The Best Race After the Trade Deadline

If Royals fans are looking for something to brag about, since we clearly can't about our team anymore, and it seems that even Zack Greinke gets robbed of a win every time he goes to the mound (He's still having a Cy Young type year by the way, just doesn't have the wins to prove it), they can now boast one of the greatest divisional races heading toward the playoffs. The Central divisions in both leagues are pretty tight, but you can tell from today's activity that the AL Central's 3 contenders aren't going to go down without a fight.

I must say that I was almost going to write a post about how boring today was for baseball fans, and how overhyped today usually is. But after returning from some errands, it turned out to be a pretty exciting day, especially in the AL Central. The day started with the division leading Tigers acquiring lefty Jarrod Washburn from the Seattle Mariners for two left-handed pitching prospects. Washburn will provide a much needed lefty option for the Tigers' starting rotation, and though his 8-6 record doesn't wow you, his 3rd place ERA of 2.64 (3rd in the AL) should turn people's heads. Even more promising for the Tigers is that in his last 5 starts, opponents have only scored 3 runs against him. With Verlander seemingly back to his old form and the addition of a lefty, the Tigers rotation is certainly a force to be reckoned with and it would not be a surprise if they were able to pull away from the division's competition.

Not to be outdone the Chicago White Sox added depth to their starting rotation as well. Although they gave up 4 pitchers to finalize the trade (Only 1 has played in the Majors thus far), the White Sox were able to get Jake Peavy out of his no-trade clause. With Mark Buerhle throwing well right now, and number 2 and 3 starters John Danks and Gavin Floyd pitching a little better than their career ERAs this year, the White Sox rotation was already decent, but the addition of Peavy makes it way above average. More importantly, the 1-2 of Buerhle and Peavy (or the other way I guess) will be quite formidable if the White Sox do end up making the playoffs. If you're a White Sox fan, I would think that you would consider Jake Peavy worth trading 4 players, especially if some of the prospects are not impressing the organization, but it still seems like a lot to give up for a 6-6 pitcher with a 3.97 ERA. We'll see how that gamble pays off, I just don't know if Peavy closes the gap as the White Sox are currently in 3rd place.

Finally, the Twins made an uncharacteristic deadline move (this is their first big deadline trade since 2003), and actually brought in a fairly big name in Orlando Cabrera. Cabrera could be a classic Twins good-not-special player that just works hard for the team and gets things done. Although only an average fielder, most would not consider him a liability defensively, and he is a solid hitter at .280/.318 (BA/OBP). Although this is probably the least glitzy of the trades, I think it could prove to be quite valuable. The Twins are simply plugging a hole here and only gave up one player and got cash for Cabrera. With Joe Mauer second in average in the league, and Justin Morneau leading in homers, the Twins can look forward to being in the race for the long haul.

So as we Royals fans lament our disappointing season, and for all of you general baseball fans, look out for the race for the AL Central lead as only one team will probably make the postseason. My bet is on the Tigers with the addition of Washburn. Feel free to comment with your bets.