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Elephant Rumblings: 2020 MLB trade deadline wraps up with tons of deals

MLB news roundup

By Alex Hall
Arizona Diamondbacks v Texas Rangers
Archie Bradley got traded, but not to Oakland
Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Good morning, Athletics Nation!

The 2020 MLB trade deadline is officially in the books, and it was a fun one. There were worries that it might be boring and quiet in such a weird, abbreviated season, but there ended up being plenty of successful connections between buyers and sellers.

The moves got started last week, and there were many more over the weekend. Monday brought the final round before its 1 p.m. cutoff, and it was packed with tons of deals. For original sources and more details, scroll through MLB Trade Rumors.

  • Blue Jays acquire LHP Robbie Ray from D’Backs (for LHP Travis Bergen)
  • Blue Jays acquire RHP Ross Stripling from Dodgers (for two PTBNLs)
  • Blue Jays acquire IF Jonathan Villar from Marlins (for a PTBNL) (it will be prospect Griffin Conine, son of Jeff Conine aka Mr. Marlin!)
  • Cubs acquire LHP Andrew Chafin (currently injured) from D’Backs (for a PTBNL)
  • Cubs acquire LHP Josh Osich from Red Sox (for a PTBNL)
  • Cubs acquire OF Cameron Maybin from Tigers (for a prospect)
  • Giants acquire LHP Anthony Banda from Rays (for cash)
  • Marlins acquire OF Starling Marte from D’Backs (for LHP Caleb Smith, RHP Humberto Mejia, and a PTBNL)
  • Mets acquire RHP Miguel Castro from Orioles (for a prospect and a PTBNL)
  • Mets acquire C Robinson Chirinos from Rangers (for a PTBNL)
  • Mets acquire 3B Todd Frazier from Rangers (for a PTBNL)
  • Padres acquire RHP Taylor Williams from Mariners (for a PTBNL)
  • Phillies acquire RHP David Phelps from Brewers (for three PTBNLs)
  • Reds acquire RHP Archie Bradley from D’Backs (for UT Josh VanMeter and a prospect)
  • Reds acquire OF Brian Goodwin from Angels (for a prospect and maybe another PTBNL)
  • Rockies acquire OF Kevin Pillar from Red Sox (for a PTBNL)

The Padres pulled off yet another swap, after making five by Monday morning. The Blue Jays were also busy, adding two more pitchers to their previous acquisition of Taijuan Walker, plus a hitter on top. The Mets added some vets, and the Reds netted a popular target on Athletics Nation in the reliever Bradley. The Marlins sold and bought, though Marte can also help them in 2021. Arizona sold everything that wasn’t bolted down.

The fourth-place Giants didn’t trade away any impending free agents, despite being below .500 and currently out of the expanded postseason field. It’s the second straight year they’ve decided not to sell for, I dunno, reasons?

As for the Oakland A’s, their final haul included infielder Tommy La Stella and lefty pitcher Mike Minor, with the latter coming Monday morning. Minor’s 2020 stats look underwhelming after his 2019 All-Star campaign, but a lot of that is small-sample noise and he’s really pitched more like a No. 3 starter.

For full analysis, our own Ricky O’Donnell has a nice summary of deadline winners and losers. For a roundup of just the AL West, MLBTR has you covered.

And that’s a wrap! It was a surprisingly fun deadline, and a productive one for the A’s in particular, even if there were no superstar splashes. Remember, the last time Oakland made a superstar splash at the deadline (in 2014) it turned out to be one of the worst memories in franchise history.

A’s Coverage

MLB News & Interest

Yesterday’s Game Highlights

Nope.

Best of Twitter

6 shutout innings against the Dodgers, our most likely World Series opponent

Minor was an elite reliever as recently as 2017

Part 1 (welcome, Christopher!)

... and Part 2

What a relief! Not a strained oblique (which could have easily been season-ending)

Addition by opponent’s subtraction (and same goes for the catcher Chirinos)

And then Melissa won the internet for the day

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