MLB Trade Deadline

As you may or may not know, today was the MLB trade deadline. There were quite a few moves made today, per usual for the deadline.

As a Yankees fan I'll discuss the moves that occurred in the AL East, as well as give my thoughts on them.

The Yankees acquired Jerry Hairston Jr from the Reds for Chase Weems. It's hard not to like this move. Weems doesn't look like anything special at all, and the Yankees have 3 better catchers in their minor league system already. Hairston can play most defensive positions, so he'll provide depth. It looks like he'll probably supplant Cody Ransom, which is also ideal. The truly horrifying thought is that the initial reports had Austin Jackson going to the Reds.
The major disappointment is that they didn't get a major league ready pitcher or reliever. Normally, I don't like trade deadline deals because you always seem to give up more than you get if you're the buyer. This year, though, with such a thin starting rotation and many question marks in the bullpen, I really wanted the Yankees to make a move. I was hoping that they would get Ian Snell or Zach Duke from Pittsburgh, but that didn't happen. On the other hand, the argument can be made that the Yanks are in first place and don't need the help (allow I don't believe it).

The Red Sox acquired Victor Martinez from the Indians for Justin Masterson, Nick Hagadone, and Bryan Price. I'm not scared by this addition to the Red Sox. Martinez has been slumping for quite a while now. The only reason his stats are as respectable as they are is because of his immensely hot start. It's nice to get a couple of young pitchers out of the Red Sox organization. Masterson projects as a very solid #3 starter or at worst, a great set up man. Hagadone has a ton of potential and could eventually be a true #1 guy. Price was just kind of thrown into this deal. With the addition of Casey Kotchman, who was acquired for Adam LaRoche, as well, the Red Sox have built themselves quite a stack of corner infielders. It'll be interesting to see who plays where, especially with David Ortiz on the roids again playing well. Overall, I think the Red Sox will continue to push the Yanks for the Division title, and at this point I'd say it's a toss up for who wins.

The Blue Jays traded Scott Rolen to the Reds for Edwin Encarnacion, Josh Roenicke, and Zach Stewart. Apparently the Reds know something I don't. Rolen is 34 years old, owed $11.8 million next year, as well as whatever he still needs to be paid this year. While he is having a resurgent year, the Reds are no where near playoff contention barring an amazing stretch run. Encarnacion, on the other hand is still only 26 years old. Although he plays some pretty shoddy defense, he can be made into a first basemen or corner outfielder is need be. Encarnacion is also going to be much cheaper than Rolen. The pitchers the Blue Jays receive both project as excellent relievers. Roenicke could help the Blue Jays right now if they so desired, as he is having an excellent year at Triple-A. Stewart has a 1.52 ERA in the minors this season. This trade was a clear win for the Jays.

With all the moves made, I don't think there was anything made that will have a huge impact over the final two months of the season. I think the Martinez trade looks bigger than it will actually be and the Red Sox hurt themselves in the long run. The Kotchman pick up was nice, especially for Adam LaRoche. Hairston will likely only remain a Yankee for these two months,as he's a free agent at the end of the year. I think the Jays did the most to improve themselves at the deadline, although they thought more long term than either the Red Sox or Yankees did.