Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos called the last few days “one of the most active trade deadlines that I can recall.” And few divisions were more affected short term and long term than the National League East.
The Braves were busy. Two weeks after acquiring outfielder Joc Pederson and catcher Stephen Vogt, they swung four trades Friday. They added three rental outfielders in Eddie Rosario, Adam Duvall and Jorge Soler, along with reliever Richard Rodriguez.
While most would opine that the Braves don’t have a team capable of winning it all, especially with star Ronald Acuna out for the season, Anthopoulos still sees opportunity. And when it comes to October, he reminds that everything isn’t always what it seems.
“There’s no doubt we’ve had our challenges, that’s probably a nice way to say it,” Anthopoulos said. “But at the same time, every club has. The one fortunate thing for all of us in the NL East is that we’re playing in the NL East in 2021. So that allows us all to stay in it and be competitive. But you know, the one thing is you get into the postseason, we’ve seen great teams lose early. I remember the Mariners team that won 116 games and got eliminated. The Cardinals won 83 games that one year years ago and won the World Series.
“I think you have to worry about being able to get in first. And we’ve seen wild-card teams get to the World Series. You just don’t know once you get in. You need to get in. So there’s no doubt we’ve had our challenges but everyone in the NL East has had their challenges.”
On paper, the Braves did that. Rosario (abdominal strain) is expected back in a couple of weeks. Soler can smash against southpaws. Duvall has already shown how he can help (again), throwing out a runner at home and adding an RBI single Friday. Rodriguez, under team control through 2023, strengthens the back of the bullpen.
It wasn’t a flashy deadline, but it could prove an effective one.
“Finding that superstar everyday player right now was not available to us for a deal that we thought made sense,” said Anthopoulos, as Braves fans across the country ponder if Cleveland will make Jose Ramirez available this winter. “So it’s a matter of looking at some platoons and things like that, just improving our bench. We’ve been in a lot of tight games, some low scoring games, and any way we can improve our offense - sure, you’d like to have the everyday player, but if it’s with platoons, and we make the club better, that’s what we’re looking to look to do.”
The rest of the NL East didn’t stand pat. The Mets, who’ve sat atop the division since May, added two-time All-Star infielder Javier Baez, along with starter Trevor Williams, from the Cubs. They previously acquired veteran lefty Rich Hill to help their rotation. Sidelined starter Carlos Carrasco made his season debut Friday.
Injuries will be the biggest story moving forward with the Mets. They’ve had a sizable number of ailments that have helped prevent them from separating from the pack in the division. Shortstop Francisco Lindor is expected back in August. But starter Jacob deGrom won’t return until September, spoiling what was a dominant campaign. Offense has been the Mets’ chief issue, but injuries damaged their rotation, too. The Mets remain the division favorite, but the door is open.
With that opening, the Phillies acquired reliever Ian Kennedy and starter Kyle Gibson from Texas. Both players should help a team with holes in the back of its rotation and bullpen. They also acquired infielder Freddy Galvis for his second stint with the team.
The Phillies, like the Braves, have spent the season hovering around .500. Owners of the NL’s longest playoff drought, it’s unsurprising they were buyers. They have an easier schedule moving forward than the other two division contenders, and the Rangers’ package could make an enormous difference for them if the players pitch to expectations.
One major development of the deadline: The NL East might stay a three-horse race in 2022, too.
The Nationals, not far removed from their 2019 championship, commenced a complete teardown. Long-time ace Max Scherzer and Braves nightmare Trea Turner headlined their departures, with both joining the reigning champion Dodgers in a true rich-get-richer development.
“I think the Dodgers deal was obviously exciting for the game,” Anthopoulos said. “Exciting for those of us in the NL East, as well. Not sad to see those guys go.”
Washington also moved reliever Daniel Hudson (Padres) and slugger Kyle Schwarber (Red Sox), among others. The Nationals’ new reality is emphasizing player development while enduring a lot of losses. The franchise is still paying large sums to starters Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin, but it’s hitting the reset button, hoping to build a new contender around young star Juan Soto in the not-so-distant future.
That future probably won’t be next season. The odds of a Marlins’ ascension aren’t high, either. Miami traded reliever Yimi Garcia to Houston. It moved outfielder Starling Marte to Oakland and Duvall back to the Braves.
The Marlins are stacked with young pitching, which could lead to an emergence, but their offense is lacking and their team will again be young next season. Miami has an interesting offseason ahead of it, but at least it’s trending upward, whereas Washington is not.
It remains to be seen how this deadline affects the NL East. Its flawed three contenders improved their rosters. One high-budget franchise tore it all down. But the immediate question centers on the upcoming eight weeks, and how the Braves’ race with the Mets and Phillies ends.
“Those are all really good players, they all got better,” Anthopoulos said of the Mets’ and Phillies’ moves. “I expected all three of us – with what the Nats did, and obviously we knew what Miami was doing – the remaining three teams to add to their club and get better. We only play the Mets three more times. But we have to just worry about ourselves and just start playing well.
“We haven’t gone on a streak really the entire year. So hopefully at some point - our rotation is doing a really nice job right now. So I feel like if the offense can step up a little bit, and adding this this depth and maybe being able to score some more runs, with the way the rotation is throwing the ball, hopefully we can get going.”
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