Losers After the Deadline

The losers have to be considered to be the teams who are still in contention, had talent to spare and did nothing. That would be the Marlins, Mets, Cardinals, Rays and Diamondbacks. The Marlins are in a division race that could go all the way and yet they didn't do anything about their catching situation. The same is true for the Mets, who were mentioned all week as potential suitors in various deals, yet they failed or didn't really try to acquire what they needed most, an outfielder who can hit. They also could have used more help in the bullpen. The Cardinals may have decided that the return of Chris Carpenter and imminent return of Adam Wainright might be enough to carry them. Considering what the Brewers and Cubs did, it hardly seems like enough. The Diamondbacks definitely lost ground with the Dodgers picking up Manny Rodriguez and could have used a little bolstering themselves, either in left field or first base or both. The Rays are a young team having a better than expected year, mainly because of great pitching and defense. They probably would have benefited from getting another bat and someone with some experience.