MLB Trade Deadline 2017: 5 teams that emerge winners

1. New York Yankees

Brian Cashman may very well win the AL Executive of the Year if the Yankees are able to stay in first place in the AL East. For the second year in a row, Cashman and the Yankees executed a perfect trade deadline plan. Last year, the Yanks were selling and got elite prospects back for Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller. This year, Cashman was in a buying mood and found a way to make a great bullpen even better, revamp his starting rotation, upgrade at third base and do it all without trading away Clint Frazier and Gleyber Torres.

The Yankees got their trade deadline party started by acquiring Dave Robertson, Tommy Kahnle and Todd Frazier from the White Sox. They parted with outfield prospect Blake Rutherford as the primary piece in the package. Robertson and Kahnle both have the type of swing-and-miss stuff that plays well in the postseason. Getting Frazier to play third and first base is not a huge upgrade, but the move also kept him away from the Boston Red Sox.

Cashman then made a minor move to acquire veteran starter Jaime Garcia a few days after he had gone to the Minnesota Twins. Garcia offers little upside, but should solidify the back end of the rotation. The final move for the Yankees came on the trade deadline. Momentum had been building toward a deal for Sonny Gray and the Yankees made it happen without giving up their two best prospects. To top all of this off, New York got international bonus money from two teams at the deadline and will have a big stockpile to go after Shohei Otani when he comes over.

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The Yankees now go forward with gray paired with Luis Severino at the top of the rotation and an elite bullpen. Even with Aaron Judge struggling in the second half, the Yankees are on fire and have all the pieces in place to be a dangerous team in October.