2022 MLB trade deadline: Winners and losers from this year’s deadline madness

MLB trade deadline losers

Milwaukee Brewers

The Milwaukee Brewers came into this year’s deadline with higher expectations than most. The roster had some clear immediate holes to fill on the trade front and none of them were filled.

Instead, otherworldly closer Josh Hader was sent to the Padres in exchange for two major-league pitchers, a left-handed starting pitching prospect and a speedy outfield prospect. While that trade didn’t necessarily represent an utter failure on the Brewers’ behalf, the fact that this was one of the only moves made is what makes the deadline a loss for Milwaukee.

This is without mentioning the minor trade the club made with the Texas Rangers that sent reliever Matt Bush from Arlington to Milwaukee. Bush has been a solid reliever for the Rangers but is 36 years old and cost the Brewers a low-end utilityman (Mark Mathias) and a solid left-handed pitching prospect (Antoine Kelly). That deal looks like a loss for the Crew at first glance, as does the deal Milwaukee made with the Giants that saw Trevor Rosenthal go from SF to MIL in exchange for highly-touted outfield prospect Tristan Peters.

Perhaps most frustrating for Brewers fans is the fact that each of Ian Happ, Josh Bell, Trey Mancini, J.D. Martinez, Brandon Drury, Joey Gallo and José Quintana were all on the team’s radar heading into the deadline with none of them coming over to Milwaukee.

Chicago Cubs

How in the world did the trade deadline pass with both Ian Happ and Willson Contreras sticking with the Cubs? The short answer: I have absolutely no idea.

While the Cubbies did trade away Chris Martin, David Robertson and Mychal Givens, two of the three aging relievers netted much of a return. The only return of any value was utilityman Zach McKinstry, who is a very solid player who never got much of a chance with the Dodgers before the trade.

In Contreras and Happ, the rumored suitors were certainly there. Contreras had drawn considerable interest from the Mets, Astros, Giants, Yankees and Rays, among others, but the club could not seem to find the deal they wanted for him. Contreras is a free agent at season’s end and Chicago is not likely to bring him back once he reaches free agency.

Instead, the Cubs are banking on the pick they’ll land by losing him to free agency warranting more of a return than a potential trade would have.

Happ is another player that had a ton of potential suitors. The Phillies, Dodgers, Mets, Yankees, Brewers and Blue Jays all were reportedly keeping an eye on him as the deadline neared. The switch-hitting outfielder has looked great for the Cubs this season, making his first-career All-Star Game along the way, which should’ve made his value skyrocket.

Instead, Happ will remain on the Cubs, at least for now. His value is sky-high right now as he has another year of team control attached to him as well. Perhaps the Cubs will revisit trade talks in the offseason.

New York Mets

Outside of the city of Milwaukee, I have a hard time believing any fanbase is more disappointed with their club than the Mets’ fans.

Owner Steve Cohen vowed to do whatever he possibly could to have a very active deadline, only to make four minor moves, landing Daniel Vogelbach, Mychal Givens, Darin Ruf and Tyler Naquin along the way.

The Mets have plenty of spots on their roster in need of an upgrade, including catcher, left field and the bullpen, where Givens is an upgrade over some of the current names but not enough to push the Mets into contention.

Vogelbach has been a trusty bat for the club since his acquisition, going 6-for-18 (good for a .333 batting average) in seven games. He will likely be a solid platoon partner with Ruf at first base and designated hitter down the line.

Naquin is 1-for-9 to start his Mets career and has largely struggled this season with both the Reds and Mets after a very strong showing in 2021 for Cincinnati. He has the potential to be a starting outfielder when he’s on, but this year has been a disaster for him. For now, he will remain a bench bat/fourth outfielder.

At different points, the Mets were in on all of Juan Soto, Trey Mancini, Willson Contreras, Ian Happ, Nelson Cruz, Michael Fulmer, Josh Bell and Andrew Benintendi. For a team that has consistently shown a willingness to aggressively spend and upgrade the team by any means necessary, it’s hard to believe that they ended up with just Vogelbach, Naquin, Givens and Ruf.