EHCC Trade Deadline En Fuego!

 

The EHCC has been a flurry of activity for the past month. Between the midraft and non-waiver trade deadline there were 12 “deadline” deals made this year. That is tied for the most deadline trades consummated in league history. Over the past 6 seasons we’ve averaged around 6.7 deadline trades per season. This was mostly driven by a few owners pushing the hard sell this year. Team by team:

 

QC bought the moon this year. No team is more all-in for 2017 than QC. Specifically starting pitching. QC has traded for 11 starting pitchers this season. 11! If you were available and had a “SP” next to your name, you’re now a Piglet. That’s not to mention the big named bats that were added in Votto, Cano and Bruce. QC was able to take on so many players because they’ve adopted a zero reliever strategy. Which was apparently a reaction to how quick SD is on the RP wire (which hasn’t really worked out all that well for SD). Given the 10 IP minimum in the EHCC, this tactic is going to be their Achilles Heel (see week 17 matchup). But good luck with that…

LV has been playing the rebuilding card all season long. Which is a little odd considering that they’re the reigning EHCC champions. A team that was the best in the league is torn apart just as they’ve reached Valhalla? Why not let the team prove to you that they’re done before tearing it apart? Nevertheless, LV has been eager to make trades all season with anybody, for anything. LV has already made 9 trades this season. I’m sure that there’s a couple more waiver trades coming as well. They’re wheelin’, they’re dealin’. They’re buying, they’re selling. They’re 5 moves ahead and 6 levels above. They’re doing things that you can’t even comprehend. LV has created their empire by playing the “value” trade game. Buy moves, sell moves, it doesn’t matter. Persistence, low balling, talking down and downright harassing their way to LV friendly deals is how it’s done. Trade for odds? WTF is that? Stop trying to include all of these convoluted conditions to every trade! Essentially LV is the Littlefinger of the EHCC.

RIO took the approach that LV should’ve taken. Their aging team slumped, they waited to see if it was for real. Injury and ineffectiveness sunk in and it was apparent that their window had closed. This roster wasn’t winning anything; it’s time to sell. And sell they did. Anything worth anything was jettisoned to the highest bidder. Scorched earth. And RIO was big game hunting. Only the best of the best prospects were considered; quality over quantity. 

SD was stuck in fantasy purgatory at this year’s deadline. Their young team has performed ok this season, but not good enough to invest in strictly win-now pieces. In short SD management doesn’t know what they’re doing; so they didn’t do anything. Instead opting to hold on to their much beloved prospects (they love them so much). A course of action that was universally ridiculed at the league baseball outing. See all the fun that you missed…

SJ inexplicably bought at the deadline. Yea yea yea, I get it. Even though they were in 9th place, they were only 4 games back of a playoff spot. And their schedule coming down the stretch was considerably easier than 6 of the teams ahead of them (the west). And they’re starting to get healthy with some guys coming back from injury. But to sell Devers just as he’s making the show? That’s a tough pill to swallow; kid’s an absolute stud. A year from now we’re going to be talking about the Devers trade the way that we currently talk about the Machado trade. QC hasn’t had a peaceful night’s sleep since that Machado trade.

TIJ did their best to improve their 2017 championship aspirations by adding veteran bats. TIJ also took the opportunity to exchange their mi picks into ma picks as it’s apparent that they feel much more comfortable in the madraft than the midraft.

WEY didn’t do shit at the deadline. Last year’s Judge trade still has WEY in a dark place. They cowered in fear at every text message and email that came in.

TKO has come out of nowhere to make a couple deals to improve their championship run this year. Hitting, SP, RP; they got a little bit of everything. It’s nice to see TKO active. That being said, that draft day trade for the #1 pick is one of the worst/shadiest deals in league history (and further proves my point on LV).

RAK has suffered from an identity crisis all season. Are they good? Are they bad? Are they buyers? Are they sellers? They ultimately made a couple of sell moves at the deadline. Never really addressed their need for future pitching. Instead sold off a couple of nice pitchers in Godley and Paxton. I guess they can use all of their picks on pitching prospects and wait a few years for them to come around?

SFV continued to sell anything that was worth anything at the deadline. Their tanking has reached epic proportions. #blowfoshow

DUB and BW were MIA at the deadline. Maybe they were talking to other owners, but I never heard a peep. Especially disappointing for BW who missed another opportunity to shed aging players while they’re not contending.