Trade deadline winners - 2024 edition

[SoCalBrewfan]

As we ponder the 2025 trade deadline, it's perhaps worth looking back to see the impact of a past deadline, and the immediate rating of winners and losers.  here's the article from last year on MLB.com:

https://www.mlb.com/news/2024-mlb-trade-deadline-winners-ranked

The biggest winners? The St Lous Cardinals, who acquired Fedde, Pham, and apparently also Shawn Alexander?  "And all they had to give up was Tommy Edman..." You may recall that they missed the playoffs and that Edman was kind of good.

The Dodgers were second, and obviously they had a pretty good run.

Mariners, third. Arozarena and Turner. No playoffs.

Mets, Orioles, Phillies, Royals fill out the list.

Amusingly, here is another article showing increases and decreases in playoff probability for the few weeks after the trade deadline:

https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-playoff-odds-changes-since-2024-all-star-break

Of the big risers (including our own Brewers), only the Royals were on that trade deadline list.

The three biggest declines were the Cardinals, Mariners, and Mets. Trade deadline winners list #1, #3, and #4. 

That's not to say that trade deadline acquisitions can't make a difference, or that fixing holes in season isn't important.  There's a difference between a good process and good results. It's just that the instant analysis, both by fans and media professionals, is often just noise. Everyone needs articles with instant analysis because rabid fans will click and then argue more about what their team did or didn't do. Possibly there were Cardinals or Mariners fans puffing their chests because their team 'won' the trade deadline. Certainly there were Brewers fans disappointed that they didn't do enough in adding Montas and Mears. (Civale had been acquired earlier in July as well.) A little perspective is in order.

 

 

[Team Canada]

As (almost) always, instant history is usually wrong.