Intense and stellar Major League Baseball player swap closing

New York. Max Scherzer and Trea Turner dressed in Dodger blue Kris Bryant he’s headed for the Golden Gate. Javier Baez se une a los Mets, Craig Kimbrel Cross town to the White Sox Jose Berríos moves north of the border.

Now this was really an All-Stars trade deadline day.

After an anteroom in which players like Nelson Cruz, Anthony Rizzo, Joey Gallo and Adam FrazierEven more big names switched teams during a whirlwind on Friday.

From contenders trying to improve their roster to the Chicago Cubs and Washington Nationals derailing theirs, this was a monstrous day for moves.

“Every day (is) busy, but today this was non-stop,” said Cleveland president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti, who made three trades.

“We executed a series of trades, but there were probably at least a dozen other proposals that we seriously contemplated at different times and exchanged different ideas,” he said.

Several playoff contenders went after arms: Toronto got Berríos, Philadelphia got Kyle Gibson e Ian Kennedy, Boston added the relievers Hansel Robles and Austin Davis, and San Luis acquired the holders Jon Lester y JA Happ.

“I felt like this was one of the busiest days of change that I can remember,” said Atlanta general manager Alex Anthopoulos, who struck a lot of deals.

The Los Angeles Dodgers made the most noise, signing Scherzer and Turner in exchange for a talented quartet of young prospects. The ace and star shortstop could help them close a three-game gap behind the San Francisco Giants, leaders of the NL West, who got Bryant to add to their lineup.

While much of the day depended on which teams added players (Atlanta got Adam Duvall, Jorge Soler, Eddie Rosario and the reliever Richard Rodriguez), it was also about which clubs got dumped.

The Cubs traded important pieces of their 2016 World Series championship, sending Baez to the New York Mets and Bryant to the Giants, a day after sending Anthony Rizzo to the Yankees. The Cubs also traded Kimbrel, their dominant closer, across town to the White Sox, leaders of the AL Central.

“I want to personally thank Anthony Rizzo, Javy Báez and Kris Bryant,” Cubs president Tom Ricketts said in a statement. “Together they played a pivotal role in one of the most successful eras in Chicago Cubs history.”

“Each of them secured a place in the hearts of Cubs fans everywhere. While their days on the ground together as Cubs came to an end, they gave us memories that we will cherish forever, ”he said.

The Nationals were also very busy. They traded Scherzer and Turner, key to their 2019 World Series title, along with Lester, Yan Gomes and Josh Harrison. That came after they traded Kyle Schwarber (Boston), Brad Hand (Toronto) and Daniel Hudson (San Diego) on Thursday.

“It’s a tough decision to make, but a decision is often made for you,” said Nationales general manager Mike Rizzo. “This year we recognized where we were and what work we had ahead of us. We decided to start a construction process that will allow us to compete at the highest level ”.

Rizzo joined the also All-Star, Joey Gallo, with the Yankees in trades completed Thursday. New York added the Angels starter, Andrew Heaney, shortly before 4:00 pm on Friday.

Rizzo was with his new team for Friday night’s game in Miami. As he looked to the future, there was still time to remember the recent past.

“I did a lot of special things in front of a fan base that hasn’t seen a World Series in 108 years. Those moments will never be forgotten, ”Rizzo said.