The trade deadline came and went, but many of the big names that were rumored to be heading elsewhere didn’t move.  The Giants, who were trying to get rid of their three free agents, weren’t involved in any trades, the Cubs, who had been active for the last three weeks, didn’t make a single trade, and the Phillies held onto both Chase Utley and Cliff Lee.  Even with these three teams out of the loop, there was still a bit of activity going on in the final hours of the trade deadline.  Some of it was expected, because of rumors, and some of it was minor moves that may not seem that important, but those tend to be the moves that affect teams the most in the end.  When all was said and done, though, this ended up being one of the quieter trade deadlines in recent memory as most of the big moves were made yesterday, or in the weeks leading up to the deadline.

Even with this deadline being so quiet, a head scratching trade occurred where a team that should be buying essentially sold to a team that should be selling.  The trade in question is Ian Kennedy from the Diamondbacks to the Padres.  The D-Backs are deep at starting pitcher and have both Brandon McCarthy and Trevor Cahill coming back from the disabled list soon, but trading Kennedy to a rival who currently appears out of the race doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.  The D-Backs did get back a need in the trade by getting lefty reliever Joe Thatcher in the deal as well as a minor leaguer, and a compensation pick, but it seems like they should have brought back a little more for a guy who has shown flashes of being a top of the rotation starter.  While the trade doesn’t make a ton of sense in that regard, the D-Backs adding to a bullpen that has been up and down all season is a solid addition.  They are right there with the Dodgers battling for the top, and while a lefty reliever may not seem like the jaw dropping move that puts them over the top, having a solid bullpen could make a big difference in if you’re playing in October or watching from home.

In surprising move, that probably shouldn’t have been all that surprising, the Astros traded outfielder Justin Maxwell to the Royals.  The surprising part is no one had Maxwell moving at all, but it should not be surprising at all because it’s the Astros, and they are in full future mode, and if they can get any kind of prospects for someone on the team now, they’re ready to pull the trigger.  And pull the trigger they did as they sent Maxwell to the Royals for a 20 year old minor league right handed pitcher.  It doesn’t seem like a lot in return for a player who has shown signs of being a solid player, but the Astros plan is to stack as many young arms as they can in their farm, and build for the future.  The Royals side of the trade is easy to see, Maxwell hits well against lefties, and can play every position in the outfield where the Royals have been dealing with injuries.  Now that the Royals have gone on a recent run and pulled above the .500 mark, they are in a win now mode, and could very well make more moves off the waiver wire to improve themselves for the playoffs.

The Astros were not done yet.  In what was the only move experts seemed to see coming at the deadline the Astros dealt away the ace of their pitching staff, Bud Norris, to the Orioles for two minor leaguers, an outfielder and a pitcher.  This is just more of the same for the Astros, but for the Orioles it marks the second trade for a starting pitcher this season after adding Scott Feldman from the Cubs a few weeks ago.  This move was seen coming a mile away by the experts as the Orioles were the team in most need at starting pitcher, and if they are going to keep up with the Red Sox, who added Jake Peavy to their rotation yesterday, they needed to address that need as soon as possible.  While many believe that Norris is a middle of the rotation starter on any other team because of his four plus ERA, all the Orioles need is for him to be solid enough to hand the ball over to a bullpen that can hold a lead, something Norris hasn’t had the luxury of having in his career so far.

The rest of the day was rather quiet as the only other trades were trades by division leaders to add depth to their roster.  The Dodgers added catcher Drew Butera from the Twins for cash or a player to be named later, while the Pirates added second baseman Robert Andino for a player to be named later.  Neither were the flashy trade deadline moves you hope to see on July 31st, but they fill a need for both teams, and could end up being huge for each team as they try to hold the division lead for the next two months.