MLB Trade Deadline

Winners and Losers

The July 31st trade deadline is typically a place where a few big names move around and a lot of prospects and veterans get shuffled around from bad teams to contenders. In 2006, the trade deadline featured a few big trades, but some of the bigger names, like Oakland pitcher Barry Zito, maligned Nationals slugger Alfonso Soriano, and Orioles shortstop Miguel Tejada remained with their teams. However, there were enough trades to make this last weekend interesting in MLB and some teams came out better than others.

Winners:
The Milwaukee Brewers came out well on another trade, this team dealing big time slugger Carlos Lee to the Texas Rangers for Laynce Nix, Kevin Mench, Francisco Cordero, and a prospect. While the Brewers also gave up top flight prospect Nelson Cruz, they got three major league players in return and Mench and Cordero have already made contributions. General manager Doug Melvin made a similar trade in the 2005 off-season, dealing Richie Sexson to the Diamondbacks for several great prospects, and in the 2006 off-season, dealing Lyle Overbay to the Blue Jays for several players who have played significant roles this season. Carlos Lee was not going to resign with the Brewers in the off-season and they made the best move they could make. Mench will be a solid outfielder, Nix is good enough to play off the bench, and Cordero will give manager Ned Yost a fall back option for troubled closer Derrick Turnbow.

The Cincinnati Reds are not the floundering franchise they once were, but a team that is on the verge of taking over the NL Central and they made the move that a winning team makes: bolstering their bullpen. The Reds picked up Rheal Cormier and Kyle Lohse to give them some solid innings from the bullpen and even more veteran leadership on a team with Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey Jr.