Winners and losers from MLB Trade Deadline

The MLB Trade Deadline made some teams better, but others missed the boat

It was another wild MLB Trade Deadline day. A lot of deals came down to the wire, and even more than that just never came to fruition. Some of the usual suspects were quieter than usual, while other surprise teams spent big to get some major names in unusual places. That’s what makes this year’s trade deadline fun.

With an eight-team playoff in each league, it was hard to tell who was a buyer or seller. Some teams actually did both (and one did it very well). Even after the official 4 p.m. deadline, there were multiple deals still becoming official. Teams got better. Others did not. It was your typical MLB Trade Deadline.

The 60-game season makes this a weird one, but the worry there might be a lack of bad teams to sell off pieces just didn’t happen. There were a lot of trades over the past three days, with players of all kind getting dealt. There was one team that felt like a clear winner.

Winner: San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres were clear winners at this year’s MLB Trade Deadline. They went all in over the weekend, trading for catcher Jason Castro, relief pitcher Trevor Rosenthal, catcher Austin Nola, and first baseman Mitch Moreland. Then, on trade deadline Monday, they made their biggest move, sending five pieces to the Cleveland Indians for Mike Clevinger (among other, much smaller pieces).

This shows the Padres are looking to make a real push for the NL West crown. For years, the Padres were making big moves that weren’t working. They won the Manny Machado sweepstakes last offseason. The year before, they gave the then-biggest contract in franchise history to Eric Hosmer (beaten by the Machado deal). Going all the way back to 2014, the Padres traded for Wil Myers (a deal that famously had Trea Turner technically as a PTBNL).

For all these major moves, the Padres haven’t made the playoffs since 2006. They haven’t won a playoff series since they last made the World Series. That was the Tony Gwynn-led team in 1998. That was the last time this franchise won a playoff series.

The postseason drought is going to end this season. They are currently third in the National League with a 21-15 record. Things are going very well for the Padres, and they want more than just to end the drought. They want to make noise in the National League. That makes them the clearest winner of everyone in the league.

They also traded for Seattle Mariners’ reliever Taylor Williams at the buzzer just to cap off a great deadline.