It is getting wild in baseball at the trade deadline! The Atlanta Braves needed bullpen help, and it appears they got it. Meanwhile, the Houston Astros just jumped to No. 1 as the World Series favorites.
As the MLB trade deadline was set to expire, the Braves reportedly made deals with the Detroit Tigers and San Francisco Giants to obtain Tigers closer Shane Greene and Giants reliever, Mark Melancon.
The Astros just may have established the best pitching staff for the next three years as they added Zack Greinke and Aaron Sanchez to go along with Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole. Wow!
Braves strengthen pen
The Atlanta Braves look to be serious about making a run at the Fall Classic. The Braves reportedly have deals in place to acquire Detroit’s Shane Greene and San Francisco reliever Mark Melancon, pending physicals.
#Tigers acquiring Joey Wentz and Travis Demeritte from the #Braves in exchange for Shane Greene, sources tell The Athletic. Unclear if others involved.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) July 31, 2019
Shane Greene has been one of the elite closers in the game this season for Detroit. Several teams including the New York Yankees and Houston Astros have made inquiries about the closing pitcher.
Greene was named the American League pitcher of the month in April and has been the best pitcher in the Tigers bullpen in 2019.
Greene has an 0-2 record this season; however, he boasts an ERA of 1.18 along with 22 saves in 38 appearances.
Astros steal the show
Zack Greinke and Justin Verlander are going to make one heck of a 1-2 punch this postseason. The Houston Astros may have stolen the MLB trade deadline show once again.
On the heels of getting Justin Verlander two years ago, they have now obtained Zack Greinke. This team is going to be a tough out in the postseason.
#Astros’ haul: Zack Greinke, Aaron Sanchez, Joe Biagini.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 31, 2019
While Grienke is the big haul, Houston also obtained Aaron Sanchez and Joe Biagini from the Toronto Blue Jays.
Finally, the Detroit Tigers have departed with Nick Castellanos. The Detroit Free Press reported that Castellanos was a late scratch against the Angels and moments later received the news that he was headed to the Windy City.
As of this post, the Free Press indicates it is unknown what the Tigers received in return. Take a deep breath baseball fans; more is sure to come!