From bullies to bystanders: AL East flips trade deadline script as Yankees, Red Sox sit out

The American League East will likely make history this year, as the only division to tout five winning teams since realignment after the 1993 season.

Yet Major League Baseball’s trade deadline showed that this long-vaunted circuit is still upside-down.

Come Tuesday night’s 6 p.m. ET deadline, the best player added to the division did not go to the blue blood New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox, nor the bigger-money Toronto Blue Jays.

Instead, the Baltimore Orioles added St. Louis Cardinals starter Jack Flaherty, a crucial veteran arm to a young pitching staff that’s hitting a proverbial wall even as the Orioles stretch their record to an AL-best 66-41.

It’s been a startling rebuild – in both dispatch and dominance – for a club that just two years ago lost 110 games. And it marks their first trade deadline as a firm buyer in seven years, one that evolved into a win-win.

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In acquiring pending free agent Flaherty, the Orioles get much-needed relief for a rotation that is without struggling ace Tyler Wells, who was optioned to the minor leagues to preserve his innings for later in the season.

And they managed to snag Flaherty in exchange for Class AAA infielder Cesar Prieto and pitchers Drew Rom and Zack Showalter, keeping the bluest chips of a vaunted farm system intact.

The Orioles’ playoff odds – currently 90.6%, per FanGraphs – suggested perhaps a deeper deadline investment. But with some 20 teams still in contention, a very tight sellers’ market suggested to general manager Mike Elias that Flaherty would be the best Baltimore could do.

"We think this team has what it takes to go deep," Elias said after bringing Flaherty into the fold. "We think this bolsters us and gives a lot of security and a boost to a rotation down the stretch.

"We were prepared to deploy every corner of our farm system, within reason, to make acquisitions. We made a calculated value exchange of what we’re losing and what we’re getting back, with an appropriate emphasis on 2023 or 2024."

That’s in stark contrast to most of their division mates, some of whom did virtually nothing.

'Not worth it'

Credit the Tampa Bay Rays: A club that started 13-0 and 27-6 before pitching injuries befell them flipped a top prospect (first baseman Kyle Manzardo) to Cleveland for Aaron Civale, who should flourish in the Rays' rotation.

Kudos to the Toronto Blue Jays: Still hanging on to the No. 3 wild card, they traded for St. Louis closer Jordan Hicks and, when All-Star shortstop Bo Bichette came up with a barking knee Monday night, added Cardinals shortstop Paul DeJong just hours later.

So, about those Red Sox and Yankees.

Boston, at 57-50 and 1½ games out of the wild card entering Wednesday, added utility infielder Luis Urias from Milwaukee.

New York, at 55-52 and 3½ games out of the money, scavenged the White Sox rummage sale and came up with reliever Keynan Middleton.

Yes, the market was that grim. But it’s also clear the divisional superpowers wondered just how much to pour into this season, stuck as they were halfway between buyer and seller.

"It wasn’t a deep deadline in terms of options,” said Yankees GM Brian Cashman, who also noted the potential returns had the Yankees pivoted to seller were "not worth it."

"Given the opportunities coming available our way … this was the best play for us with the team we had."

Taking their hacks

That doesn’t discount the Red Sox and Yankees wholly from the playoff picture. But the dismal indicators just keep coming.

As Cashman spoke to reporters in Yankee Stadium, the Rays were pecking at $162 million Yankees acquisition Carlos Rodon, knocking him out early in a 5-2 win. It was Tampa Bay’s second victory there in as many nights and Wednesday, they can capture the season series by completing a sweep.

That would effectively add another game to the Rays’ 9½-game lead over New York; Baltimore leads the Yankees by 11 games now. Sure, Boston and New York have tickets for the wild-card lottery, but don’t count the mortgage on it.

Little wonder, then, that the quietest deadline came from the biggest markets. It might have been even louder down in Baltimore, where the Orioles reportedly were in the running for future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander, who was traded back to Houston.

"We got very close to things," says Elias. "We took some very big swings."

Ones more typically befitting their division brethren.