Kuzul

MLB personnel moves are frequently prefaced by fan speculation, media probing or an executive announcement. Somebody usually spoils the surprise.This article celebrates 10 exceptions to that norm that were completed in 2012.The players involved ranged from future first-ballot Hall of Famers to lifetime reserves. The reasons for relocation varied, too.However, they all understand what it's like to be moved in a shocking trade.Let's review their experiences from the past year.Begin Slideshow

Mat Gamel has fallen upon some bad luck this season.A torn ACL ended his highly-coveted 2012 campaign, and the emergence of Corey Hart at first has all but assured Gamel's departure.Although the 27-year-old was batting a mere .246 before his injury, Gamel is still an interesting trade candidate. He has considerable power and is capable of hitting 20-25 home runs in a full season.He can also hit for a decent average with consistent playing time. In 2011 with Triple-A Nashville, the left-handed hitter posted a .310 average. His success hasn't translated over to the majors, but he has hardly had the chance to prove himself. He only saw action in 21 games before he tore his knee up.I fully believe Gamel can be an All-Star in the big leagues if given the chance to play every day, and if his knee is fully healed. However, it might not be with the ...

Now that the dust has started to settle on the just-ended MLB waiver-trade period, teams can get to the business of watching the fruits of their labor.The month of August always presents a set of various issues for teams looking to make upgrades. The waiver process itself is the largest obstacle. For years now, teams in contention have used the month of August to gauge interest in players who could be possible trade chips, either during that month or in the offseason.Buying teams have much to weigh when making deals as well: assuming the life of a player's contract, weighing short-term vs. long-term impacts and hoping that the acquisition doesn't mess with team chemistry.This season, the month of August didn't present a tremendous amount of movement, but one deal in particular will make it memorable indeed.We will take a look at each trade made during the waiver-trade period and attach ...

Baseball is a game of risks late in the season. When a team makes a big-time deadline deal, it could either go extremely well or terribly. Those that merely play average baseball tend not to be the major deadline deals anyway.A week after the deadline I took a look at the traded players and came away unimpressed. That is, of course, a small sample size. How do they fare when that sample size is widened to a month?Some have done well after getting used to their surroundings, but others have mightily struggled.Begin Slideshow

The 2012 MLB trade deadline was highlighted by a deep pool of potentially available starting pitchers, and while not all of them were traded, the likes of Zack Greinke, Ryan Dempster, Francisco Liriano, Paul Maholm and Anibal Sanchez among others should have a significant impact on this year's pennant race.On the other side of things, the pool of available bats was as thin as it has ever been, and when the Padres opted to re-sign Carlos Quentin and hold on to Chase Headley, the market become even thinner.Still, a number of hitters were traded at the deadline as contenders looked to shore up their biggest roster holes and add some punch to their lineups.With that in mind, here is a look at where all 30 MLB batting orders rank after the moves that went down prior to the July 31 deadline.Begin Slideshow

After months of MLB trade rumors and speculation, the trade deadline is now over. Players who were expected to move stayed on their own teams, and players who completely slipped by all the trade rumors were shipped out.As a result, as is the case every year, the landscape of baseball looks different. Which teams made great moves to push themselves to the playoffs and which teams stocked up on solid prospects?For that matter, which teams completely whiffed at the deadline? Each deal will be graded on both sides to figure this out. Trades from July 30 and 31 will be evaluated.Begin Slideshow

As Minnesota Twins fans eagerly checked Twitter to see if general manager Terry Ryan would make a move at the Major League Baseball trade deadline, one had to wonder what would happen if this scene was set in the film Major League II.In the film, the Cleveland Indians acquire a player from Japan by the name of Isuro "Kamakasi" Tanaka, who constantly questions Pedro Cerrano's manhood by repeatedly screaming at him "You have no marbles!"Mr. Tanaka may have a role waiting for him in the Twins' organization after Tuesday, where Ryan failed to make a move to bolster his incredibly weak farm system.In all honesty, nobody should be surprised by Ryan pumping the breaks. However, this trade deadline has a much different feel for the franchise because instead of adding a key piece (which Ryan had hesitated to do ...

Last year at the trade deadline, the Philadelphia Phillies were 68-39, six games up in the NL East. This season, the Phils are just 45-57, 16.5 games out in the NL East and 13 games out in the wild-card race. Needless to say, with the payroll over $174 million, second to the New York Yankees in MLB, expectations were high.They have not come close to meeting those expectations.There were several rumors going around, including the potential trade of veteran starters Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and Roy Halladay, but Ruben Amaro, Jr. held his cards, hoping to rebuild with his powerful rotation for the 2013 season. With the deadline came a couple of major trades for Philadelphia. The club was able to acquire some talented young players to build around, while opening up the outfield for young players like Domonic Brown and John Mayberry, Jr. Let's take a look at how ...

The Los Angeles Dodgers were easily the most active buyers leading up to today’s 4 p.m. ET, MLB non-waiver trade deadline.  They pulled off a stunning trade last week when they acquired former All-Star Hanley Ramirez and left-handed reliever Randy Choate from the Miami Marlins for 22-year-old pitcher Nate Eovaldi and lightly regarded relief pitching prospect Scott McGough.   That move was augmented by yesterday’s trade to acquire relief pitcher Brandon League from the Seattle Mariners, which then allowed the Dodgers to flip relief pitcher Josh Lindblom and prospect Ethan Martin to the Philadelphia Phillies for outfielder Shane Victorino.  Each of those moves dramatically improved the Dodgers’ postseason odds and sent a strong message to the rest of Major League Baseball that the new ownership group in Los Angeles is serious about winning now. But as savvy as each of those trades were—especially since the Dodgers surrendered none of their top ...

The non-waiver trade deadline has come and gone, and as has become the "Yankee Way," Brian Cashman and the Yankees' front office made a couple of minor moves without pulling off a blockbuster deal.Cashman made two small upgrades to his first-place team's roster, acquiring outfielder Ichiro Suzuki from the Seattle Mariners for minor league pitchers D.J. Mitchell and Danny Farquhar on July 23, and acquiring infielder Casey McGehee from the Pittsburgh Pirates for Chad Qualls just before Tuesday's deadline.Both deals are low-risk, medium- to high-upside moves that made sense. But the best moves the Yankees made at this year's trade deadline are the trades Brian Cashman did not make. July 23, Yankees acquire OF Ichiro Suzuki, Grade: A-This was a prudent move for the Yankees.After finding out the Brett Gardner would miss the duration of the season due to elbow surgery, the Yankees were looking at playing the final two months ...