The four teams left in the MLB postseason have two things in common with each other. They all use blue as a dominant color. Three of the four have something more important in common-- they have used trade deadline deals to make their push.
At one point this summer, Mets fans were on the verge of violent revolt against the team’s ownership. They were sated by a deadline deal that sent prospects to the Tigers for outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, who wound up slashing .287/.337/.604 with 17 home runs and making a legit MVP bid in 57 games.
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The Blue Jays stole the deadline headlines with two major trades for ace left-hander David Price, a former Cy Young winner, and All-Star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki. Beyond that, they made smaller trades for players like Ben Revere, Cliff Pennington and LaTroy Hawkins. Following these deals, Toronto erased the Yankees’ sizable lead in the AL East and forced them into a one-game playoff vs. the Astros, where they were blanked by Dallas Keuchel.
The Royals fit the bill as well. Their trade for ace Johnny Cueto hasn’t been wonderful; he pitched to a 4.76 ERA for Kansas City in the second half of the year, but he also tossed an absolute gem in Game 5 of the ALDS. Their deal for utility player Ben Zobrist has gone under the radar. He slashed .284/.364/.453 with seven home runs in the regular season and has hit .361 in the playoffs.
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The only team without a major deadline deal left is the Cubs, who are built on strong prospects in their lineup, reclamation projects on the hill, and a star free agent acquisition (Jon Lester). Their lone move was to acquire outfielder Austin Jackson, who didn’t play well and is hitless in eight postseason at-bats. Those guys are down three games to none in the NLCS.
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