X-Factor

The days before the July 31st trade deadline in baseball are the perfect time for playoff contending teams to pick up key players that could strengthen some of their weaknesses and put them into a good playoff position. These acquisitions can especially help get teams in a tight division race get through the dog days of August as well as the do-or-die games in September. These players that put teams over the top are referred to as X-factors.
The St. Louis Cardinals were struggling a few weeks before the deadline. After winning a game aided by 2 homers from Albert Pujols, who hasn’t homered since, the Cards went 2-4, the low point being a sweep administered to them by the Astros. Then, the Red Birds went out and traded for slumping Oakland slugger Matt Holliday. Holliday was having an off year after being traded to the A’s from Colorado. Nevertheless, Holliday has always been known for his clutch hitting. In his 9 games with the Cardinals, Holliday has an unrealistic .606 batting average with 3 homers, compared to his .286 average with 11 homers in 93 games with Oakland. His presence in the lineup could also aid Pujols, who hadn’t been seeing many good pitches and who easily leads the majors in intentional walks (IBB). In fact, Pujols’ 36 intentional walks are 20 ahead of the next highest total, which is Adrian Gonzalez’ 16. The Cardinals lead baseball with 55 IBBs, and only 2 teams have more total IBBs than Pujols himself. The Cards hope that Holliday can lower those numbers or send those guys on base home. Before picking up Matt, the Cards were caught in a tight four-team race in the NL Central with the Cubs, Astros, and Brewers. After Holliday’s arrival, the Cards separated from most of the pack. The Cubs still sit only a half-game back, but the Brewers and Astros are five and a half games back. Two other July pick-ups that have helped the cards and could help them in the postseason are Julio Lugo, who has hit.371 since his arrival in St. Louis, and Mark DeRosa, who has hit 7 home runs in 18 games with the club. Should the Cardinals hold on and make the playoffs, Holliday could really be a key ingredient in a winning Cardinals’ formula.
The Cardinals weren’t the only team to benefit from trades right before the deadline. The Phillies picked up Cliff Lee, the 2008 AL Cy Young Award winner, to bolster their very shaky rotation. Despite struggles earlier this year with Cleveland, Lee threw a gem to win his game with the Phils. The Tigers got Seattle starter Jarrod Washburn, who is having his best year since being the ace of an Angels staff that won the World Series in 2002. The Tigers now have a nearly unstoppable trio of Justin Verlander, a legitimate Cy Young award candidate, Edwin Jackson, who is having a career year, and Washburn. The Tigers are in a tight division race in the AL Central with the White Sox, who picked up ’07 NL Cy Young Award winner Jake Peavy. Peavy, who is about to return to full form after injuring his ankle running on the base paths, completes a strong trio with Mark Buerhle, who threw a perfect game and has 11 wins this year, and Gavin Floyd, who is one of the best young pitchers in the game. The Boston Red Sox drastically improved their offense by adding Victor Marinez, a catcher/first baseman who is always capable of hitting .300 with 20 homers.
By adding these X-factors, these playoff contending teams have put themselves in a position to break away from the teams they share division races with. These players can help add depth to teams in a long and hot August as well as a stressful September. A lot of these X-factors can also bring clutch hitting that the team otherwise lacked. We’ll have to wait and see which pick-ups can make a difference and put their teams over the top. Winners of this late July trading could very well have made themselves winners later on in the season, while the teams that didn’t make moves could be the ones to regret not picking up the phone and making a call for a deal. Well, they’ll have plenty of time to call whomever they want while they watch the playoffs on their flat screen TVs at home.