Well, after all the rumors and big-time franchise names were thrown around like bags of ballpark peanuts up until mere hours before Major League Baseball's Trade Deadline this past Sunday at 4 p.m., the big story turned out to be Peter Gammons getting inducted into the Hall of Fame. The fact that the usual frenzy that encompasses Deadline Day was overshadowed by Hall of Fame inductions should be a telltale sign of unexciting stagnancy to even the layman.
Manny Ramirez, who is leading the league in RBIs, was supposed to end up playing at Shea for the rest of the season, but instead drove in an eighth inning pinch-hit go-ahead run for the Red Sox on Sunday night much to the delight of the crowd at Fenway. The Orioles were actually supposed to rise from their slouching fourth place position in the AL East and make a trade for desperately-needed A. J. Burnett from the Marlins, and instead got too greedy and got nothing. And Alfonso Soriano, who was rumored to be involved in a three-way deal between the Rangers, Mets and the Reds, is still playing second base for the Rangers. All that buildup and excitement -- like Sisyphus rolling the boulder up the hill -- for naught.
Sadly, the big story of this year's trade deadline was what didn't happen. But let's not overlook what actually did happen. Taking a closer look at what actually did happen brings up names like Matt Lawton, Kyle Farnsworth, Ron Villone wait, who? Exactly. However, these players might turn out to be the proverbial wolves in sheep's clothing and play important roles in their respective pennant races come September.
In an all-pitcher deal, Kyle Farnsworth was relocated to Atlanta after being dealt by the Tigers for fellow pitchers Roman Colon and Zach Miner. Farnsworth had surprisingly good numbers in Detroit, garnering a 1-1 record with a 2.32 ERA, as well as managing an impressive 55 strikeouts in only 42 innings pitched. His low ERA, and his ability to get the strikeouts when he needs them, fills a huge hole in the Braves struggling bullpen -- a bullpen that is currently suffering from Danny Kolb's inability to get anyone out. This under-the-radar pickup by the Braves, who are currently sitting four-and-a-half games up on the soon-to-be-collapsed Washington Nationals in the NL East, is a huge addition to the team who steamrolled their way to first place with an 18-8 July.
The addition of Farnsworth to mend bullpen woes, coupled with the steady self-destructive decline of the Nationals, proves that there is no reason to believe that the Braves will not go on to cruise to their 14th straight NL East pennant.
Although he's perhaps not as crucial, Ron Villone is another low-flying, but highly-qualified bullpen man. Villone was traded to the Marlins from the Seattle Mariners for minor leaguers Yoman Bazardo and Mike Flannery. On the surface, this might not seem like anything noteworthy, but when one turns to look at Villone's numbers this season, it appears as though the Marlins may have made the cheapest catch of the trading season. Like Farnsworth, Villone has impressive season numbers, going 2-3 with a 2.36 ERA and garnering 42 K's in just as many innings pitched in 54 game appearances for the Mariners. Compare those numbers to Farnsworth's and you'll be astonished at their similarity. The only thing keeping Villone off the front page is the fact that the Marlins bullpen is not in the same sorry state that the Braves bullpen is in, and, as a result, Villone is not expected to have the same impact on the team as Farnsworth. Regardless of expected impact, Villone's numbers match up on all fronts with Farnsworth's, and there should be plenty of cause for concern against future Marlin opponents trailing late in the game.
And then there is hired bat Matt Lawton, formerly of the Pittsburgh Pirates and now suited up in the blue-and-white pinstripes of the Chicago Cubs, in return for Jody Gerut going to Pittsburgh. Lawton gives the Cubs a steady veteran left-fielder that they won't have to worry too much about, and bolsters their lineup with his consistent bat. Cubs fans should be wary, however, of looking to Lawton like some kind of trade deadline messiah. He will definitely have an impact on the Cubs, but he should not be expected to take the Cubs on his shoulders and lead them to the playoffs. Fans need to remember that the Cubs are 13 games out of first place and still three-and-a-half games out of the wild card. That being said, they are still capable of making a run out of the depths of mediocrity and making the postseason. However, they are not going to be led to those shiny October gates by Matt Lawton. Star shortstop Nomar Garciaparra has been rehabbing in Double A West Tennessee from a groin injury, and Kerry Wood has been working relief innings for Single A Peoria coming off his shoulder injury. Both are expected to return to Chicago this Friday, giving the Cubs a huge boost in both hitting and pitching at a critical point in the season. The Cubs should look to these two leaders in the coming weeks if they want to be selling Wrigley hotdogs in October.
Finally, there's Shawn Chacon. In another all-pitching deal, Chacon went to the Yankees, who sent strong-armed Ramon Ramirez and Eduardo Sierra to the Rockies. Although Chacon carried an abysmal 1-7 record to the Bronx, he pitched well in his first start for the Yanks. His start against the formidable Los Angeles Angels on July 30 featured Chacon pitching six innings, and giving up only four hits and zero earned runs while striking out four. The only worry is that Chacon went 104 pitches deep in only six innings work, but if Chacon can keep this trend of good pitching up, even if it is only for six innings a game, the Yankees struggling starting rotation will breath a deep sigh of relief and will be able to refocus on getting healthy again. Although the pickup of Chacon is clearly a cheap attempt to try and boost the Yankees injured starting pitching, especially with Kevin Brown being placed on the 15-day DL with a lumbar strain, he may prove to be a pivotal figure in the coming weeks if he can keep providing quality starts for the Yanks.
