MLB's August 1 non-waiver trade deadline is fast approaching, and as of Thursday morning, we haven't seen any crazy deals go down.
However, that's what the weekend is for.
Plenty of teams could look to shake things up before Monday, but in the meantime, let's take a look at the deals that have been made leading up to the trade deadline.
Chicago Cubs Trade for Aroldis Chapman
Arguably the biggest—and buzziest—deal that has gone down so far was Monday's swap between the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees that sent pitcher Aroldis Chapman to Chicago.
In return, the Cubs gave up pitcher Adam Warren, infield prospect Gleyber Torres and outfield prospects Billy McKinney and Rashad Crawford.
In a pure baseball sense, Chapman helps push the Cubs over the edge as they try to make the most of their competitive window, which could begin to close as early as next season when Jake Arrieta and John Lackey become eligible for free agency.
If the Cubs are trying to win the World Series this year, Chapman helps.
However, the signing didn't come without controversy. Earlier in the year, he was suspended for 30 games under MLB's domestic violence policy.
As Michael Baumann of The Ringer wrote, the trade "raises questions about how much teams will sacrifice morally to get ahead on the field, questions that no doubt will — and should — be revisited every time a player with Chapman’s history of alleged domestic violence moves from one team to another."
Chapman's start in Chicago hasn't been smooth, either.
In a pregame media session Tuesday, reporters wanted to know more about the phone conversation that Chapman reportedly had with chairman Tom Ricketts and team president Theo Epstein.
However, Chapman couldn't remember much of the specifics, responding “it’s been a long day” and “I just got here,” per CSN Chicago's Patrick Mooney.
Only time will tell if this trade was worth it for the Cubs both on the field and off it.
Seattle Mariners Trade for Drew Storen
In one of the most straightforward recent trades, Seattle and Toronto swapped right-handed pitchers in a "change of scenery" trade, as Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto characterized it in a press release, per Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times:
Neither player is a particularly good reliever right now, but there's no telling what a change in coaching staff could do to potentially extend their once-effective pitching.
In 38 games this year, Storen has pitched 33.1 innings with a 6.21 ERA. That's only slightly up from his career average of 3.39.
Meanwhile, though Joaquin Benoit started off the season well, he's pitched his way to a 5.18 ERA so far in 24.1 innings.
Both relievers' contracts average around $8 million, per Spotrac.
Boston Red Sox Acquire Drew Pomeranz
On July 14, forever ago in MLB trade-talk time, the Red Sox sent prospect Anderson Espinoza to the San Diego Padres in return for starting pitcher Drew Pomeranz.
With San Diego, Pomeranz pitched to a 2.47 ERA with 10.1 strikeouts and 3.6 walks per nine innings.
The move shows just how much the Red Sox needed a No. 2 or No. 3 in their pitching rotation. Espinoza is a promising prospect, but the Red Sox have a need now, and they filled it.
Pomeranz's performance in the Sox's 4-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers on Monday showed why Boston was right to add him to the rotation.
In six innings, he allowed two runs on four hits while walking two and striking out seven.
"He pitched as we had anticipated at the time of the trade," manager John Farrell said, per Ryan Hannable of WEEI.com.
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