David Phelps flipped to the Cubs; the Bauer blockbuster; Chris Martin to the Braves
FanGraphs | Ben Clemens: A smaller trade took place before the explosion later that evening, as David Phelps was dealt to the Cubs for Thomas Hatch. While Phelps is not even a middling closer in quality, it’s unclear whether the Cubs will extract any value here. He has also shown dominance out of the pen before his Tommy John surgery, and now it’s just a question of whether that can resume.
Baseball Prosepctus | BP Staff ($): The big blast of the day was the Reds’ acquisition of Trevor Bauer in a three-team deal with the Padres and Indians, and it’s stunning in a few ways. It’s stunning in that it makes the Reds a win-now team despite their flaws, and it also involves the risky but very smart calculation that swapping a starter for outfield depth would simultaneously save them money and make them slightly better. The Padres get another consensus top prospect, but their impact won’t be felt immediately.
The Athletic | David O’Brien ($): The trade that could have looked bigger but was overshadowed by the Bauer deal, a trade for Chris Martin will make the Braves’ bullpen better, for sure, at least by a little. Yet the Braves now are showing a willingness to trade from an area of strength in giving up Kolby Allard, who could have joined the rotation as soon as next season.
