Some big trades went down recently… First, Manny Machado was traded by Baltimore to the Los Angeles Dodgers, then Brad Hand was traded by San Diego to Cleveland, and then even more trades went down…

Baltimore waited too long to move Machado, they should’ve traded him last Summer, when it was already clear that they weren’t contenders and that they weren’t likely to be ones this season. In fact, they should’ve traded him once they couldn’t agree on an extension and he was two years away from free agency. That said, at least they finally traded him.

The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired an upgrade over the injured Corey Seager, and with their improved play and the relatively unimpressive National League, may be looking at a deep playoff run. Machado is unlikely to stay in LA past the season however, shortstop is occupied by Seager and third base by Justin Turner. Seager is not going anywhere and Turner is a cornerstone player who was recently extended and is both hard to trade and hard to move to a different position. Still, if Machado helps them get to the World Series, it might just be worth it. Ultimately, I think that this is a good trade for both sides. Machado however is the real winner of this trade as now the team that signs him in the offseason doesn’t even need to give up a draft pick, as he’s no longer eligible to receive a qualifying offer.

Cleveland badly needed relief pitching, and not only did they acquire two very good relievers, but they now have a closer once Cody Allen and Andrew Miller hit free agency after the season. Francisco Mejia is a steep price to pay, but considering the rate window of opportunity that Cleveland has, it was a good trade for them.

The trade was good for San Diego as well, a top prospect position player is worth more than two relievers, especially on a rebuilding team. I am concerned however about them extending Hand last year, while they may not have expected to trade him, it sets a bad precedent for them to extend players only to trade them less than a year later.

The New York Mets traded their now former closer Jeurys Familia to Oakland. This is a great trade for Oakland, who didn’t give up much to receive a great addition to their bullpen. I don’t think that this trade is enough to send them to the playoffs, but it’s an improvement, and any improvement is a good thing.

The New York Mets had to trade him, but received too little in return, surprising other teams that were interested in Familia. It’s not surprising knowing their history however. They again botched an opportunity to significantly improve their farm system.

The New York Yankees now have the best bullpen in the game, though I believe that they did already. Zach Britton is one of the best relievers in the game when healthy and gives New York a bullpen that reminds me of the one that the Kansas City Royals had when they won the World Series in 2015, as well as two pennants in 2014 and 2015. They also didn’t have to give up any top prospects.

Baltimore received a solid return for a player that they had to trade. Britton is a free agent after the season and rebuilding teams don’t need to spend large amounts on relievers.

Boston added insurance for the rotation, in what was a good trade for both sides, though I don’t think that Nathan Eovaldi with his 4.28 ERA and 4.28 FIP is worth depleting an already weak farm system. Still, Boston got insurance for their rotation while Tampa Bay received a decent prospect for a streaky free agent-to be.