MLB > The Trade Deadline Winners

~ The excitement of the lockout finally coming to an end in the NFL has been distracting to say the least.The baseball season is still very much in full swing and teams are getting in position for their playoff runs. The trade deadline has passed and here is a quick look at some key moves that were made for fans to keep an eye on.

 Hunter Pence To The Phillies

 Pence provides the Phillies with the pop they were looking for to balance out their lineup. They already have their pitching rotation that teams are not looking forward to facing in a potential playoff series. Pence is young (28) and brings a .308 batting average and 62 RBI to the team. The Phillies gave up a lot to Houston just to get Pence. However, it was looking clear that this move was needed for the post-season.

Carlos Beltran to San Francisco

Beltran was the next one to go on the New York Mets firesale of 2011. The Phillies, Braves, and Rangers were all interested in the right fielder who is having a bounce back season with the bat. However, it was the defending champion Giants who were able to land Beltran for their stretch run. Much like Pence in Philadelphia, Beltran gives the Giants a much needed bat in a lineup that had a major hole in it.

 Derrick Lee & Ryan Ludwick To The Pirates

Pence and Beltran were obvious moves and everyone knew they were going to happen. However, the Pittsburgh Pirates were not expected to be in a position to be buyers instead of sellers at the trade deadline. The Pirates have been the talk of baseball in 2011 and could have went all out to get Beltran or Pence. It would have meant for them to give up key members of their team though and perhaps a top prospect. For the Pirates to be able to get Lee and Ludwick without mortaging the young talent they currently have is a big win for them and their fans. What the Pirates have done this season so far has been one of my more favorite storylines to follow as the season continues.

Michael Bourn to Atlanta and Ubaldo Jimenez to Cleveland were solid moves andTexas strengthened their bullpen with Mike Adams and Koji Uehara.

 The Yankees shocked everyone by not making any moves. It’s not because of lack of prospects, the Yanks have a high abundance of them. Apparently they are comfortable with where their pitching staff is at. As long as Bartolo Colon, Phil Hughes, and Freddie Garcia can remain consistent behind CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett, the Yankees should be able to keep pace with the Red Sox down the stretch.