Trade Deadline Deals: Braves Finally Make a Move

The trade deadline came and went, but before it passed the Braves finally made a move.  Without giving up any really valuable prospects, the Braves were able to trade for center fielder Michael Bourn from the Astros.  They gave up much less than the Phillies did for former Astros outfielder Hunter Pence, but the Braves still gained an impact player who can help them make the playoffs.  The Braves needed more help than both the Phillies and Giants, as their offense has been terrible (and underachieving a lot) all season.  Their leadoff hitters have hit .254 with an on-base percentage of .306 (pitiful).  Bourn fixes that.  Center fielders for the Braves have hit .241 with a .322 on-base percentage.  Bourn fixes that.  He also plays great center field defense, has already stolen 39 bases, and will fit perfectly into Atlanta's lineup.  So far in 2011, Bourn is hitting .303/.363/.403 with one home run and 32 RBIs.  Sure, Bourn doesn't have the power that Pence or Beltran has, but he doesn't need to because he is a perfect leadoff hitter.  Congrats to the Braves for finding someone who should fit seamlessly into their lineup, and for not giving up any truly important prospects to do it.

Other intriguing moves:


Eric Bedard (from Seattle) to the Red Sox: After the deal for Rich Harden fell through, this is the only starter the Sox could get?  For their sakes, at least the Yankees chose not to do a single damn thing to improve their pitching (good luck Brian Cashman, because everyone but CC is hanging on by a thread).

Mike Adams (from San Diego) and Koji Uehara (from Baltimore) to the Rangers: Two great moves by the Rangers to shore up the back end up the bullpen.  Texas, just like last year, made moves that could propel them deep into the playoffs.

Ubaldo Jimenez (from Colorado) to the Indians: The number of people who actually thought that Cleveland was going to land Ubaldo can be counted on one hand.  However, total props to the Indians for making a bold move that could win them their division.  Jimenez has started to pitch much better as of late, and the Indians needed a big splash to stay in the AL Central race.  They gave up some great pitching prospects (Drew Pomeranz and Alex White), but pitching prospects are so volatile that it was smart to give away a lot in order to get a pitcher who has already proven he can be an ace at the big league level.  Now the Indians are hoping that Jimenez can revert to his form from the first half of last season.

Here is a link to the Yahoo Sports Trade Tracker, with all the moves made by MLB clubs: http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AuzSuzbRwQWolJdDCbWFGu4RvLYF?slug=jp-passan_mlb_trade_tracker_deadline_073011