The trade deadline is a huge part of a team’s yearly success, especially in the postseason and, in some cases, the World Series. However, not everyone who is acquired performs well for a team. Performance is essential, and some trade deadline acquisitions have not performed well this season. The trade deadline is very important to certain teams when competing for the postseason and even the World Series.
Trade Deadline Acquisitions Who Have Underperformed
Randy Arozarena
Although Randy Arozarena has performed well for the Seattle Mariners lately. He needs to do more for a team that has collapsed recently. His three home runs in the first 28 games with Seattle have not affected the Mariners positively. Arozarena was starting to turn around for the Tampa Bay Rays; in 100 games played for the club, Arozarena hit .211 but was on pace for a career-high in home runs. He was traded to the Mariners when the Mariners were clinging on to dear life in the American League West.
Regardless of the trade, Arozarena and the Mariners have collapsed. Seattle is not in a good position in the AL West, as they are 3 1/2 games behind the leading Houston Astros. Despite hitting .242 for the Mariners, which is far better than his .211 average with the Rays, his power has been down, and the Mariners are in a horrible situation.
Bryan De La Cruz
The Pittsburgh Pirates disappoint every year and have collapsed again. Bryan De La Cruz has disappointed the team after a great one with the Miami Marlins at the beginning of the season. De La Cruz smashed 18 homers in 105 games with the Marlins while also batting .245.
So far, with the Pirates, De La Cruz has hit .233 with one home run. De La Cruz is only on pace to hit 23 home runs this season despite being on pace to hit nearly 30 before leaving the Marlins. De La Cruz, who was expected to be a heavy bat on the team of the Pirates, has only continued to contribute to the Pirates’ struggle as of late. Pittsburgh has fallen nine games below .500 and is in no position to compete for a National League Wild Card spot.
Isaac Paredes
The Chicago Cubs traded Christopher Morel‘s power-seeping bat and another reliever to the Rays for Isaac Paredes. Isaac Paredes has massively disappointed the Cubs, batting .158 with only three home runs in 26 games with the Cubs. Despite the recent hot streak of the Cubs, Paredes’s contribution to the team needs to increase. Especially if the Cubs hope to catch up to the Atlanta Braves in the NL Wild Card race.
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