6 MLB Players Who Got Screwed by Lack of August Trade Deadline

The MLB trade deadline has come and gone, and even though there was a decent amount of action, especially towards the end, there wasn't as much activity as you would've expected following the change to a single deadline. Maybe teams will learn and do more next year, but there were some players on bad teams who shockingly stayed put. Here are six MLB players who got screwed by a lack of an August trade deadline period.

6. INF Neil Walker

Neil Walker isn't the kind of bat you get to sit in the middle of your lineup to carry the load, but he's a solid veteran piece who has defensive versatility that likely would've received attention from contenders in August. Instead, he's set to remain in Miami with October baseball entirely out of reach.

5. RHP Zack Wheeler

Maybe Zack Wheeler would've stayed put regardless, especially with GM Brodie Van Wagenen's belief that they are still in it. However, there's a good chance the Mets fade down the stretch, so what would be the point of keeping an oft-injured starter who's a free agent at seasons end?

4. 1B Justin Smoak

There was plenty of smoke surrounding Blue Jays first baseman Justin Smoak, but thus far, he hasn't put together a repeat performance of what he's done the last two seasons. However, there's no doubt Smoak still has power and at the very least he gets on base. An AL team would likely have taken a flyer on him in August, especially if he showed some improvement.

3. LHP Will Smith

The San Francisco Giants are riding high and still holding out hope they'll make one last postseason run with manager Bruce Bochy, but there's no guarantee that will happen and closer Will Smith would've likely been on the move if they fell out of contention. He'll be staying put though, as the Giants haven't given up hope.

2. OF Adam Jones

Contending teams are always looking for offense and positional depth as they head to September, making DBacks outfielder Adam Jones a prime candidate to move on, especially since he's a well-respected veteran with some power left in his bat. Instead, he'll have to stay and Arizona and hope he can latch on with a better team in free agency, which was a struggle for the veteran this past offseason.

1. LHP Madison Bumgarner

Just like Smith, the Giants are still in the playoff mix, so it wouldn't be smart to trade Madison Bumgarner, your best starter who also happens to be a postseason legend. However, with more time to make that decision, the Giants could've rationalized dealing Bumgarner once they were knocked out, especially if they don't intend to re-sign him.