A lot of contending teams tried to solidify their rosters by acquiring star players at the MLB trade deadline in hopes of bolstering their chances of making a World Series run, but only a handful of teams were able to actually do so. Here are the three clubs that turned themselves from playoff contenders to World Series favorites with the trades they made:
1) Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto made the boldest moves of anyone in the crowded American League wild card race, giving up five of their best pitching prospects to bring in shortstop Troy Tulowitzki and pitching ace David Price. They also made a deal with the Phillies to bring in outfielder Ben Revere, giving them another great defensive outfielder and a solid leadoff hitter.
Excitment- and expectations - are now sky-high in Toronto, as the Blue Jays haven't made the playoffs in 20 years. Both Price and Revere will be free agents after the season, so the pressure is really on the Blue Jays to make some noise in the postseason this year. However, their moves take them from outside the playoff picture to one of the favorites to win the World Series, marking a job well done by the front office.
2) Kansas City Royals
You could argue that Kansas City didn't need to add much help at the deadline as they currently sit eight games up on the second-place Minnesota Twins in the AL Central, but they also made several significant moves to bolster their roster by acquiring ace Johnny Cueto and utilityman Ben Zobrist.
Cueto will bolster what is already a dominant pitching staff, while Zobrist will provide the Royals with relief in the outfield until star Alex Gordon gets back. From there, Zobrist will take over for the struggling Omar Infante at second base. Both players are rentals with contracts that expire after the season, but their additions now make Kansas City THE favorite to win it all.
3) Houston Astros
Houston is also in first in their division (two games ahead of the Angels in the AL West), but also felt the need to acquire a couple of big names. They made the first move on the pitching market by getting Scott Kazmir from the Oakland A's, and then acquired another powerful bat by trading for Carlos Gomez.
Gomez's OPS (.751) is trending just ahead of his career mark of .735, with his eight home runs and 43 RBI standing as a relative bonus when it comes to defensive prowess and ability to work his way on base. Kazmir has a 6-5 record with a 2.10 ERA, but is 2-0 and has not given up an earned run since becoming an Astro.
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