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

1. Zack Greinke

In my opinion, right-hander Zack Greinke has already locked up his place in the Hall of Fame when his playing days are over. He is a six-time All-Star, five-time Gold Glover, has two ERA titles and won the 2009 American League Cy Young. Along the way, Greinke has racked up 197 wins, carries a career 3.36 ERA and has been worth 70.2 WAR according to Baseball-Reference.

Now, with a move to the Astros, Greinke has a chance to put the question of his status as a future Hall of Famer to bed completely. The 35-year-old, who is known for his ever-changing repertoire, impeccable command and ability to mix speeds and movement, joins the one team in the league that has become the gold standard for getting the most out of veteran pitchers. Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole, Charlie Morton, Wade Miley and a host of others have all elevated their game since the Astros got a hold of them.

Greinke is famously hard to read and could have blocked this trade if he wanted to. That he accepted it shows he felt joining the Astros would be good for his career. He will get to pitch in the postseason again and should extend his prime. Greinke may be 35, but he is 42-22 over the past three years with a 3.12 ERA and shows no signs of declining.

Working with the Astros will allow Greinke to continue fine tuning his repertoire, and it doesn’t feel like a stretch to say that he could have a very extended prime not seen in a frontline starting pitcher since the likes of Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine were dominating into their forties without overwhelming velocity.