Trade Deadline Goes Out Like a Lion

This might have been the greatest trade dead line I've seen in years. A lot of big league names changed teams. In a year where no one has shown complete dominance, a few teams have taken giant leaps forward into the spotlight. Here's a recap of some guys who will be trying on different colors for a few months.

CC Sabathia - Milwaukee Brewers
We all know about this one. He's 4-0 since joining the Brewers with 3 complete games. Even with all that, I'm still not sold on them making the playoffs.

Casey Blake - LA Dodgers
In 5 games with the Dodgers he's batting .412, no homers, no RBI. Dodger fan will soon know why Cleveland was okay with unloading him.

Rich Harden - Chicago Cubs
The Cubs couldn't just sit around and watch the Brewers add Sabathia without adding an arm as well. His stats may not be as eye catching as Sabathia's, but in the four games he's started, he hasn't allowed more than one run. Add that on to his recent start that helped the Cubs sweep the Brewers.

Xavier Nady - New York Yankees
Let's face it, Pittsburgh wasn't going anywhere and the Yankees needed an outfielder with a right handed bat. The Yankees gave up some good prospects, so Pittsburgh didn't get hosed, but getting Nady will pay off immediately and in the long run.

Mark Teixeira - LAA Angels
The Angels just became the odds on favorite to win the World Series this year. No team looked more dominant than they did before this trade, and now they should be even better.

Ivan Rodriguez - New York Yankees
This one confuses me. I understand they lost Posada for the year, but is Rodriguez really the best they could find? The guy is gonna be 37 years old when the season ends and only has 5 HR's to go along with a .295 batting average. His stats have really dropped off since he stopped the steroi-I mean, weight gainer.

Ken Griffey Jr. - Chicago White Sox
Biggest name on this list so far, and his addition won't make a bit of difference.

Jason Bay - Boston Red Sox
The Sox got hosed. Manny destroyed any leverage they had in trade talks, and they ate it hard. Not only did they have to give up Manny to get Bay, which was a kind of crappy trade to start, but they had to give up Craig Hansen, a flame-thrower, and Brandon Moss, possibly the top prospect in the Sox organization. Oh yeah, Boston has to pay Manny's contract the rest of the year. I don't think the Sox organization will be walking straight for a while.

Manny Ramirez - LA Dodgers
In a wide open NL-West, this trade just made the Dodgers the favorite. In fact, this acquisition could help them get to the World Series. My theory is, Manny didn't want to play in Boston so his stats were average. What's he gonna produce now that he's somewhere that he feels wanted?

I'm a big fan of what the Dodgers have been able to do over the last week. Assuming Casey keeps on doing what he has done so far, don't hold your breath, and Manny stepping it up in a new city, I think we're in store for the anti-subway series this October. A battle for LA supremacy if you will. Not quite the Indians-Diamondbacks I predicted earlier in the year, but at least it's not Boston/New York vs. Any NL team that catches fire at the end of the season.