Max Scherzer and Trea Turner wearing Dodger blue. Kris Bryant heading to the Golden Gate. Javier Báez joining the Mets, Craig Kimbrel crossing town to the White Sox, José Berríos moving north of the border.
Now this truly was an All-Star trade deadline day.
After a run-up in which the likes of Nelson Cruz, Adam Frazier, Joey Gallo, Anthony Rizzo and other big names were swapped, even more changed teams during a whirlwind Friday ahead of Major League Baseball’s 4 p.m. Eastern deadline for deals.
From contenders boosting their rosters to the also-ran Chicago Cubs and Washington Nationals gutting theirs, this was a monster day for moves.
“They all feel busy, but today was nonstop,” said Cleveland Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti, who made three trades. “We executed a number of trades, but there were probably at least another dozen other ones that we contemplated seriously at different points in time and exchanged different ideas.”