Fansided

5 winners from MLB trade deadline

By Joshua Sadlock

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Greinke works against the Miami Marlins in the first inning at Marlins Park in Miami on Friday, July 26, 2019. (Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald/TNS via Getty Images)
Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Greinke works against the Miami Marlins in the first inning at Marlins Park in Miami on Friday, July 26, 2019. (Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald/TNS via Getty Images) /
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ANAHEIM, CA – JULY 29: Detroit Tigers pitcher Shane Greene (61) in action during the ninth inning of a game against the Los Angeles Angels played on July 29, 2019 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, CA. (Photo by John Cordes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CA – JULY 29: Detroit Tigers pitcher Shane Greene (61) in action during the ninth inning of a game against the Los Angeles Angels played on July 29, 2019 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, CA. (Photo by John Cordes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

4. Atlanta Braves

The race for the NL East title could come down to which team’s bullpen holds up best down the stretch. Both the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals attempted to upgrade their bullpens, but the Braves came out with the best pickups. The Nats were hamstrung by their lack of quality prospects and financial constraints and likely only marginally improved their league-worst bullpen.

The Braves landed All-Star closer Shane Greene, solid right-hander Chris Martin and former All-Star Mark Melancon who is having a resurgent year after finally getting healthy. This trio is much better than what the Nats were able to acquire. The Braves now have one of the better bullpens in the National League.

Greene is the biggest name of the group, but Martin might actually be the most dependable. The 33-year-old returned to MLB last year after spending 2016 and 2017 pitching in Japan. He has logged 38 innings this season with a 3.08 ERA and has an eye-popping 43:4 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The peripheral statistics and advanced metrics predict that Greene’s 1.18 ERA is due for a regression to the mean, but that doesn’t mean he won’t continue excelling. He is striking out 10.2 per nine this year with good control. Melancon is no longer closing, but his numbers are good this year and the injuries that turned his contract into a disaster for San Francisco are behind him.

Picking up three quality relievers without surrendering any elite prospects makes for a great deadline for the Braves. They hold a comfortable lead in the division, but upgrading the bullpen like this should all but seal the deal and elevate them to World Series contenders.

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