Mark Melancon just won't cut it

The trades of Roy Oswalt and Cliff Lee were potential race shifters, but overall, the 2010 MLB trade deadline wasn't seismic. Still, three organizations -- the Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals and Pittsburgh Pirates -- saw the most changes within their minor league systems as a result of their dealings.

• The Astros have struggled for years and have a bad minor league system to boot. Could they be on the upswing? Sadly, it doesn't appear that way after the deadline.

• The Royals haven't been successful since seemingly the mid-1980s, but their minor league system was among the best in the game earlier this summer. Where do they stand now?

• The Pirates -- well, we've heard these stories before. Are they finally assembling the pieces, especially pitchers?

For the full breakdown on these three squads from Kevin Goldstein, you must be an ESPN Insider.

• Recommend0
• Tweet0
• Email
• Subscribe