When the July 31st Trade Deadline comes and goes, that does not signal the end of deals in Major League Baseball. Multiple teams have already proven that in the 10 days since the deadline passed, including two more deals this week. It started with the Oakland Athletics once again adding to their pitching staff when they acquired reliever Fernando Rodney from the Minnesota Twins for Single-A pitcher Dakota Chalmers.
The 41-year-old veteran has 25 saves and is 3-2 with a 3.09 ERA in 46 appearances this season. That includes 50 strikeouts and just 19 walks in 43.2 innings. He has been very effective coming out of the bullpen his entire career and ranks 17th in baseball history with 325 career saves.
The A's have added a number of arms to their pitching staff, both starters and relievers. That includes Jeurys Familia from the New York Mets, and more recently, Mike Fiers from the Detroit Tigers. They currently hold a 2.5-game lead for the final American League Wild Card spot over the Seattle Mariners at 68-48, and just 4.5 games behind the Houston Astros for the top spot in the AL West.
Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Phillies stayed in division to add another bat to their lineup. They acquired first baseman Justin Bour from the Miami Marlins for pitching prospect McKenzie Mills. The 30-year-old slugger is batting .227 this season, but led the Marlins with 19 home runs and 54 RBIs in 112 games this season.
He spent five years with the Marlins and hit .268 in that span, but is expected to be coming off the bench for the first-place Phillies. Manager Gabe Kapler called Bour a "dynamic power-hitting weapon off the bench."
The Phillies started this process by putting a waiver claim on the first baseman, as they also received $466,129 from the Marlins to cover half of his remaining salary. He is making $3.4 million this season. Carlos Santana has been the go-to first baseman for the Phillies, starting 112 of 114 games there. The Phillies currently sit in a tie for first place in the NL East with the Atlanta Braves following Friday's loss to the San Diego Padres and the Braves' rout of the Milwaukee Brewers.
The 41-year-old veteran has 25 saves and is 3-2 with a 3.09 ERA in 46 appearances this season. That includes 50 strikeouts and just 19 walks in 43.2 innings. He has been very effective coming out of the bullpen his entire career and ranks 17th in baseball history with 325 career saves.
The A's have added a number of arms to their pitching staff, both starters and relievers. That includes Jeurys Familia from the New York Mets, and more recently, Mike Fiers from the Detroit Tigers. They currently hold a 2.5-game lead for the final American League Wild Card spot over the Seattle Mariners at 68-48, and just 4.5 games behind the Houston Astros for the top spot in the AL West.
Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Phillies stayed in division to add another bat to their lineup. They acquired first baseman Justin Bour from the Miami Marlins for pitching prospect McKenzie Mills. The 30-year-old slugger is batting .227 this season, but led the Marlins with 19 home runs and 54 RBIs in 112 games this season.
He spent five years with the Marlins and hit .268 in that span, but is expected to be coming off the bench for the first-place Phillies. Manager Gabe Kapler called Bour a "dynamic power-hitting weapon off the bench."
The Phillies started this process by putting a waiver claim on the first baseman, as they also received $466,129 from the Marlins to cover half of his remaining salary. He is making $3.4 million this season. Carlos Santana has been the go-to first baseman for the Phillies, starting 112 of 114 games there. The Phillies currently sit in a tie for first place in the NL East with the Atlanta Braves following Friday's loss to the San Diego Padres and the Braves' rout of the Milwaukee Brewers.
