It looked like it was going to be a rather subdued trade deadline.
As the 4 p.m. ET deadline came up Wednesday, Madison Bumgarner hadn't moved, Edwin Diaz was staying put and the Yankees had done nothing.
Then 4:05 p.m. ET arrived and all hell broke loose.
The Astros made three trades, the Cubs added a big bat and the Diamondbacks came out with a big load.
Which moves were the best? Which ones were the worst? We have them right here.
Best: Astros add Zack Greinke, Aaron Sanchez, Joe Biagini
It looked like the Astros were going to stand pat at the deadline. When 4 p.m. ET rolled around, Houston had picked up a reliever in Biagini from the Blue Jays and were in the process of sending Max Stassi to the Angels. It was kind of boring.
All of a sudden it was great — even if it was costly. About five minutes after the deadline officially ended news broke that the Astros had acquired Zack Greinke from the Diamondbacks. It took a haul, since Houston had to give up Corbin Martin and J.B. Bukauskas, who were both top-100 prospects to start the year, Seth Beer — who currently is in the top 100 — and Josh Rojas, who has done nothing but hit in his minor league career. However, the Diamondbacks reportedly will cover $24 million of Greinke's contract over the next two years, which makes his deal much more affordable.
Houston now has a pitcher for another two years when it may lose Gerrit Cole to free agency in the offseason. In addition, the team added a flyer in Aaron Sanchez, who seems tailor-made for a reclamation project under Brent Strom. And Biagini also has good numbers and high spin rates.
Best: Diamondbacks trade Greinke, acquire Zac Gallen, Mike Leake, huge prospects
The Diamondbacks got a great return for Greinke and some salary relief, as well. But adding Zac Gallen for one upper-level prospect is a steal. He was great for Miami in limited time this year and is a very good prospect in his own right.
The addition of Leake is huge, since he is a very similar pitcher to Luke Weaver and can be a good mentor alongside him while adding some value in the rotation, as well. They also held on to Robbie Ray, who they still could get a good package for in the offseason or use him to compete next year.
Best: Indians acquire Franmil Reyes, Yasiel Puig, Logan Allen, prospect for Trevor Bauer
This one came late in the evening Tuesday, but it was still a deadline deal. To get two outfielders who are talented at hitting is awesome. And to land a viable MLB starter and a prospect is great, as well. To do all that while not losing Bauer for nothing, who said he was going to leave in free agency in 2020, is simply good management.
The Indians did exactly what they needed to at the deadline.
Worst: Mets acquire Marcus Stroman, hold onto Noah Syndergaard, Zack Wheeler
Adding Marcus Stroman is great — if you're a contender. But the Mets aren't that. They're 51-55, in fourth place in the National League East and five games back of the second wild-card spot. And this team's pitching is pretty good. Why add another starter when the pitching already is high? Why not add a closer where the team is struggling? That's why this move makes no sense at first glance.
At second glance, they made the deal even worse by acquiring Stroman for such a low price. The Mets set the market low by sending off two minor league pitchers, but while they were "insistent" on dealing Syndergaard, they kept asking for high prices. Stroman has been better than Syndergaard this year and has just one year less of control. Why would a team give a massive haul for a pitcher with similar numbers and control while paying a low price? The Mets were insulting other teams' intelligence and their potential trade partners weren't having any of it.
This probably hurt with Zack Wheeler, as well, as the Mets reportedly wanted a big return for him, despite being a mere rental. The Mets shot themselves in the foot and now have the best rotation ever for a team four games under .500. Congratulations.
Worst: Yankees stand pat
The Yankees absolutely had to add. Not because they had a lack of depth in starting pitching or even in the bullpen, but simply because they needed to make a statement. The Astros just passed them for the best record in the American League and are starting to look like the better team. The Yankees needed to make a statement and needed to improve to get the leg up back on Houston.
They didn't do that and the Astros got markedly better with their additions. Houston now is the prohibitive favorite to win the American League and it's likely won't be close. The Yankees did this to themselves.
Worst: Padres give up Franmil Reyes, Logan Allen, prospect in three-team trade to land Taylor Trammell
This has nothing to do with how Trammell is as a player. He can be good. But to give up a good hitter, pitcher and a potentially good player down the road to get one prospect who is hitting .236 at Double-A is puzzling.
Many people are asking why San Diego would do this deal. Why on earth give up that much to get a guy with a similar profile to Manuel Margot? It just doesn't make sense and if Trammell doesn't wind up being a superstar down the line, A.J. Preller is going to be hearing about this deal for a while.