The 2021 MLB trade deadline was arguably the wildest one in history.
Countless superstars were on the move, and the landscape of the 2021 season completely shifted.
Contending teams typically get most of the post-deadline chatter, but today, we’re going to give some attention to teams that sold at the deadline.
These three trades by deadline sellers look like exceptional deals right now.
3. Chicago Cubs Trade Javier Baez And Trevor Williams To New York Mets For Pete Crow-Armstrong
The Chicago Cubs just had one of the biggest fire sales in deadline history, and they did very well maximizing their return.
In this deal, Javier Baez and Trevor Williams got sent to the New York Mets in exchange for elite prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong.
Williams was more of a sweetener in this trade than anything else.
The deal was essentially Baez for Crow-Armstrong.
The trade can be reduced to this: The Cubs gave up two months of Baez—who had a .775 OPS with Chicago this year—in exchange for several years of Crow-Armstrong.
That’s a massive win.
Baez is a fine MLB player, but it seems like he has reached his ceiling.
Further, if he was going to walk away from the team this offseason no matter what, then the Cubs essentially just got Crow-Armstrong for free.
We haven’t seen a ton of Crow-Armstrong at the minor league level yet, but over limited games, he has looked outstanding.
The 19-year-old is batting .417 with a 1.063 OPS over 32 plate appearances at the Single-A level this season.
He has been sidelined at times with an injury, but he figures to be back soon.
2. Cubs Trade Craig Kimbrel To Chicago White Sox For Nick Madrigal And Codi Heuer
The resurgence of Craig Kimbrel allowed the Cubs to trade him away for two extremely exciting young players in Nick Madrigal and Codi Heuer.
The Cubs will receive Nick Madrigal and Codi Heuer from the White Sox for Craig Kimbrel, per source. @BNightengale was first with the return.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) July 30, 2021
Kimbrel’s trade value likely got a huge boost from the fact that his contract has a team option for the 2022 season.
For that reason, he is more than just a rental.
He is working on an absurd 0.47 ERA, 1.09 FIP, and 0.67 WHIP this season.
There is no doubt that he will help the Chicago White Sox in their title push—the righty would make any team in the league better.
That said, the Cubs did ridiculously well in the deal.
Madrigal is one of the top prospects in baseball, although it’s getting hard to call him a prospect at this point.
He has shown some outstanding flashes of potential at the Major League level.
The youngster has appeared in 83 MLB games and has managed a slash line of .317/.358/.406.
He looks like he is very close to breaking through.
As for Heuer, the Cubs are getting a promising young relief pitcher.
He is just 25 years old and is under contract until 2026.
He has a career 3.64 ERA at the MLB level over 63 appearances so far.
The righty figures to be a key bullpen piece for the Cubs for a very long time.
1. Minnesota Twins Trade Jose Berrios To Toronto Blue Jays For Austin Martin and Simeon Woods Richardson
The Minnesota Twins angered a lot of fans by trading away Jose Berrios, but they got an offer they couldn’t refuse.
It was an interesting move, because the Twins seemingly want to compete in 2022.
Losing Berrios—who is under contract through the 2022 season—does not align with that goal.
However, the team was able to acquire two elite prospects in the deal.
That’s a phenomenal return for a pitcher with a career 4.05 ERA.
Austin Martin and Simeon Woods Richardson were the two players the Twins added in the trade.
Martin is an on-base machine and is one of the best pure hitters in the minors right now.
Woods Richardson is a promising pitching prospect with a very high ceiling.
Simeon Woods Richardson and Austin Martin is quite a good return for Berrios. Berrios market was huge in this environment, so not a surprise. @Joelsherman1 1st on package back
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 30, 2021
Both players are regarded as top-100 prospects—in fact, Martin makes the top-15 according to some publications.
The Twins will have to address the loss of Berrios if they want to compete in 2022, but overall, Twins fans should be excited about how the deadline unfolded.
