Busy trading session for AL East clubs

By the time the closing bell rang on Monday afternoon signaling the end of the non-waiver trading period and bringing to an end a last-minute frenzy of deals, every American League East team had made significant moves:

• The Orioles got a starting pitcher and bench help.

• The Red Sox got a left-handed pitcher to go along with the four other trades they had made over the last few weeks.

• The Blue Jays got protection for Aaron Sanchez and bullpen help.

• The Rays packed off several major leaguers to contenders for an infielder and some minor leaguers.

• And the Yankees could finally take down the ‘Everything Must Go’ sign.

There were no blockbuster deals but there were a few that were somewhat surprising. Who made the best moves has yet to be determined.

The Orioles addressed their starting pitching needs by acquiring lefty Wade Miley from the Mariners. Miley was 7-8 with a 4.98 ERA in 19 starts for the Mariners. So, he’s not a sure thing, but on Saturday he took a no-hitter into the seventh inning against the Cubs. Orioles starters had a combined ERA of 5.00, better than only three other major league teams.

"Wade Miley is a workhorse veteran left-handed starter who likes to pitch and compete," Orioles executive Vice President of baseball operations Dan Duquette said.

Baltimore also acquired (for the fourth time) infielder/outfielder Steve Pearce, who gives them another right-handed bat, from the Rays.

The Red Sox got a left-hander – but not the one they had been associated with in the rumor mill. Chris Sale stayed with the White Sox, while the Red Sox got Fernando Abad from the Twins. Abad was 1-4 with a 2.65 ERA and one save in 34 appearances for the Twins, holding left-handed hitters to a .163 average and .458 OPS. He gives the Red Sox a solid, late-inning, matchup guy. The acquisition of Abad was the final deal before the deadline for the Red Sox who made several moves over the last few weeks bringing in left-handed starter Drew Pomeranz, reliever Brad Ziegler and infielder Aaron Hill.

"If we had walked in today and said 'OK, we've acquired Pomeranz, Hill, Ziegler and Abad,' people would have said, 'Wow, can't believe how much they did,’” said Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. “But we spaced it over a time period so it doesn't have quite the same oomph. But we're very happy with where we are."

The Blue Jays got veteran left-hander Francisco Liriano and two minor leaguers from the Pirates, right-hander Mike Bolsinger from the Dodgers and reliever Scott Feldman from the Astros. Liriano, who was 6-11 with a 5.46 ERA in 21 starts for the Pirates, allows them to move Sanchez, who has been one of the league’s best pitchers this season but has already surpassed his career high in innings pitched, to the bullpen, while Bolsinger, split time between the Dodgers and Triple-A this season, gives them some rotation depth. Feldman was 5-3 with a 2.90 ERA in 26 appearances and five starts for the Astros.

“We felt like the best chance for us to win a World Series was if Sanchez was a part of the team," Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said. "We felt like the best odds of Aaron Sanchez being a part of the team was, at some point, transition to the bullpen. With that in mind, we considered alternatives and now we have the option to do that."

The Rays dispatched three major leaguers with an eye to the future. They sent lefty Matt Moore to the Giants for infielder Matt Duffy. Pearce went to the Orioles for catching prospect Jonah Heim, and outfielder Brandon Guyer went to the Indians for two minor leaguers.

"You look at the club today, projecting forward to next year," said Rays executive president of baseball operations Silverman. "We should be a more talented club. Expect to compete again. Recharge and get re-focused and go back after it. Next year and the rest of this year, we're going to keep trying to win as many games as possible."

The Yankees – very uncharacteristically – were sellers at the deadline. While they also got Adam Warren back for the big league team, they were clearly looking to the future with the flurry of moves they made. With this season all but a loss and a farm system that had grown fallow over the last few seasons, the moves allow them to immediately bolster their organization, creating what should be a robust and productive minor league system for years to come.

Over the weekend they dismantled the back of their bullpen, sending lefty Andrew Miller to the Indians and Aroldis Chapman to the Cubs. Just before the bell they sent Carlos Beltran – who had been their best offensive performer this season – to the Rangers and Ivan Nova to the Pirates. What they got back in return was a haul of young prospects – right-handers Dillon Tate, the fourth overall pick in 2015, Erik Swanson and Nick Green from the Rangers and two players to be named from the Pirates. They join the young players the Yankees got over the weekend -- outfielder Clint Frazier, right-handers J.P. Feyereisen and Ben Heller and left-hander Justus Sheffield from the Indians; shortstop Gleyber Torres, and outfielders Rashad Crawford and Billy McKinney from the Cubs. Frazier and Torres are now two of the Yankees’ top prospects.

"I think the picture is much brighter today than it was maybe at any time since I started," said general manager Brian Cashman.

"Brian and his staff and the organization are trying to put this team in a good position to have a long run of not just playing well, but winning championships," said manager Joe Girardi. "It's not about being a second wild card team and winning one game, or losing one game. We want to win championships. That's what we've always been about. And I think what we're trying to do is position ourselves to do that."

With the Yankees and Rays looking to next season and beyond, did the moves do anything to separate the Orioles, Red Sox and Blue Jays at the top of the division?

We will see over the next two months.