Fansided

MLB Trade Deadline 2017: 5 trades that should have happened

By Joshua Sadlock

BALTIMORE, MD - JULY 23: Zach Britton #53 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches during a baseball game against the Houston Astros at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on July 23, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. The Orioles won 9-7. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - JULY 23: Zach Britton #53 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches during a baseball game against the Houston Astros at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on July 23, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. The Orioles won 9-7. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 5
Next

The MLB trade deadline has come and gone — did any contenders miss out on an opportunity to solidify their postseason hopes?

The MLB trade deadline is in the books, and it did not disappoint. Every major contender in the National League made the upgrades they needed. The New York Yankees knocked another deadline out of the park and have surged back to threaten for the AL East crown. Meanwhile, the Chicago White Sox continued stockpiling top-50 prospects and executing one of the best farm-system overhauls in recent MLB history. For once, the Los Angeles Dodgers stepped up and used their prospects to acquire an impact piece in Yu Darvish. The moves were coming hot and heavy all day on Monday.

With the deadline passing, any trades that take place the rest of the year will have to come over the waiver wire. Justin Verlander may be moved that way if the Detroit Tigers find someone willing to take on his contract. The New York Mets may try and pass Jay Bruce through and make a move. For the most part, all of the big trades are done with for the year. After sifting through all of the moves made at the deadline, these five that did not go down stand out as the biggest missed opportunities.

5. J.D. Martinez to the Rays

J.D. Martinez was the only real impact bat moved at the trade deadline this year, and he went to the Arizona Diamondbacks for a very underwhelming package of four prospects. The Tampa Bay Rays had been linked to Martinez leading up to the trade deadline, but Arizona jumped everyone and made a trade over a week out from July 31.

The Rays did make some minor moves to upgrade their team, but are just 9-10 in the second half and have fallen behind the Kansas City Royals for the final Wild Card. Lucas Duda is an acceptable option in some sort of platoon arrangement, but does not have the same impact potential as Martinez. The D-backs make the playoffs this year with or without the slugger. Tampa Bay has a much tougher road to get through the AL East the rest of the year. Another elite power bat would have gone a long way.

Home/MLB Trade Rumors