This year's August 31st Trade Deadline may have very well been more of a different maker than the July 31st deadline, as many big-named players cleared waivers to make room for difference-making trades. The New York Yankees' starting lineup has been hampered with injuries, so they went out before the August 31st deadline to add some help from out west. They went out and got outfielder Andrew McCutchen from the San Francisco Giants for two minor league prospects.
The 31-year-old is batting .255 this season with 15 home runs and 55 RBIs, along with 13 stolen bases in 130 games played in his first and only year with the Giants. He is a former NL MVP as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
This move comes due to the injury to slugger Aaron Judge, who has already missed six weeks after initially hoping to miss just three weeks. Because of that, Giancarlo Stanton has played in 83 straight games to make up for Judge's absence, as they are also without shortstop Didi Gregorius due to injury. McCtuchen is not expected to make his team debut until Saturday's game against the Detroit Tigers.
Another former MVP was dealt, but this on the American League side of things. as Josh Donaldson cleared waivers on Thursday and was sent from the Toronto Blue Jays to the Cleveland Indians on Friday. The Blue Jays will receive a player to be named later for the guy that won the AL MVP in 2015, but hasn't played since May 28th.
Donaldson has appeared in just 36 games this season for the Blue Jays, as the 32-year-old has dealt with shoulder injuries all season long. He is batting .234 with five home runs and 16 RBIs in limited playing time this year, but he did go deep in the first at-bat of his second game on Thursday in Class-A. He is a combined 2-for-5 with a walk, the home run, and two RBI during his rehab assignment.
Interestingly enough, the Indians will begin a four-game series in Toronto on Thursday, but there is no word if Donaldson will be with the team by then. The third baseman shut down contract talks with his now former team in February after they could not see eye to eye. He is now the third former MVP to get traded in the past nine months, as manager Terry Francona's plan is to play him at third base and shift Jose Ramirez to second base.
And the Washington Nationals continue to waive the white flag with their deals, adding two more to their list on Friday. First, they sent starter Gio Gonzalez to the Milwaukee Brewers, whom they are hosting for three games this weekend. Gonzalez is 7-11 this year with a 4.57 ERA in 27 starts. He has struggled since the beginning of June with a 6.53 ERA, which is the second-highest behind Bartolo Colon of the Texas Rangers.
The starter has also struggled at Miller Park, the Brewers' home field. Gonzalez has a 6.75 ERA in five career starts there, including a 9.82 mark over his past three starts. He will be a free agent after this season, but has spent the last seven years with Washington, as he ranks first in franchise history with 86 wins and 1,215 strikeouts. He is a two-time All-Star and has a career record of 124-97 with a 3.71 ERA in 11 big league seasons. He was one of two big additions for the Brew-Crew, who also added Curtis Granderson from the Blue Jays.
The Nationals also sent reliever Ryan Madson to the Los Angeles Dodgers for a minor league pitcher. Madson was 5-5 with a 4.08 ERA and five saves in 69 games for the Nationals, although, he will not be the go-to for save opportunities in Los Angeles, as they do still have Kenley Jansen on their roster. A player needs to be on a team's roster by August 31st to be eligible for postseason play, which is why these major deals could play a big role down the stretch.
The 31-year-old is batting .255 this season with 15 home runs and 55 RBIs, along with 13 stolen bases in 130 games played in his first and only year with the Giants. He is a former NL MVP as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
This move comes due to the injury to slugger Aaron Judge, who has already missed six weeks after initially hoping to miss just three weeks. Because of that, Giancarlo Stanton has played in 83 straight games to make up for Judge's absence, as they are also without shortstop Didi Gregorius due to injury. McCtuchen is not expected to make his team debut until Saturday's game against the Detroit Tigers.
Another former MVP was dealt, but this on the American League side of things. as Josh Donaldson cleared waivers on Thursday and was sent from the Toronto Blue Jays to the Cleveland Indians on Friday. The Blue Jays will receive a player to be named later for the guy that won the AL MVP in 2015, but hasn't played since May 28th.
Donaldson has appeared in just 36 games this season for the Blue Jays, as the 32-year-old has dealt with shoulder injuries all season long. He is batting .234 with five home runs and 16 RBIs in limited playing time this year, but he did go deep in the first at-bat of his second game on Thursday in Class-A. He is a combined 2-for-5 with a walk, the home run, and two RBI during his rehab assignment.
Interestingly enough, the Indians will begin a four-game series in Toronto on Thursday, but there is no word if Donaldson will be with the team by then. The third baseman shut down contract talks with his now former team in February after they could not see eye to eye. He is now the third former MVP to get traded in the past nine months, as manager Terry Francona's plan is to play him at third base and shift Jose Ramirez to second base.
And the Washington Nationals continue to waive the white flag with their deals, adding two more to their list on Friday. First, they sent starter Gio Gonzalez to the Milwaukee Brewers, whom they are hosting for three games this weekend. Gonzalez is 7-11 this year with a 4.57 ERA in 27 starts. He has struggled since the beginning of June with a 6.53 ERA, which is the second-highest behind Bartolo Colon of the Texas Rangers.
The starter has also struggled at Miller Park, the Brewers' home field. Gonzalez has a 6.75 ERA in five career starts there, including a 9.82 mark over his past three starts. He will be a free agent after this season, but has spent the last seven years with Washington, as he ranks first in franchise history with 86 wins and 1,215 strikeouts. He is a two-time All-Star and has a career record of 124-97 with a 3.71 ERA in 11 big league seasons. He was one of two big additions for the Brew-Crew, who also added Curtis Granderson from the Blue Jays.
The Nationals also sent reliever Ryan Madson to the Los Angeles Dodgers for a minor league pitcher. Madson was 5-5 with a 4.08 ERA and five saves in 69 games for the Nationals, although, he will not be the go-to for save opportunities in Los Angeles, as they do still have Kenley Jansen on their roster. A player needs to be on a team's roster by August 31st to be eligible for postseason play, which is why these major deals could play a big role down the stretch.
