Small-market teams turn buyers at deadline

Michael Bourn went from the bottom of the NL Central in Houston to the top of the wild-card standings with Atlanta — and he wasn’t the only player who suddenly found himself in a pennant race.

Ubaldo Jimenez, Erik Bedard, Rafael Furcal and Mike Adams also were on the move at the end of a topsy-turvy weekend, when the surprising Indians, Pirates and Diamondbacks made some of the boldest moves at baseball’s trade deadline, shedding those longtime seller tags and shopping for immediate help.

All in all, it was a relatively quiet deadline day as the nonwaiver cutoff came and went Sunday. The biggest deals came days earlier when all-star outfielders Carlos Beltran and Hunter Pence changed teams.

Among the big names staying put after weeks of speculation: Padres closer Heath Bell, Tampa Bay outfielder B.J. Upton and Astros lefty Wandy Rodriguez.

And standing pat — unusually — were the New York Yankees, content to try to catch Boston in the AL East with a rotation that has reclamation projects Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia at the back end.

“I’m very confident with the position I’ve taken,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. “It’s not like I’m blowing smoke, trying to promote our guys. … No, I believe in our guys.”

Just 2½ games back of Detroit in the AL Central, the Indians completed their Saturday night deal with Colorado for Jimenez about a half-hour before the trade deadline. Until then, they were waiting for results of the pitcher’s physical.

“This was a rare and unique opportunity, especially in our market, which comes along few and far between,” said Cleveland general manager Chris Antonetti.

The Indians don’t seem concerned about recent reports that Jimenez, who was 19-8 and an all-star a year ago, has seen his velocity drop and his ERA rise this year. He is 6-9 with a 4.46 ERA in 21 starts. He had a 2.88 ERA in 2010.

They paid a hefty price for the right-hander who spent much of April on the DL, giving up minor-league pitchers Alex White and Joe Gardner, first baseman Matt McBride and a player to be named, expected to be lefty Drew Pomeranz.

White and Pomeranz were considered the top two pitching prospects in Cleveland’s organization.

“It was painful for us,” Antonetti said, “but we decided the time was right. We’re a better team than we were.”

Division-rival Detroit made a move, too, getting right-hander Doug Fister from Seattle on Saturday and will add him to the rotation. The Tigers also received reliever David Pauley for two prospects and a player to be named.

After a record 18 straight losing seasons, the Pirates are in the thick of it in the NL Central race, and they showed they’re serious in dealing for San Diego outfielder Ryan Ludwick — a day after acquiring Baltimore first baseman Derrek Lee.

The Diamondbacks bolstered their bullpen, adding Oakland submariner Brad Ziegler as they chase the World Series champion Giants in the NL West. On Saturday, Arizona obtained Jason Marquis from the Nationals.

In other deals Sunday:

ŸThe AL East-leading Red Sox picked up Bedard after a deal for Rich Harden fell through late Saturday. Six prospects were involved in a three-team, seven-player trade involving the Los Angeles Dodgers.

ŸThe St. Louis Cardinals acquired Furcal, a two-time all-star shortstop, from the Dodgers for Double-A outfielder Alex Castellanos.

ŸTexas further bolstered its bullpen a day after adding Baltimore right-hander Koji Uehara by dealing for Adams, San Diego’s stellar setup man.

— Atlanta made a move to keep up with the NL East-leading Phillies, getting Bourn from the Astros, who also sent Pence to Philadelphia on Friday night.

Bourn, a two-time Gold Glove winner, is hitting .303 and leads the majors with 39 stolen bases.