This was a pretty busy year, as far as trades near the deadline. There were more moves than normal, even before the All Star break. Everyone has already seen the results of the big moves made by the Cubs and Brewerss. But the effects of the recent trades have yet to completely pan out. How will Manny Ramirez improve the Dodgers? Will his offense outweigh his fielding woes, and his questionable mentality? Will Jason Bay be enough in Boston to make up for the loss of Manny? Are the Yankees the new favorites in the AL East, with the additions of Xavier Nady, Damaso Marte and Ivan Rodriguez? Or can the Rays hang on, even though they didn't make any major moves?

Here's the breakdown for the teams involved in the major deadline deals:

Yankees
Xavier Nady was the best reasonably priced outfielder on the market, and the Yankees took advantage of that, giving up a mediocre relief pitcher and some prospects for Nady and Damaso Marte. The Yankees picked up some quality help for their bullpen in Marte, which allowed them to get rid of Kyle Farnsworth(less) and get Ivan Rodriguez. Rodriguez will replace Jorge Posada, who is out for the rest of the year after shoulder surgery. Overall, the Yankees improved their big league club vastly, but didn't give up too much talent in the end.
Grade: A

Red Sox
The Sox lost a future Hall of Famer in Manny Ramirez, but gained a guy who can almost replace Manny's bat at this point in his career, but is also a huge improvement both in the outfield and in the clubhouse. However, they also lost Craig Hansen and Brandon Moss, two decent young players who have shown glimpses of solid potential in Boston. While the Sox HAD to get rid of Manny, there is no denying that they came up short in this trade, in terms of talent. But was Manny THAT much of a cancer, that they couldn't trust him to play it out for the rest of the year? While I'm a big Jason Bay fan, I'm not entirely convinced.
Grade: D

Dodgers
The Dodgers got rid of some decent prospects, but picked up one of the greatest right-handed hitters of our time. The addition of Ramirez makes them the favorite to win the NL West, where they are right at the top, with the Diamondbacks. The Dodgers didn't need too much more to win the West, but between Manny and Casey Blake, they got it.
Grade: B

Angels
The Angels made the first big deal for an offensive player, getting Mark Teixeira from the Braves for Casey Kotchman and a minor league pitcher. Although Teixeira is definitely a very good player both offensively and defensively, he really doesn't give the Angels much more than Kotchman already did. He hits for more power, but both players are excellent in the field, and Teixeira wasn't having that much of a better year than Kotchman, in all reality. Combine that with the fact that Tex is wayyyy more expensive, and that minor league pitcher (Steven Marek) has great potential, and this deal just doesn't make that much sense, except for Teixeira's popularity.
Grade: C

Pirates
The Pirates get an incomplete from me for now. They gave up Jason Bay, Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte (and a few others), but they received a ton of prospects from various teams. Time will only tell how well they will do, but we can be sure that the Bucs will just trade them away down the road, once they become good.
Grade: Incomplete

Braves
John Schuerholz was one of the best GM's I've seen in a long time. Unfortunately for the Braves, Schuerholz retired last year. The Teixeira deal this year was good, in the sense that they got something for a guy whom they wouldn't have been able to keep beyond this year anyway. But since they were in that situation to begin with, they still only get poor grades. The whole Teixeira transaction was bad for the Braves, starting from when they got him from the Rangers.
Grade: D

White Sox
The White Sox got another future HOFer, Ken Griffey Jr. While he still has one of the prettiest swings in baseball, Griffey isn't exactly a (legitimate) All Star nowadays. I'm glad to see him go to a contender, and I wish him the best, but White Sox fans should be careful about getting their hopes up here.
Grade: C

Any thoughts? Any trades or teams that I missed? Discuss.