Apparently the MLB Trade Deadline is on July 31, but somebody in the league office must have forgotten to inform the GMs, as Major League Baseball went on a random trading spree Monday that would make Wall Street jealous. Some big names changed locations..or in Ichiroâ€™s case, which dugout heâ€™d walk into in Seattle later that day. The trading probably isnâ€™t over yet (why so down, Matt Garza and Justin Upton?), but enough has happened already to make the man in charge of ESPNâ€™s MLB Rumor Central to throw up his hands and say, â€œWhy bother?â€

As always, though, some of these trades will matter more than others. numberFire decided to look at the other two trades from yesterday: Ichiro Suzuki to Seattle and Anibal Sanchez to Detroit. Ichiroâ€™s trade received more publicity for good reason - the manâ€™s a former MVP, a 10-time All-Star, and can cause Japanese fangirls to swoon with one sideways glance. But the only team that truly got better yesterday wasnâ€™t the one in pinstripes.

Ichiro Suzuki

OF Ichiro Suzuki (nERD: -2.82) â€“ Seattle to NYY

Yankees Playoff Odds: No Increase

Yankees Championship Odds: No Increase

Hereâ€™s the deal about numberFireâ€™s nERD system: if a player has a negative score, thatâ€™s not a good thing. If anything, it means that your team is likely worse off with that guy in the lineup than it would be with an average player at your position. Ichiroâ€™s score isnâ€™t only a negative number; it currently ranks as the #301 nERD among all players who qualify in the majors. His weighted on-base percentage of 0.243 is multiple Empire State Buildings lower than either Brett Gardner (0.313) or Nick Swisher (0.299), the two guys heâ€™s supposed to replace. Only two groups of people should be happy about Ichiroâ€™s move: the Mariners who instantly become younger, and the New York media, who get to hear all about the sexiness of slap hits.

Want an idea of how well Ichiroâ€™s playing, Yankees fans? Trust me when I say you donâ€™t - his two closest numberFire comparisons are 2011 Erick Aybar and 2011 Coco Crisp. I think itâ€™s safe to say that itâ€™s not a championship-winning move.

Anibal Sanchez

SP Anibal Sanchez (nERD: 2.29) â€“ Miami to Detroit

Tigers Playoff Odds: +1.6%

Tigers Championship Odds: +0.5%

Meanwhile, over there in Car Country, the Tigers pulled off a coup, getting numberFireâ€™s 24th-ranked overall player Anibal Sanchez at a fairly discounted price (including the first ever exchange of draft picks!)

The problem is that the Detroit pitching staff was pitching pretty well anyway. Even Tigers rookie starter Drew Smyly holds a strikeout rate of 22.7% of at-bats while only walking guys 6.3% of the time. By comparison, Justin Verlander has a strikeout rate of 24.8% and a walk rate of 5.8% Iâ€™d say itâ€™s probably the best Detroit rookie outing since "My Name Is".

Sanchezâ€™s K rate is actually lower than either one at 21.8%, but he also doesnâ€™t allow as many home runs as other current Detroit pitchers (2.4% HR rate), leading to the slight increase in odds. The Tigers received the best player yesterday, but internally, the team clearly did not address its biggest weakness.