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MLB Trade Deadline 2019: 5 players who made out best by being dealt

By Joshua Sadlock

ST LOUIS, MO - JULY 14: Zack Greinke #21 of the Arizona Diamondbacks pitches during the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on July 14, 2019 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Jeff Curry/Getty Images)
ST LOUIS, MO - JULY 14: Zack Greinke #21 of the Arizona Diamondbacks pitches during the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on July 14, 2019 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Jeff Curry/Getty Images) /
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CINCINNATI, OHIO – JULY 30: Tanner Roark #35 of the Cincinnati Reds throws a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park on July 30, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OHIO – JULY 30: Tanner Roark #35 of the Cincinnati Reds throws a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park on July 30, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

4. Tanner Roark

If Houston is the best place in the league for pitchers to take their game to another level, Oakland can’t be too far behind. A combination of one of the most pitcher-friendly parks in baseball and a sharp front office has allowed the A’s to build a playoff-caliber rotation out of unheralded veterans. Right-hander Tanner Roark is headed into a great situation as he moves from the Cincinnati Reds to Oakland.

The 32-year-old right-hander has quietly been one of the most dependable number-three starters in baseball the past seven years. He has a 70-61 record and has pitched to a 3.66 ERA in 1045.1 innings. A bit of a late bloomer who did not debut until two months before his 27th birthday, Roark will get his chance to land a multi-year deal as a free agent this winter.

With a strong finish to this season for the A’s, Roark can enter the winter with hopes of finding a multi-year deal for himself. The odds are stacked against him a bit, as teams continue to shy away from signing free agents in their thirties. Roark’s former teammate with the Washington Nationals, Gio Gonzalez, was only able to find a one-year deal for $2 million after recording a 4.21 ERA in 32 starts last season and finishing sixth in the 2017 NL Cy Young vote.

At the very least, getting traded is a win for Roark because he would have soon found himself fighting for starts in Cincinnati after the Reds acquired Trevor Bauer and activated Alex Wood. Roark did well to re-establish his value after the Nats traded him to a difficult place to pitch and now has two months to build a case for himself as a free agent this winter.

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