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MLB trade deadline 2016: Help us grade the trades

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Happy trade deadline day!

For each major deal, we give you our report card -- then ask you to vote on which team hit the jackpot and which team got the short (or at least shorter) end of the stick.

Check out David Schoenfield's grades and analysis. Below each trade breakdown, there's a poll for you to weigh in. So cast your ballots ...


Rangers catch Jonathan Lucroy from Brewers

David Schoenfield's grades:

Love this trade, especially because it didn't cost the Rangers Joey Gallo or Jurickson Profar. Lucroy adds another good bat, giving the Rangers a deep lineup, and he comes with that cheap $5.25 million team option for 2017. And given the Rangers' resources, don't be shocked if they give Lucroy a long-term extension in the offseason.

Outfielder Lewis Brinson is a boom-or-bust type currently struggling in Double-A with a sub-.300 OBP and not enough power to compensate. I'm not a big fan as he's walked just 17 times. He's still just 22, and Keith Law did rank him No. 21 on his midseason top 50. Luis Ortiz is a high-upside righty, No. 46 on Keith's list, now in Double-A. I liked the original deal with Cleveland better than this one.


Rangers reel in Carlos Beltran from Yankees

David Schoenfield's grades:

You can't deny Beltran's numbers, as he's hitting .304/.344/.546, though some of that is the result of the cozy dimensions at Yankee Stadium, where he's slugging .961 (compared to .817 on the road). The Rangers will slot him at DH, which means they don't trust Joey Gallo to do the job down the stretch. Beltran has a history of performing in the postseason, of course, though that doesn't mean he'd perform well this postseason if the Rangers get there.

This could end up the same way as another Beltran trade, when the Mets got Zack Wheeler from the Giants. Prospect Dillon Tate was the Rangers' first-round pick in 2015, fourth overall, so it hurts the team to part with him so quickly, but he's been terrible in low-A ball with a 5.12 ERA and 78 hits in 65 innings. A college pitcher selected that high should be performing better at that level. Upside play, but it's possible the Rangers just blew the pick (passing on Andrew Benintendi, for example).


Mets get Jay Bruce from Reds

David Schoenfield's grades:

After two down years, Bruce has had a renaissance this year, leading the National League in RBIs. The Mets are 13th in the NL in runs scored, so they certainly need offense, but Bruce is an imperfect fit. His defensive metrics are among the worst in the game for outfielders, so Curtis Granderson, who has been below average in right field, will have to slide over to center, assuming Yoenis Cespedes has to remain in left field because of his sore quad. Bruce does help hedge against the departure of Cespedes after this season, but again, with him, Granderson and Michael Conforto, the Mets still lack a true center fielder.

Dilson Herrera is a high-upside offensive player who was blocked this year by Neil Walker, but probably deserved a chance to play in the majors. He's been very young for his leagues -- he's still just 22 -- and while there is some concern that his numbers at Las Vegas dipped this year compared to 2015, he should supplant Brandon Phillips as the Reds' second baseman next year. He's a better player than the punchless Jose Peraza, who hasn't done much at Triple-A this year.


Dodgers deal for Oakland's Rich Hill and Josh Reddick

David Schoenfield's grades:

If Hill's health were more of a sure thing, I'd like this better from the Dodgers' perspective, but he's made just three starts since the end of May, and in one of those he left during the first batter with blister problems, which still persist. Both players are also free agents, so there's no long-term value here, and while Reddick is a nice player and a plus defender, he's only a minor upgrade over Yasiel Puig or Howie Kendrick.

Hill's value wasn't what it was two months ago, but the A's still did well here, plucking some big arms from the deep reserve of Dodgers prospects. Grant Holmes was a first-round pick in 2014 and has performed well in the California League, a difficult league to pitch in. Jharel Cotton has a 4.90 ERA at Triple-A, but note the K total: 119 in 97⅓ innings. Frankie Montas, who came over the from the White Sox in the offseason, can reach 100 mph, though he might ultimately end up as a reliever and is currently on the DL with a rib injury.


Giants get Matt Moore from Rays

David Schoenfield's grades:

Moore is a little overhyped, as even pre-injury when he was good he had trouble throwing strikes. With a 4.09 ERA and 4.49 FIP, he projected more as a No. 4 type than the future ace he was once expected to be, although moving to AT&T and away from the AL East will help. But he's so cheap -- signed through 2019 with a series of team options that top out at $10 million -- that this deal can't really bust for the Giants.

Matt Duffy hit last year, but hasn't hit this year, and Evan Longoria is currently locked into third base. Maybe the Rays believe Duffy can transition to shortstop, where Brad Miller is hardly a Gold Glover. The key may be minor league shortstop Lucius Fox, a speedster from the Bahamas who is hitting just .207 in the Sally League but is just 18. He's extremely raw, so is a long-term project.


Giants get Will Smith from Brewers

David Schoenfield's grades:

Smith turned into one of the game's most underrated relievers the past two seasons, with 177 K's in 129 innings, though he missed time after tearing a knee ligament in spring training and hasn't been quite as dominant this year (22 K's in 22 IP). He's a lefty with a big reverse platoon split, even though he's traditional fastball/slider/curve guy. He's under team control for three more seasons, so this is much more than just a rental.

 Catcher Andrew Susac has been blocked from serious big league time by Buster Posey, and after serving as the team's backup last year he has spent all of 2016 in Triple-A. He projects as a capable starting catcher in the big leagues, not a star, and would step in to replace Jonathan Lucroy should he be dealt. Phil Bickford was twice a first-round pick (Blue Jays in 2013, Giants in 2015), and while his numbers in Class A are very good, Keith Law reports that some of the shine has been lost as he's been throwing 90-94 as opposed to the 95-plus he flashed as an amateur.


Indians acquire Andrew Miller from Yankees

David Schoenfield's grades:

Yes, the Indians gave up two high-upside prospects in outfielder Clint Frazier and left-hander Justus Sheffield (plus two others with relief potential), but they've added one of the game's top three relievers to the best starting rotation in the American League and a lineup that is a surprising third in runs scored. The best team in the league got better, and the Indians are more likely to win the World Series with Miller. As a bonus, with two additional years on his contract, they can always flip him in the offseason if desired.

It's a good haul, though I'm not as high on Frazier as some others. As Keith Law wrote in his midseason top 50, he still hits the ball on the ground too much, and while he's cut down on his strikeouts, he still whiffs a lot (92 times in 94 games in the minors). He's always probably limited to left field. If Ben Heller and J.P. Feyereisen develop as relievers, however, that helps the Yankees' haul look better.


Cubs get Aroldis Chapman from Yankees

David Schoenfield's grades:

This is really all about the postseason, as the Cubs were going to win the division with or without Chapman. Still, I love the desire to go for it and adding a needed bullpen weapon. In a sense, it's sort of an incomplete grade until we see what happens in October.

Maybe Gleyber Torres doesn't amount to anything, but it's the potential that he does that makes this a clear win for the Yankees. Considering they originally acquired Chapman for four C-level prospects and turned him into a top-30 prospect, plus Adam Warren and two other minor leaguers, is a huge win for GM Brian Cashman.


Padres trade Matt Kemp to Braves for Hector Olivera

David Schoenfield's grades:

Even with his big power production, Kemp has been worth just 0.2 wins above replacement this year. That's how badly the other aspects of his game have deteriorated. Still, the Braves managed to dump Hector Olivera (who was suspended under MLB's domestic violence policy), and the difference between Kemp's salary and what they would have paid Olivera will only cost them about $8.5 million per season.

This was simply about dumping Kemp's contract, and the Padres did that, as Olivera was immediately designated for assignment. So they save money, trade a player who didn't provide much value anyway and clear room for Manuel Margot or Hunter Renfroe to get playing time down the stretch.


Nationals get Mark Melancon from Pirates

David Schoenfield's grades:

With Jonathan Papelbon struggling, I get the desire to add a proven closer, and Melancon is maybe the most underrated one in the game with a lower ERA than Chapman over the past four seasons. He relies more on soft contact than strikeouts, but he's very good and, comparatively speaking, the Nationals paid a lot less than what the Cubs paid for Chapman.

It made sense to flip Melancon, as he's a free agent and the Pirates weren't going to give him a qualifying offer. The playoffs were going to be a long shot anyway, and they get Felipe Rivero, a power lefty who will be in their bullpen for the next several years -- until he, in turn, gets flipped. This is what you have to do if you're the Pirates.


Marlins add Andrew Cashner, Colin Rea from Padres

David Schoenfield's grades:

Meh. Miami needed rotation depth, but Cashner and Rea have been barely replacement-level this year. Rea then went out and hurt his elbow in his first start (which is bad luck), landing on the DL.

It's hard not to like the chance the Padres took here. First baseman Josh Naylor, the Marlins' first-round pick in 2015, has power potential with a good hit tool, and pitcher Luis Castillo, while a little old for the Florida State League, has an 80 fastball and throws strikes (15 walks in 100 innings). If Carter Capps bounces back next year from his Tommy John surgery, they've added a shutdown reliever as well. Nothing guaranteed here, but I love the upside play.

UPDATE: The Marlins have sent the injured Rea back to the Padres. Castillo returns to Miami as part of the transaction.


Red Sox deal for Padres' Drew Pomeranz

David Schoenfield's grades:

I believe Pomeranz has turned the corner with the addition of a cutter this spring that makes him tough on right-handed batters, but there's also the chance he just pitched the best three months of his career. He's been shaky so far in his first three outings with the Red Sox.

Anderson Espinoza has a huge arm as one of the top pitching prospects in the minors. He's also 18 years old and a lot can go wrong between Class A and the majors. Still, it's an obvious worthwhile upside play for GM A.J. Preller.


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