KPSL Trade Deadline Awards: Who Are The Winners And Losers This Year?

OK folks, the trade deadline is now down the road, hibernating for another chaotic year in 2026. It's up to the SOM gods (ahem, luck/dice) at this point. But we can have a little fun before things get more tense in the 2nd half. TIME FOR AN AWARD SHOW.

"Smoke and mirrors" is an idiom that refers to deceptive or misleading actions or rhetoric, often used to conceal something or create a false impression. It implies that something is not as impressive or genuine as it appears, similar to how magicians use smoke and mirrors to create illusions.

Winner of the smoke and mirrors award for pretending to be a seller are...the Phillies! Let's be real, this is the same story almost every year, but since they need to feel included they entertain trades that they'll never agree to. 

round of applause...kinda

Next up, and in similar fashion, we have a man contemplating life, and among other things, Stratomatic in the woods. "Will I sell, buy or buy AND sell?? Well apparently those thoughts came to a conclusion.

Winner for last minute psychopath dealing...GIANTS. 

Winner for best last minute deal...GIANTS and BREWERS. I will say that the deal overall is pretty good...both got very usable pieces. If I am the Brewers I maybe extract another piece, but all things considered, this was a good ol' fashioned last minute nuke and Jordan S did a good job getting value here.

speaker is taking too long and music is playing

Sometimes you buy a new pair of jeans and you know how they just FIT? Like, you know you don't even need to look at another pair? That's what this trade did for one team.

Winner for best FIT for a team is...the CARDINALS. I always said that they were 1-2 batters away, and now they get the Big Bear Marcel Ozuna to slide right into that middle of the order. The Cardinals are a very dangerous team with this addition.

Todd finishes his acceptance speech in the NFL Films auditorium

On the other side, we all know we dated that one girl and we knew it wouldn't work out, or we knew it was a bad idea, but you stayed anyway.

The award for "I stayed, but I should have gone" award goes to the DBACKS and BRAVES. Listen, nothing wrong in keeping Michael King and Seth Lugo, but there was a clear market for both of them and among the top 5 chips during the trade deadline. If moved, I think both teams would have made bank. 

Finally, we have our Office Space moment, where you finally lose it and just incinerate a printer. Sometimes, after trying so hard, you just can't take it anymore and tear it apart. 

Winner of "Burning down the house" goes to the PIRATES. I remember talking to Steve not knowing what to do, and in a blink of an eye he has FIVE 1st round picks and guys on the roster I never heard of before. That said, he did really well getting usable pieces for next year too. I imagine the offseason will be a busy one for the Buccos.

Remember when you got to that age where your friends wanted to party until 3am and you were like "yeah sure, maybe, I dunno, sounds fun..HAHAHA...meh" and instead of going out you just kept contemplating until you realized you spent the whole night dwelling what to do? OR, you went, but you really didn't have a good time, and would rather just go to sleep.

Winner of the "AM I COMING OR GOING (SELLING/BUYING)?" award goes to the Dodgers. After 2 shitty series, they flirted with selling, got a little weird with some trades (traded Turnbull after acquiring him), and then bought a few smaller pieces (Honeywell being one). Yeah, no idea your thinking Josh, lol, but your team will still contend until the end. 

Ever have that meal where you're like "damn the appetizer is better than the actual dish?", specifically the fries (well, for me)?

This award goes to the team that did a bunch of micro transactions that were pretty nifty...ROCKIES. They acquired a lefty masher in Hill (though limited ABs), Michael Lorenzen, and Daniel Hudson (among others). While not the sexy names, these are all usable pieces that I know Ed will know how to use.

Also, I am aware that the Rockies acquired Adames, but this was well before the deadline. 

If you are a wrestling fan or know of wrestling, you've seen the Royal Rumble or know about it. They usually have a surprise entrant during it.

Winner of the "SURPRISE ENTRANT // PLAYER 3 HAS ENTERED THE CHAT" award goes to the Padres. After mostly dormant through the trade season, they come out of nowhere and land Reynaldo Lopez and AJ Puk, both names on everyone's radar. Really sneaky pick ups. 

Ever meet a person where they swore they were not going to do something, and then they wind up doing it anyway? OK, this explains most kids, but it can relate to SOM, too.

Winner of "I KEPT MY 1st ROUND PICK UNTIL 1 MIN BEFORE THE DEADLINE" award goes to the Reds. I promised I would keep my 1st rounder after trading it every year to go over the top (which led to nowhere). And since it hasn't panned out I figured I would keep it...THANKS BILLY FOR RUINING THAT.

Honorable mentions:

Brewers and Jordan S for having a very good trade deadline for their first year...kid knows ball

Braves and Jordan B for making it through trade negotiations and not having a heart attack...love ya buddy lol

Nationals and Jeff B for noting to me his team was not mentioned lol...you don't need a mention, your team is good bruh

OK, this now concludes the ceremony.

Written by Mike Amato