How fared the Marlins' competitors at the trade deadline?

The Marlins may have ultimately stood pat as the trade deadline came and went (aside from the "Rea refund," of course), but their competitors for the National League wild card and eastern division were anything but quiet. Here’s a round-up of the moves that went down today amongst the competition:

Washington Nationals (61-44):

Position in relation to the Marlins: Four games up in the division.

Trades: The Nats did not make a trade today, but they did acquire former Pirates closer Mark Melancon a couple of days ago in exchange for Felipe Rivero and Taylor Hearn. Melancon should bring some stability to the ninth inning, where Jonathan Papelbon had struggled lately, getting destroyed in three consecutive late July outings before being removed from the closer role in favor of Melancon.

New York Mets (54-50):

Position in relation to the Marlins: Two and a half games out of the wild card.

Trades: The big get for the Mets today was longtime Reds outfielder Jay Bruce in exchange for Dilson Herrera, Max Wotell and a third prospect. Initially, Brandon Nimmo was a part of the deal but was nixed due to health concerns on the Reds part. Bruce should give the Mets a nice boost in the middle of their lineup as he has belted 25 homeruns and driven in 80 RBIs to date, while also continuing a recent Mets tradition of not caring at all about outfield defense.

The other trade made by the Mets today was re-acquiring starting pitcher Jon Niese from the Pittsburgh Pirates for reliever Antonio Bastardo. Niese in 59 innings this season (12 starts) has pitched to a 4.68 ERA/4.37 FIP.

Los Angeles Dodgers (59-46):

Position in relation to the Marlins: Two games up in the wild card.

Trades: The Dodgers were among the more busy teams today, acquiring ::deep breath:: Josh Fields from the Houston Astros for minor leaguer Yordan Alvarez, Jesse Chavez from the Toronto Blue Jays for part time starter Mike Bolsinger, and Josh Reddick/Rich Hill from the Oakland A’s for minor leaguers Jharel Cotton, Grant Holmes and Frankie Montas.

Obviously the big names there are Hill and Reddick, both of whom should be helpful contributors to the Dodgers playoff chances. Chavez is bullpen/starter depth, Fields hasn’t pitched since May but had a 6.89 ERA as compared to a 2.81 FIP, suggesting room for improvement.

St. Louis Cardinals (56-49):

Position in relation to the Marlins: One game back in the wild card.

Trades: The Cardinals didn’t make any trades today, BUT, they did just lose two in a row to the Fish. So, there’s that.

Pittsburgh Pirates (52-51):

Position in relation to the Marlins: Four back in the wild card.

Trades: Like the Dodgers, the Pirates were also very active today, particularly on the pitching front, though in sum it’s hard to tell whether they improved or not. Gone are Francisco Liriano, Jon Niese, prospect Harold Ramirez, and two PTBNL. In are Drew Hutchinson, Ivan Nova and Antonio Bastardo. Classic buyer/seller/buyer moves.