Deadline Deals: 2010 Edition

Not much to add to the title. This is exactly what it says it is. The deals:

• Cardinals acquire RHP Jake Westbrook from Indians, Padres acquire OF Ryan Ludwick from the Cardinals, and Indians acquire RHP Corey Kluber and RHP Nick Greenwood from the Padres - Nice to see a three-way deal at the deadline. Westbrook is what he is, a dependable, pitch-to-contact kind of starter. Hardly flashy, but solid. Maybe Dave Duncan sees something in him, but I don't see much that can be tweaked. As for San Diego, Ludwick instantly becomes the second best bat in their lineup behind Adrian Gonzalez. His addition could propel them to a division title, given how low-powered their offense is. However, the Indians are the real winners in this deal. Greenwood doesn't look like much to me, but Kluber knows how to strike out batters at prodigious rates. His numbers suggest a classic power pitcher, both with the Ks, and lots of fly balls. He might give up more than his fair share of home runs as a big-leaguer, but he will replace Westbrook for a fraction of the price when the Indians are relevant again. Good move for Cleveland, solid for San Diego, and disappointing for St. Louis. They have apparently been impressed by rookie Jon Jay, so Ludwick was expendable, but I think they could have got more for Ryan if that was the case.
• Dodgers acquire LHP Ted Lilly and INF Ryan Theriot from Cubs for INF Blake DeWitt, RHP Kyle Smit, and RHP Brett Wallach - The Dodgers needed to make a move to expect to stay in the NL West race, and this is that move. They needed a starting pitcher, and Lilly upgrades their rotation, though he is only solid at best. Presumably Theriot is insurance in case Rafael Furcal gets hurt, or at least that's the only reason I would acquire him in this trade. I like DeWitt more than Theriot, though Theriot can play shortstop and DeWitt can't really. Smit looks like organizational depth out of the bullpen to me, and Wallach is too far away to say how good he might be, but early returns are promising. The deal looks like a push to me.
  
  
• Pirates acquire C Chris Snyder and SS Pedro Ciriaco from the Diamondbacks for LHP D.J. Carrasco, OF Ryan Church, and SS Bobby Crosby - Pittsburgh takes advantage of a salary dump...maybe. I've thought somewhat highly of Snyder for a couple years, not as a rising star, but more as a solid backstop that should have been playing more regularly the past few years. He is a bona fide starting catcher in the majors, and Arizona had no reason to keep him amid a salary dump with Miguel Montero around. The D'Backs can (and likely will) let all the players they received go, though I like Carrasco, and think Church might be able to bounce back some and be a decent bench player. Still, this move was made to clear money, which is sad. I think they could have got something of value for Snyder. As for Pittsburgh, this deal only makes sense if they trade Ryan Doumit, or move him to a different position. Otherwise they are wasting money, which they can't really afford to do. A curious move in a pretty awkward way. The Pirates should come out as winners, but they have some work to do yet. Oh, and Ciriago isn't much. He's depth up the middle, nothing more. Can't hit worth a lick.
• Rays acquire RHP Chad Qualls from the Diamondbacks for a player to be named - Another salary dump, Qualls wasn't coming back to Arizona. He isn't much, but he is a veteran arm that adds depth to the Tampa Bay bullpen, and at least Arizona comes away with something instead of watching him walk away for nothing. Don't be fooled by his ERA, it's fueled by a ton of bad luck. The Ks, control, and pretty much everything that has made him decent for several years is still there.
• Yankees acquire RHP Kerry Wood from the Indians for a player to be named - Interesting pickup by New York that could pay some dividends if Kerry returns to form. It's a worthwhile risk for the Yankees, and another example of a deal where a non-contending team gets something instead of nothing when the player hit free agency. With that said, I would take Qualls over Wood, so the Rays may have further closed the gap between them and New York today.
• Dodgers acquire RHP Octavio Dotel from the Pirates for OF Andrew Lambo and RHP James McDonald - Another inconsequential deadline deal. The Dodgers acquire insurance for Jonathan Broxton, and a guy who may or may not contribute down the stretch. The Pirates don't acquire much of anything, aside from organizational depth. Another conservative move from Pittsburgh that cannot be criticized, but doesn't exactly move the organization forward either. Nice move by the Dodgers I guess.
• Braves acquire OF Rick Ankiel and RHP Kyle Farnsworth from the Royals for LHP Tim Collins, RHP Jesse Chavez, and OF Gregor Blanco - Atlanta adds some outfield depth, and a nice bullpen arm. Farnsworth has always thrown gas, and he is in the midst of what will go down as one of the better years of his career. In return, the Royals got a pretty exciting lefty in Collins. All he has done is strike batters out in the minors. Blanco is a different outfielder from Ankiel, but I don't think a ton worse. Chavez is the definition of a replacement level reliever. 

I am done writing trade recaps for now. There was a flurry of active, but most of it neutral. The big deals definitely happened earlier.