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          2022 MLB trade deadline: Thank you notes, long hugs and awkward goodbyes for the traders and the traded

          Aug 2, 2022
          • Jeremy WillisESPN.com

          The immortal Boyz II Men once said, "it's hard to say goodbye." But, during the 2022 MLB trade deadline, it didn't seem that difficult to some clubs.

          Maybe those teams trading away their players were just too emotional and a tweeted farewell was all they could do.

          The Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Washington Nationals and Kansas City Royals were some of the most active teams trading away talent.

          Long goodbye or quick tweet, some were truly heartfelt while others were awkward and interesting.

          The Baltimore Orioles traded Trey Mancini to the Houston Astros in what was probably a tough emotional blow for O's fans. His story, on and off the diamond, made him a fan favorite. Mancini missed the 2020 season to be treated for stage 3 colon cancer, but returned the following season to win AL Comeback Player of the Year honors.

          Read more: Trade grades

          At Camden Yards Monday, he received a rousing curtain call from fans and a tribute from the Orioles.

          The Astros were busy the night before the deadline. They also traded two prospects to the Boston Red Sox for catcher Christian Vazquez. He won't have to travel far to reach his new team since Boston played in Houston Monday.

          Yankees' moves mean many goodbyes

          The New York Yankees lead their division by 12 games and are neck and neck with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the best record in baseball. That doesn't mean they didn't need to make some moves.

          Outfielder Andrew Benintendi is now on his third team in as many years. Red Sox traded him to the Royals in 2021. On July 27, KC sent Benintendi to the Yankees. The Royals sent him off to New York with kind words for the 227 total games he played with the club.

          After winning the 2018 World Series with the Red Sox, Benintendi could become the 13th player to win titles with both the Sox and Yankees.

          The Yankees also got rookie reliever Scott Effross from the Cubs. Chicago gave him the Benintendi treatment. It's very nice considering he has pitched just 44 innings for the team this season. The Cubs, perhaps planning to be active, just had to fill in Effross' name after using the same graphic template when dealing pitcher Chris Martin to the Dodgers.

          The Milwaukee Brewers gave reliever Josh Hader the generic "thank you" card treatment after he was traded to the San Diego Padres.

          Back to the Yankees' moves. They acquired more pitching Monday, making moves for Oakland A's Frankie Montas and Lou Trivino. Like the Cubs, the A's had their graphics department ready for the deadline. It's the text of their accompanying tweets -- what's the difference between great and amazing?

          Perhaps it's because Oakland has known Montas longer.

          Castillo clips

          All-Star pitcher Luis Castillo is no stranger to being traded. As a minor leaguer, he was traded three times before making his Major League debut with the Reds in 2017.

          Castillo has posted a career-best 2.86 ERA this season. In Cincinnati, he was twice an All-Star and was the Reds' Opening Day starter in 2019. The Reds sent him to the Seattle Mariners on July 29.

          He got the farewell highlight reel treatment.