CHICAGO (AP) — In a matter of days, Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer went from teammates on the New York Mets to opposite sides of a Lone Star rivalry.
That’s how it goes this time of year.
Verlander was shipped from New York to Houston ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline, returning to the Astros after he helped them win the World Series last year. The retooling Mets acquired minor league outfielders Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford in the deal.
The major league-leading Atlanta Braves also got some help, acquiring reliever Brad Hand in a trade with the Colorado Rockies. The Toronto Blue Jays added shortstop Paul DeJong from St. Louis, acting quickly after Bo Bichette was sidelined by right knee soreness.
Still on the market, hours ahead of the 6 p.m. ET deadline, were Detroit Tigers left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez, Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson and Seattle Mariners outfielder Teoscar Hernández.
The 40-year-old Verlander agreed to an $86.7 million, two-year contract with New York in December. He was expected to team with Scherzer for a strong 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation, but each of the ace right-handers had some injury issues and the high-priced Mets underperformed for much of the year. Scherzer was traded to Texas on Sunday.
The Rangers and Astros are battling for the AL West lead, and the addition of a three-time Cy Young Award winner for each team should make that division even more compelling down the stretch. With Shohei Ohtani staying in his only major league home, at least through the deadline, the Los Angeles Angels also are fighting for a playoff spot.
The big-budget San Diego Padres, desperate to turn around their disappointing season, obtained 43-year-old left-hander Rich Hill and first baseman/ designated hitter Ji Man Choi from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday for three players.
The Padres are led by stars Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, Juan Soto and Xander Bogaerts, yet are buried in fourth place in the NL West, 8 1/2 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers, and five games out of the third wild-card spot, with four teams ahead of them. The Padres entered this season with World Series aspirations after reaching the NL Championship Series last year and then increasing their payroll to nearly $250 million, third highest in the majors.
The deal came six days after Choi homered in a 3-2 win at Petco Park that left the Padres 1-5 in the season series against the Pirates. The wildly inconsistent Padres then swept the AL West-leading Texas Rangers over the weekend before suffering an almost incomprehensible defeat Monday night at Colorado. The Padres had the bases loaded with no outs in the 10th inning but failed to score, and they dropped to 0-10 in extra-inning games by losing 4-3.
The Padres parted with prospects Jackson Wolf, a left-hander, and Estuar Suero, an outfielder, as well as first baseman Alfonso Rivas.
Milwaukee and Arizona swapped relievers at Tuesday’s trade deadline as they continue their playoff pushes, with the Brewers acquiring left-hander Andrew Chafin from the Diamondbacks in exchange for right-hander Peter Strzelecki.
“Andrew adds an experienced leader and another quality left-handed arm to our bullpen,” Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold said in a statement. “He has had a long history of success against both left-handed and right-handed hitters, and we are excited to bring him aboard.”
The Brewers and Diamondbacks were tied with the Miami Marlins for the NL’s third and final wild-card position as the trade deadline arrived. Milwaukee trailed the first-place Cincinnati Reds by 1 1/2 games in the NL Central and Arizona was 3 1/2 back of the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers.
The 33-year-old Chafin has been a consistent, durable reliever for 10 years in the big leagues. The left-hander has a 2-3 record, 4.19 ERA and 49 strikeouts over 34 1/3 innings this season, which was his second stint with the Diamondbacks.
Chafin’s numbers were even better for most of the season, but he gave up five earned runs and got only two outs in a game last week against the Cardinals, sending his ERA soaring.
Strzelecki was 3-5 with a 4.54 ERA in 36 games with Milwaukee.
The defending NL champion Philadelphia Phillies acquired right-hander Michael Lorenzen from the Detroit Tigers for minor league infielder Hao-Yu Lee on Tuesday.
The 31-year-old Lorenzen made the All-Star team this season for Detroit. He’s 5-7 with a 3.58 ERA in his best year since converting from a reliever into a starter.
“Hopefully, the Phillies reap the rewards of what the Tigers put into me,” Lorenzen said. “I think I’ve thrown the best ball I’ve ever thrown, and I think there’s still more in me. Hopefully, when I get to Philly, I can apply that and they get the benefits of that. I’m just grateful for everything that happened here.”
The Phillies have a double-digit deficit behind the Atlanta Braves in the NL East, but they are in a tight race for a wild card in the National League.
Philadelphia gave up its No. 5 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. The franchise signed Lee out of Taiwan in 2021. The 20-year-old second baseman has hit .283 with a .372 on-base percentage and 14 stolen bases in 64 games for High-A Jersey Shore this season.
Lorenzen has thrown 105 2/3 innings this year, just shy of his career high of 113 1/3. He spent much of his career as a reliever for the Reds, but he’s been exclusively a starter for the Tigers and Los Angeles Angels the past couple seasons. He joins a Philadelphia rotation that includes Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola and Taijuan Walker.
To clear a spot for Lorenzen on the 40-man roster, the Phillies designated infielder Josh Harrison for assignment. The 36-year-old Harrison hit .204 in 40 games this season in his first year in Philadelphia.
The rebuilding Tigers get a prospect in return for Lorenzen after signing him to an $8.5 million, one-year deal before the season.
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