If the trade deadline seemed quieter than in years past, it’s because it was. Only 61 players, not including a few players-to-be-named-later and some draft picks, were traded in the month of July compared to 100 in 2012 and 87 in 2011.
A shallow trade market for hitters complicated things, as well as high asking prices from non-contenders and several teams on the cusp of playoff contention not yet ready to give up. Some non-moves were questionable—I put together a list of my top eight yesterday—and we’re still trying to gather all the answers as to why the lack of trade activity.
For now, here are four things that we can take away from this year’s trade deadline.