Ian Kennedy, the Diamondbacks ace, has been traded to the Padres, from various reports. Kennedy seemed to be the D-Backs most moveable piece, as he has drawn plenty of interest from teams in need of a starting pitching.

Kennedy is 3-8 with a 5.23 ERA, and is 3-1 with a 2.27 ERA in his career at Petco park. Over his career, Kennedy has delievered a quality start 55% of the time. The Diamondbacks have gone 7-14 in Kennedy's starts. But, he has received 3.8 runs per outing, the lowest of his career. That may be the root of his tough year. If the Padres give Kennedy some support, he may be able to turn it around.

In return the Diamondbacks recieve pitchers Joe Thatcher and Matt Stites. Thatcher is 3-1 with a 2.10 ERA. He has a WHIP of 1.06. Stites, down in Double-A, is 2-2 with a 2.08 ERA. His WHIP is 0.86.

Although the Padres are rebuilding, they are adding pieces to build around, not subtracting. They also are now unlikely to move Luke Gregerson because Thatcher has been moved. A good, buy low move for San Diego as they may have gotten an ace, just on a down year, and didn't have to pay "ace price."

The Red Sox, White Sox, and Tigers agreed to a three team blockbuster deal late last night. This sends Jake Peavy to Boston, Jose Iglesias to Detroit, and four prospects to the White Sox. Jake Peavy had been rumored for weeks, and even just a couple days ago the White Sox said that they would be "okay with keeping Peavy." Hopefully they realized that trading Peavy was the right decision, especially with their return. 

Red Sox (Jake Peavy, Brayan Villarreal):

The Red Sox received the largest immediate payout from this trade by landing an ace of a pitcher. Jake Peavy has been an outstanding pitcher throughout his career, being an All Star three times, and being a former Cy Young award winner. Peavy has gone 8-4 with a 4.28 ERA this season, and his WHIP is 1.13. Peavy also is setting a career high in SO/BB ratio with a 4.47 ratio.

The Red Sox also received promising reliever Brayan Villarreal. He's allowed 10 ER in 4.1 big league IP this season. He finished with a 2.63 ERA last year, in 54 2/3 innings. He could be a low-risk, high-reward type of player for the Red Sox bullpen. He has a 3.15 ERA in 34 1/3 IP this season down in Triple-A. 

White Sox (Avisail Garcia, Cleuluis Rondon, JB Wendelken, Francellis Montas):


The White Sox received Avisail Garcia, the #74 ranked prospect on Baseball America's pre-2013 rankings, an outstanding OF who mostly plays RF. He's got raw power, but the 22 year old can hit for a very nice average. In Triple-A Toledo this season, Garcia is currently hitting .374 in only 33 games. Garcia is often compared to Miguel Cabrera, in the way he can hit for average, and how the way the White Sox can hope that he hits for power. He's also played in 53 career games for the Tigers. 

19 year old Cleuluis Rondon is currently in the New York Penn League for short-season A ball. The shortstop has a career .216 BA (.276 BA this season) through three professional seasons, but gets on base frequently (.315 OBP). He has plenty of time, and upside, before he can develop into a major league shortstop for the Chicago White Sox. 

20 year old JB Wendelken was selected in the thirteenth round of the 2012 MLB June Amateur Draft. He's currently in full season A ball, where he is 2-0 with a 2.77 ERA, and a 1.21 WHIP, out of the bullpen. He can touch 95 MPH with the fastball, which he usually sits at 90-93. Wendelken also has average control, which could eventually develop him into a major leaguer if improved.

Fancellis Montas was also received by the ChiSox, as he is currently 2-9 with a 5.70 ERA in full-season A ball. His SO/9 is 10.1, which he can thank by throwing a fastball that ranges from 96-100 MPH. He is just learning how to pitch, and has a tough time deceiving his breaking pitches. He has late-inning reliever potential, if he can develop a better presence on the mound. The 20 year old was signed by the Red Sox as an international free agent in 2009. 

Tigers (Jose Iglesias):

The Tigers received third baseman Jose Iglesias, a potential replacement for Jhonny Peralta if he is suspended. The light-hitting Iglesias is hitting .330 on the season.

I'd say this is one of the fairest three-team deals I've seen in a long time. I would say that each team benefited by making the right move for the team. Well done, Tigers, White Sox, and Red Sox.

The Cardinals and Indians completed a trade today, sending lefty reliever Mark Rzepczynski to the Indians in exchange for IF Juan Herrera. The move will help add some depth to an Indians team that has lacked a good lefty specialist out of the pen.

Rzepczynski has a career 4.20 ERA out of the pen, in 244 career innings pitched. He has only allowed 29% of inherited runners to score. He's pitched in 11 games, and has a 7.84 ERA (9 ER in 10.1 IP).

Rzepczynski has been the only St. Louis Cardinal that drew significant interest in this year's trade deadline, because the Cards are going to be contending throughout the rest of the season. He's a piece that would improve any bullpen that is in need of a lefty. That's what happened here in his trade to the Indians.

Brian Wilson was standing on the mound, as the Giants wrapped up the 2010 World Series. Now, he hasn't stood on a major league mound in a year. But, many teams have been in need of bullpen, and "The Beard" was still on the free agent market. Today, Wilson is now a rival of San Francisco, as he is going to start suiting up in a Dodgers uniform.

Wilson has been a very good closer throughout his career, saving 87% of his career save opportunities (171-196). He also only allowes 18% of inherited runners to come around and score. Hitters only hit .238 against Wilson, who has a low 90s fastball. His career SO/9 is 9.6, and he also has a SO/BB ratio of 2.39. In his last full season (2011), Wilson went 6-4 with a 3.11 ERA and racked up 36 saves.

This move will hopefully help solidify a bullpen that currently has Brandon League closing out games, he has blown 4 of his 18 save opportunites. He also has a 5.17 ERA this season, which is not the lights-out closer the Dodgers are looking for. The Wilson move was smart on so many levels, and will help the team's weakest position, closing pitcher.

Relief pitcher Jesse Crain has been lights-out this season for the Chicago White Sox, making him one of the most coveted relief pitchers leading up to the Trade Deadline on Wednesday. Today, a deal seemed imminent as the day continued to progress. Then, the Tampa Bay Rays acquired the relief pitcher, who has been lights-out this season. In return, the White Sox get a player to be named later or cash, depending how much Crain pitches. 

Crain has been one of the top relievers this season, going 2-3 with a 0.74 ERA. In 38 games for Chicago, Crain pitched 36 2/3 innings, and only allowed three earned runs. His 4.18 SO/BB ratio is a career high so far, as Crain has never been so dominant, while having as much control. His 11.3 SO/9 ratio sits exactly where it was last year, however. Crain has appeared in 10 games with at least one runner already on base, and has inherited 20 runners, while only allowing 7 to score (35% of inherited runners score).

Crain also had something to say on being traded to Tampa. He tweeted:  

The Tampa Bay Rays seem to be a wonderful fit for Crain as well, as they only have two active relievers with an ERA below 3.20. They also would like to add a "younger" arm as well. Of their five regular relievers (35+ games), only one is below the age of 36 (Jake McGee). Crain is 31. 

I believe the Rays acquired a top-notch reliever for not an outrageous price. Crain can come in, and shut down the opponent consistently. When you do that, you will get a good job. Now, Crain gets a chance to pitch for a team trying to win the American League East.