DEADLINE WINNERS, LOSERS ALL THE RIGHT MOVES -- OR NOT.

Byline: MATT MCHALE BASEBALL

It has been about a month since the July 31 trading deadline, when the hype surrounding potential blockbuster deals reached critical mass.

Many of those trades never happened, which was good for some teams (Oakland) and bad for others (Boston, Washington, Angels). Some deals did, and helped put the Dodgers and Yankees at the top of divisions.

In August, players were moved after clearing waivers (Shawn Green, David Wells).

Now, the playoff rosters have been set. It's up to the teams to actually reach the postseason.

Here is a closer look at the deals that did and didn't happen and the teams that won or lost as a result.

Dodgers: On July 29, the Dodgers lost for the 13th time in 14 games. They already traded Odalis Perez, who wasn't pitching but doing plenty of ...

In a two-day span, they acquired four-time Cy Young winner Greg Maddux, shortstop Julio Lugo and third baseman Wilson Betemit. Since the trades they have gone from last to first in the NL West, mostly on the strength of a 17-1 run.

Betemit, who came from Atlanta, hit just .237 in August as the new third baseman but had seven homers and 14 RBIs and has appeared in every game.

Lugo is playing all over and not happy. He is expected to sign elsewhere else this winter.

Maddux is 3-0, 2.37 since joining the team, providing steadiness every five days and mentoring skills the rest of the time.

San Diego, which had done little until acquiring the left-handed Wells on Thursday, led the Dodgers by five games Aug. 1. The Padres entered Saturday four games back and bickering about managements lack of commitment.

New York Yankees: Right-fielder Bobby Abreu did his share in August, batting .357 with 15RBIs after coming over from Philadelphia.

The Yankees were a game behind Boston at the time of the deal. They entered Saturday eight games in front. A huge Red Sox (just nine wins) slump fueled the turnaround but psychologically the Yankees took off because Boston did nothing at the deadline.

Although the Yankees assumed much of the remainder of Abreu's $30 million contract, they might wind up saving in the long run. Gary Sheffield becomes a free agent at the end of the season and seemed to have all the leverage at the beginning of the year.

Sheffield was off to another great start when he injured his wrist at the end of May. It cost him most of his leverage for a long-term deal with the club.

Oakland: Even though they have been in first much of the season, the decision to keep left-hander Barry Zito was uncertain until right before the deadline.

Zito is a free agent and it is unlikely the cost-conscious A's will be able to re-sign him. But when general manager Billy Beane decided to keep Zito, Oakland could see the team was serious about doing much more than just reaching the playoffs.

The A's went 21-6 in August, extending their record to 124-45 in August since 2001. That is 21 games better than anyone else in baseball.

``More than anything, it's that we're a relaxed bunch of guys,'' Zito said last week. ``When most teams are putting pressure on themselves in August and September, we're kind of chilling.''

The Angels and Texas Rangers witnessed the avalanche. Both had winning records in August but fell out of the race. The Angels, who did not upgrade their offense despite needing to protect Vladimir Guerrero, won 16 games, but dropped from 1 1/2 games back to 8 1/2.

Texas acquired slugger Carlos Lee from Milwaukee, but the Rangers needed pitching to remain competitive. Lee did what he does, batting .326 with four homers and 19 RBIs since his arrival. But the team ERA is 4.70.

Washington: The Nationals weren't headed to the playoffs, but they do want to build their future around Alfonso Soriano.

Soriano has remained outstanding since not being traded, hitting .304 in August with 11 homers and 18RBIs. The Nats won just nine games during the month, though, and seemed to be going backward after last year's franchise debut in the Nation's Capital.

Even though the team will move into a new stadium soon, Washington's fans are sophisticated and critical. This will all blow up if Soriano, as expected, doesn't re-sign.

It is no coincidence that teams that made the smartest moves at the deadline are in first place.

Happy Labor Day.

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CAPTION(S):

2 photos, 7 boxes

Photo:

(1) Wilson Betemit hit only .237 for the Dodgers in August, but he has seven homers and 14 RBIs since being acquired in a deadline deal.

Jeff Gross/Getty Images

(2) no caption (Andrew Miller)

Box:

(1) THEY SAID IT

(2) WHO'S HOT

(3) WHO'S COLD

(4) ROOKIE WATCH

(5) NOTES

(6) DAILY NEWS/CBS 2/KCAL 9 SPORTS CENTRAL POWER RANKINGS

- Matt McHale

(7) SERIES OF THE WEEK