Well, that was a bust. Only three major trades came through on deadline day, and none were especially exciting. Still, a number of teams have enhanced or damaged their season’s prospects, if mostly via their own inactivity. Here’s the breakdown of this morning’s moves:

SP Ian Kennedy joined the San Diego Padres, with lefty reliever Joe Thatcher, a minor leaguer and a draft pick to Arizona in exchange. Kennedy is a very good pitcher, but has struggled immensely this year. He was a 21 game winner two years ago, but is 3-8 in 2013 with an ERA well over 5. He could thrive in San Diego where pitchers fare better anyway, but he joins a team most likely out of playoff contention from a team just 3 games out of first place. Arizona wanted Jake Peavy, but the Red Sox flew in and stole him. They do get a key lefty specialist to boost a shaky bullpen, but fans probably feel a little underwhelmed by the whole scenario.

Next up, the woeful Houston Astros dealt starter Bud Norris to Baltimore, who will appreciate the extra arm with Jason Hammel injured recently. Make no doubt about it though, if Baltimore can’t keep riding the hot bats in their lineup (Davis, Machado, etc) they’ll soon drop out of the playoff race with Tampa Bay and Boston running hot in the AL East. Houston get outfielder LJ Hoes and another outfield prospect. Plus they clear the Norris’ contract ($3m/year) which was the biggest (!) on a team full of youngsters. Houston is just perpetually in rebuild mode.

The only other noteworthy trade was Justin Maxwell being traded from Houston to Kansas City. He adds some outfield depth to KC, while the Astros get a pitching prospect. Neither team will be challenging come September.

One can’t help but wonder how much the dark cloud of the upcoming Biogenesis suspensions stalled the hands of teams. Oakland was in the market for a starting pitcher, until it was revealed Bartolo Colon will probably avoid suspension. Up to 14 players could be banned for around 50 games, depending on any plea deals. Three All-Stars are among them. Detroit’s Jhonny Peralta was effectively replaced in advance by Jose Iglesias in the Peavy trade, while both San Diego and Texas have sat still on reports of bans for Everth Cabrera and Nelson Cruz respectively, although both added starting pitching depth.

Texas may be one of the biggest losers here if Cruz goes down. Matt Garza was a great addition to the rotation a week or two back, but their offense has been very streaky, and Cruz will be a loss they struggle to counteract. The problem was, there weren’t any elite hitter on the market, and I guess Texas figured they can better cover Cruz from within their own system. Suspensions should be issued this week, with players hoping to avoid being out into the playoffs.

Where were all of the trade-blocked players then? In theory, there should have been a number of teams looking to sell. The Cubbies did their business early, dealing Garza, Scott Feldman and Alfonso Soriano. They were big winners here as they stockpiled top prospects (Olt, Edwards) while protecting their own young stars (Rizzo, Castro). They won’t miss any of those dealt either. Seattle and Philadelphia should have gone down a similar path, but both were shockingly absent. Maybe they just didn’t have the trade bait. Generally teams look to salvage dud seasons by working towards the future through trades and such, but these two sat still. Philly especially, with their high payroll, should have tried a little harder to move a few pieces.

The most exciting development is how the AL East looks now. I still have doubts about how Baltimore can keep up, but they’ve certainly improved their chances. Meanwhile Boston’s trade for Peavy was massive for them, and they managed to keep Xander Bogaerts and their other top prospects. It’s amazing just how well Boston have turned around from the disappointment of 2012, and when many thought this year would be a rebuilding one, they’ll be challenging come September for sure. Toronto have fallen well and truly off the pace despite their big offseason moves, but that is still a stacked squad, and the Yankees pulled off my favourite fit of any trade by picking up Alfonso Soriano last week. Soriano started his career in NY, and it’s nice to see him back and performing well too. He’s still got a couple good years in him, and his right handed power is a great fit in a depleted lineup in the Bronx. And of course, there’s Tampa Bay with their perfect mix of youth and star players, headed by the best manager in the business, Joe Maddon. This is the division to watch down the stretch.