MLB Notebook: Winners and losers at deadline; Alex Bregman's reunion; Red Sox' payroll monitoring

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a day ago

The Red Sox didn't play Thursday, and still, they lost ground in the playoff race.
In part, that's because the Yankees did play and won. But the bigger issue was how much better the competition got while the Red Sox, running to stand still, made only modest improvement.
That's the nature of the deadline: if you're not getting better, you're failling behind. If you accept the premise that Dustin May is a step up from Richard Fitts, whom he'll likely replace as the back end of the rotation, then yes, the Red Sox are, by definition, improved, however slightly.
The same math applies to the bullpen. Steven Matz qualifies as an upgrade, however slight, over, say, Brennan Bernardino.
But the face remains that the Red Sox two deals barely moved the needle. It was if the acquisitions — one made late Wednesday night, the other minutes before the actual deadline — were done out of a sense of obligation rather than a quest to actually get better.
This wasn't one of those mixed message deadlines where a team attempts to thread the needle, buying and selling both, in an effort to address both present and future needs. This was an actual equivocation.
More broadly, it was a failure. The Red Sox needed a dependable, proven starting pitcher and an impact late-inning reliever — and walked away with neither.
Unfortunately for them, others in the playoff race were more determined to act. Here's a look at the American League winners from the deadline.
NEW YORK: The Yankees may have been the ultimate winners. They added to their infield (Ryan McMahon, Amed Rosario and Jose Caballero) and to the bullpen (Camilo Doval, David Bednar and Jake Bird).
Most impressively, they made all of these additions without touching anyone at the top of their prospect list (Spencer Jones, George Lombard Jr., Cam Schlittler).
How surprising would it be for the Yankees to now overtake the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East standings? Answer: Not at all.
TEXAS: The Rangers (and Seattle Mariners) are just a game and a half behind the Red Sox in the wild card standings, but the Rangers outbid the Red Sox for Merrill Kelly, arguably the best rental option available on the starting market.
Texas also bolstered their bullpen with Phil Maton and Danny Coulombe, improving their back end, though notably, the Rangers didn't address the closer position.
But now that the offense has clicked in recent weeks, the Rangers now look like a threat.
SEATTLE: No team improved its lineup more than the Mariners, adding corner infield upgrades in Eugenio Suarez and Josh Naylor. Add them to a batting order which features MVP candidate Cal Raleigh and a suddenly rejuvenated Julio Rodriguez and the Mariners are suddenly very formidable — especially with a deep rotation that is the envy of most contenders in the league.
DETROIT: Charlie Morton may be ancient, but he'll help the rotation. Even at 41, Morton will have an impact. Kyle Finnegan looks like a sneaky-good addition to the bullpen, along with Rafael Montero acquired to fortify the set-up role.
The Tigers weren't upgrading to make the playoffs; they're essentially in already, with a nine-game edge in the AL Central standings. These were moves made with an eye toward October, and as such, the Tigers were on point.
Other teams had less certain deadlines.
TORONTO: The Blue Jays, who are all-in this season, trying to win a playoff series for the first time since 2016, should have done more.
If the Jays had obtained another starter, landing Shane Bieber would be a nice secondary acquisition. As it is, however, the Bieber move is a roll of the dice. He's coming back from Tommy John surgery and last started a major league game in the first week of April, 2024. It's anyone's guess what he can provide for the final two months, and with only a player option in place for 2025, there's no guarantee they have him under control for next season.
Toronto's other two pick-ups (first baseman Ty France, reliever Louis Varland) didn't move the needle much.
HOUSTON: The Astros went fishing for a front-line starter to join their top two of Framber Valdez and Hunter Brown, and for a time, appeared locked in on San Diego's Dylan Cease. But that trade fizzled, and the Astros wound up reacquiring Carlos Correa.
That's likely a popular move in Houston, where Correa enjoyed his best seasons. But he's underperformed and battled injuries the last few years and it's an open question as to how much he has left.
Maybe a return to familiar surroundings will help. But that's a very expensive ($71 million) gamble, and at a time when both Seattle and Texas got better, it's hard to say with any certainty than the Astros did.
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When Alex Bregman spoke of facing his former team, the Houston Astros for the first time, he didn't know that the reunion would include Correa, with whom he shared a number of seasons on the left side of the Houston infield.
But with or without Correa, Bregman, addressing the matter late Wednesday afternoon, knows it going to be....different facing the team for whom he played for nine seasons.
'I've really just tried to stay focused and in the moment,' said Bregman. 'Obviously, we're in the middle of a tough stretch of games. We're fighting to get back into the divisional race and getting to the postseason. I've just been focused on that and getting back healthy.
'But yeah, the next series will be against them and I obviously have a lot of good friends over there, a lot of good memories, some friends for life. But I'm going to try everything possible to win every game against them.'
In all likelihood, it will be more consequential for Bregman when the Red Sox visit Houston on the next road trip. He'll no doubt be welcomed back by a fan base that will recall his contributions to two World Series titles and a run that saw Bregman and the Astros reach the ALCS an unprecedented seven straight seasons.
'I don't know what that's going to be like,' said Bregman. 'I'm just kind of taking it like the season, one day at a time and focus on the next pitch and really just focused on the game Friday. I played there for nine years, but with me and baseball, it's focusing on the next pitch, the next game, and taking that mentality.
'Obviously, it's going to be different because I played with those guys and I have really good relationships there, from top to bottom of the organization. Lot of good memories, a lot of wins. It will be different, but I'm excited. They're a team in the American League that's leading their division in the playoff race and it should be a tough matchup.'
Jose Altuve remains the face of the franchise. He made his debut several seasons before Bregman, and is still an everyday player and the one most closely associated with the Astros.
But Bregman is next in line when it comes to that remarkable run. It might be a stretch to suggest that the Astros qualify as a dynasty; a team would need to win more than two titles.
And then there's the whole 2017 sign-stealing scandal that tarnished the club's accomplishments and, to some, called into question its achievements.
Still, four AL pennants and eight straight trips to the postseason is a considerable feat, for which Bregman can take satisfaction, and, credit.
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One noteworthy development of the trade deadline came when MassLive's Chris Cotillo reported that, in discussions with at least one other team, the Red Sox were attempting to shed some salary considerations for a player in whom they were interested in acquiring.
It seemed the Sox were doing everything possible to avoid crossing over the next CBT threshold and incurring more luxury tax assessments and related penalties.
It was only six weeks ago that the Sox were crowing about the financial flexibility that would come from shedding Rafael Devers' deal. Having unloaded some $250 million or so in future financial obligations, the Red Sox assured one and all that this would allow them greater flexibility moving forward.
They could apply those savings to the upcoming deadline, or next winter in free agency!
Instead, the Sox were known to be haggling over a few million here and there for one of their deadline targets.
Look: it only makes sense that Craig Breslow, or any other lead baseball executive, would attempt to save his team money at every turn. In face, it would be irresponsible to do otherwise; if a GM can get the other side to absorb salary in a trade, he should do so.
But not if it's getting in the way of making moves to improve the roster. Not if it's precluding a path to getting a trade across the finish line.
Are the Red Sox not aware that their actions need to be match their words? And that their fan base is understandably tiring of ownership and upper management saying one thing, and then doing another?
More Red Sox coverage
Why Red Sox talks with Twins fell apart for Joe Ryan (report)
Red Sox announce Friday starter, plus when Dustin May will make club debut
Red Sox CBO understands fans frustrations over deadline, still confident in team
Dodgers media reacts to 'beloved' pitcher being traded to Red Sox
Why MLB writer thinks Yankees have 'no credible excuse' to not win World Series
Read the original article on MassLive.