MLB’s Most Confusing Deadline Moves Were These Ones That Never Happened

The reliever market was hot, the starter market was not, and while all the attention was on the deals made as the clock ticked toward zero of the MLB trade deadline, there were also some moves left on the table.

The Minnesota Twins did not trade everybody — it just seemed that way. The Los Angeles Dodgers are known for big splashes at the deadline, but they made nary a ripple this time with a late-inning reliever and a backup outfielder their haul.

There appeared to be at least three front-end-of-the-rotation pitchers available in the Miami Marlins’ Sandy Alcantara, the Washington Nationals’ MacKenzie Gore and the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Zac Gallen. None moved as the starter market fizzled.

So while deals for Carlos Correa, Mason Miller and Eugenio Suárez turned heads, the other side of the equation was the deals not made.

Sandy Alcantara

By all accounts, the Marlins were listening on right-hander Alcantara, who was the 2022 National League Cy Young Award winner. And yet a deal never went down. While it is likely the Marlins valued their own pitcher far above what teams were willing to offer for somebody with a 6-9 record and a 6.36 ERA, it seemed as if somebody would take a chance anyway. It never happened.

While Alcantara is coming off Tommy John surgery, the procedure doesn’t scare off teams. And Alcantara is showing that he is finding his way. He did not allow an earned run over his two most recent starts.

While a lack of a deal for Alcantara was somewhat of a surprise, so was the lack of a trade for another Marlins starter in right-hander Edward Cabrera, who came with a high asking price with a 3.35 ERA this season and a 2.39 mark since May 4. Look for the Marlins to draw plenty of attention in the offseason from teams that might be willing to pay the high price.

Joe Ryan

The Twins seemed willing to trade anything not nailed down and might have been willing to add an order of walleye fingers and some cheese curds for anybody who asked. The Twins traded 11 players this week in a roster overhaul and also sent a reported $33 million to the Houston Astros to make a Carlos Correa deal happen.

And yet, through it all, right-hander Joe Ryan remained in Minnesota. While All-Star outfielder Byron Buxton said he wanted to stay through a rebuild, there was no such indication from Ryan, who would have been plenty helpful to a contender with a 10-5 record and a 2.82 ERA in a season with an All-Star selection.

Ryan does have two more seasons of club control, so the Twins could wait to move him in the offseason or at next year’s deadline for the haul they really wanted. They should get plenty of calls over the winter.

Los Angeles Angels

The Angels elected to not be a seller despite sitting 4 1/2 games out of a wild-card spot with five teams to leap over just to get into the playoffs. If they wanted to make a playoff push, that’s fine. But they weren’t really buyers, either, unless the additions of relievers Luis Garcia and Andrew Chafin qualify. The trade for utility infielder Oswald Peraza doesn’t move the needle, either.

The Angels have three players on expiring contracts who would have been desirable to teams: right-handed closer Kenley Jansen, left-handed starter Tyler Anderson and infielder Luis Rengifo, who was reportedly part of a deadline deal to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020 before the Angels backed out of the trade.

The club also has left fielder Taylor Ward, who has one more season of team control and could have helped teams on the hunt for run production. His 25 home runs match a career high, and his 78 RBIs in 107 games are a career best. Angels general manager Perry Minasian said there is a value to having the team’s young core play in meaningful games — but wouldn’t another veteran, to add to Mike Trout, help make those meaningful games happen?