers play out, particularly JRod. I’m not saying these moves are bad, but I think they could have been better. B-

Kampala Shoebills

Added: SP Freddy Peralta, SS Willy Adames, 1B Brandon Belt, 3B Eugenio Suarez, SP Taijuan Walker, 2B Trevor Story

Lost: 3B Nolan Arenado, SP Jacob deGrom, SS CJ Abrams, OF Alex Call, 2B Kevin Newman

The Shoebills had an awful slump leading to the surprise opening of the trade block. Absolutely fed up with their young shortstop, the front office made a savvy move to bring in Willy Adames from Denver, along with a past and future star in Brandon Belt, and Eugenio Suarez. All it cost them was their best player, Nolan Arenado. Despite the loss, you could argue that the Shoebills got better overall right now, while adding a future prospect.

Unfortunately they didn’t stop there. Freddy Peralta for Jacob deGrom is a bit of a head-scratcher for me. Peralta is more durable than deGrom, but by how much? He can’t go deep into games, he’s a pretty big step down from deGrom talent-wise, he gets injured at a high clip, too. He’s likely not a real keeper candidate, either. B-

Columbus Macho Men

Added: OF Chas McCormick, RP Jhoan Duran, IF Thairo Estrada

Lost: LF/DH Sean Bouchard, RF Oscar Gonzalez

I have a hard time coming up with anything positive to say about the Bouchard trade for the Macho Men. Sean Bouchard is an exceptional hitter that, even if a flawed all-around player, is worth more to a team than Duran and Estrada. Neither player projects as a keeper to me.

I do really like the addition of Chas McCormick for Oscar Gonzalez. McCormick is a nice speed/power combo player next season. He might only be a mid-tier keeper option, but he’ll be a solid starter and fits the Macho Men profile to a T. C+

Hampton Honeybees, Shanghai Wu Xia

Added: None

Lost: None

Both of these teams decided to stand pat at the deadline, and each could have sold some of their pieces in a lost season and gained some future prospects. Maybe they’re happy with their keeper list, but both teams have some players that aren’t really helping them now and won’t help them after they turn into a pumpkin. D

Chicago Cyclones, Prince Edward Islands Mussels

Added: None

Lost: None

Two teams in the middle of a heated playoff race and neither made any moves to get better. Meanwhile, the teams around them were wheeling and dealing and moving ahead of them on paper. Tough pill to swallow for the fans of these teams to see their franchises do nothing to help them make the dance. F