Josh Donaldson and Andrew McCutchen can reshape the American League playoffs

July 31 is obviously the highest-profile trade deadline in baseball, but the August 31 date is becoming increasingly important in recent years. This is not the waiver trade deadline per se, as teams can still make trades in September if they are so inclined. However, a player must be on a roster by 11:59 PM on August 31 to be eligible for the postseason. Last year we saw a massively impactful deal take place on August 31 when the Astros acquired Justin Verlander. They may not win the World Series without him. Over the last couple of days, there have been a couple of other big names who could reshape the American League postseason.

The biggest mover came just a few hours before the deadline reached when Josh Donaldson was moved to the Indians. It had become increasingly clear over the last few days that the third baseman was going to be dealt and that the relationship between him and Toronto’s management was growing tense. Donaldson is a fascinating pickup by Cleveland and kind of came out of nowhere. He certainly has the talent to make a Verlander-like impact, too, and just adds another potential superstar to the Indians lineup. Of course, he’s also missed most of this season with injury and isn’t yet ready to return. There’s no way of knowing how much of his former self he can be down the stretch or in October, but it’s certainly worth a shot for Cleveland, who would put him in a lineup already featuring Jose Ramirez, Francisco Lindor and Edwin Encarnacion. Pretty good!

About 24 hours before the Blue Jays pulled the trigger on this Donaldson move, the Giants traded another fan favorite, though not one nearly as tenured with the team. Andrew McCutchen was another star who was always likely to be deadlt before September, and it turns out the Yankees were the ones to make the move. New York has been suffering from a rash of injuries lately, and while some are set to return soon Aaron Judge’s recovery is still a question. Because of that and the fact that you can never have too much talent, they will instantly improve their lineup with McCutchen’s presence. The former MVP is no longer in his prime, but he’s very much an upgrade over the likes of Shane Robinson and Neil Walker. The Yankees still have an uphill battle for the AL East, but even if they don’t win that Cutch should help their postseason chances.

Along with Donaldson and McCutchen, Gio Gonzalez was traded to Milwaukee, as was Xavier Cedeño, and Ryan Madson was shipped to Los Angeles.