The Trade Deadline, it is one of the most addicting weeks on the baseball calendar because we are trying to figure out who is really competing for a World Series. It is either you’re going all in or you’re blowing it up. To whom will we be discussing?
So far the AL East is topheavy and there is no legit favorite for the division title as of right now. Tampa Bay is still at the top of the food chain but their status changes almost everyday because of their rivals from BeanTown. For the Rays the deadline like most years was a shuffling of moves. They got themselves a veteran power bat in Nelson Cruz but they had to give up Rich Hill and Diego Castillo to retool their prospect pool. Not to mention they got Trevor Story from the Rockies in a blockbuster trade. (YoYo Sound) SCRATCH THAT! The deal they had with Colorado didn’t go through before the 4:00 PM deadline on Friday. Other than that the Rays look primed for a return to the World Series. Also Wander Franco is living up to the hype and the injuries to the starting rotation have taken its toll. (Poor Tyler Glasnow and Collin McHugh!)
Boston doesn’t want Tampa Bay to continue their dominance over them since a free agent signing in March 2020 that shall not be mentioned. They are trying to get back at that city for stealing the GOAT from them. The Red Sox meanwhile are looking to stake their claim as favorites for the AL Pennant yet again. The only marquee move that they made was getting Kyle Schwarber from the Nationals. JD Martinez, Xander Bogaerts, and Rafael Devers are still raking and the pitching staff, especially the bullpen, is now a strength of the team with Matt Barnes becoming a shutdown closer. The only question I have for these guys is when is Chris Sale coming back? If he comes back before the playoffs it could be Game Over for the rest of the AL.
THOSE DAMN YANKEES! Nonsense like this was why I was afraid to give up on them. Because the moment you think they’re done, they will find new ways to win and spend more money for a chance at going to the World Series. The Yankees after the All Star Break have been on fire despite Aaron Judge going on the COVID list a couple of weeks ago. What they did after they ran right through the Rays was typical Brian Cashman! That means go all in at a championship regardless of the future. (A Yankee tradition for generations) They made obviously 2 of the biggest splashes of the week. The Bombers got Anthony Rizzo and Joey Gallo in huge trades. They are clearly trying to overcome the narrative of being a lineup of right handed hitters only. And wouldn’t you know it, Rizzo basically dominated in his first series as a Yankee. They’re going to the playoffs if they have to die trying!
The Blue Jays are still looking to make their move in the playoff race and keep up with the big boys in their division. They needed another solid pitcher in their rotation to go along with Hyun Jin Ryu and Robbie Ray. Their answer happened to be former Cy Young candidate Jose Berrios. Getting him out of the organizational hell known as Minnesota was obviously a needed task to complete. Now the Jays are going to need the hitting core of Vlad Jr, George Springer, and Bo Bichette as well as others to bail them out in the 2nd Half. And oh yes you did make another huge move. You’re going back to Toronto for the 1st time in nearly 2 years! Baseball being back in Canada is just what the game needed and now everything is starting to return to normal even if COVID cases are still there.
The AL Central is one of the few divisions that is considered a runway. The White Sox as of this moment are just toying with everyone else in the division. The rotation of Lance Lynn, Lucas Giolito and Carlos Rodon are just mowing through lineups left and right. (It’s a La Russa tradition, EXCELLENT STARTING PITCHING!) Not to mention Jose Abreu has overcome his early season slump and is now back in MVP form again. They did make a huge splash by getting Craig Kimbrel to come over to the South Side from Wrigleyville as well as acquiring Cesar Hernandez from the Indians. (They will be the Guardians next year by the way) Oh I am forgetting something, Look Everyone, ELOY JIMENEZ! He’s not on the IL anymore!
If there is one team that has sold everything in the AL this year in terms of talent it would be the Minnesota Twins. What you are seeing is their window being shut and they STILL haven’t won a playoff game since 2004. Look at who left town: Nelson Cruz, and Jose Berrios. THAT’S IT! Why didn’t they give up Kepler and Sano too? I’m probably guessing they still think they can make the playoffs next year. You do realize you’re in the same division as the White Sox and an emerging Tigers team. If I’m you, I’m bringing the tanks out and looking forward to free agency to fix this mess.
The AL West is a 3 team wrecking machine that has turned into an expected dogfight between playoff regulars and a team of destiny. Leading the way right now are the Astros. The only move they made was swapping relievers with the Mariners. Other than that Jose Altuve is back to being the 5 ‘8 machine that he is, and even if Alex Bregman is still on the IL the hitters haven’t skipped a beat. How long until Justin Verlander is back?
The A’s meanwhile are right in the middle of the Wild Card race. They know how packed the AL is with talent and they are going to do everything they can to overcome the Moneyball Curse. The key move at the deadline was getting an All Star Center Fielder in Starling Marte from Miami. I know that they had to move Ramon Laureano to Right Field despite his cannon of an arm but hey sometimes you have to do what’s best for the team. They also got Yan Gomes to give them a solid backstop. Matt Olsen is still red hot and the pitching staff isn’t far back. They are going to need a massive win streak to hold off the Yankees and Mariners in the Wild Card race.
Seattle, a team that is doing what everyone thought wasn’t possible at the beginning of the season. Remain in the Wild Card hunt despite a lack of a superstar. Some people are saying they have benefitted towards an easy schedule but how I see it they have outpitched most of the teams that they have faced. Yusei Kikuchi has turned into the King Felix and they also got an outstanding closer in Diego Castillo at the deadline. If they are going to make the playoffs the offense led by Kyle Seager and Mitch Haniger are going to carry the load. Hey look everyone ICHIRO! He’s going to be the BULLPEN CATCHER! (Will this guy ever go away from baseball?)
The NL East is still anyone’s game. There is no margin for error in this pennant race. At the top of the division we have the Mets. They are still pedestrian at the plate but they are trying to fix it by going out and getting a power bat in Javier Baez. Francisco Lindor has turned it around and Jeff McNeil went on a 19 game hitting streak. They are going to need the pitchers to carry them to the playoffs especially now that Jacob DeGrom is out YET AGAIN! (Will this guy ever stay healthy) LOLMETS is still going strong even if they have the NL East lead! The ride never ends boys!
The Phillies at this point are trying to fix their dreadful pitching in particular their bullpen if they have any chance at getting to the playoffs for the first time in a decade. What they did to fix this dirty mess was getting an ace in Kyle Gibson, and also acquiring Ian Kennedy. (They potentially are going to use him as a closer thank goodness) Bryce Harper and JT Realmuto are going to have to overcome their recent skid if they have any chance of overtaking the Mets. I know it’s going to be an uphill climb for the Phils but thank god they addressed the bullpen and rotation. They will need it because of their schedule coming up.
Atlanta meanwhile is looking to overcome a season of injuries and underachieving by any means necessary. Losing Ronald Acuna last month was a killer but they needed to fill that void quickly. I know, bring back Adam Duvall and add Jorge Soler. That will surely be the pieces to get them back to October. At least Austin Riley has broken out and the only way they can go is up. (YoYo Sound) That is until they got swept a few days ago by the city that beat them in the ECF a month ago. Don’t worry boys, all you have to do is beat the Mets in a 4 game series and you’ll have an outstanding chance at taking back the NL East. Good luck!
By the way, how are the Nationals doing? BOOM! It appears that there will be no pot of gold at the end this year. Unfortunately Washington got off to a slow start after the break and they never recovered from it. Look at the players they lost at the deadline because of this collapse: Max Scherzer, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, Jon Lester, Daniel Hudson, and Yan Gomes. I’m surprised they didn’t ship off Juan Soto and Stephen Strasburg. (That’s because they are under contract for at least 3 more years) At least their fans can hang on to the memories of the 2019 World Series. They are going to need the reincarnation of “The Plan” to get them back to contention status in a few years.
The NL Central is turning into a runway, and not in the direction any of us were expecting. I’ll give you a hint, IT’S NOT THE CUBS OR CARDINALS! It just happens to be a team from the state that is trying to overtake Tampa Bay as the Capital of the Sports World. That just happens to be the Brewers. All I can say is Holy Cow they have the best pitching staff in baseball! Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, and Freddy Peralta are just salivating lineups and their hitting core got better by getting a switch hitting machine in Eduardo Escobar. Even Yelich is back to his old ways again. Now that the Cubs are basically out of the hunt I might start rooting for these guys for the short term. What song am I hearing in the background? GO PACK GO! Does this mean I have to cheer for the Packers as well. Looks like Charm City Beasts isn’t the only program that will be on the airwaves this NFL season. (The Packers are my 2nd favorite NFL team and I will be covering them closely now that they are beginning their own version of the “Last Dance.”) I still won’t put the Green and Gold ahead of the Ravens!
What’s going on in Wrigleyville with the Cubs? BOOM! Cue the Titanic Music editors! This is the sad swan song of a Cubs season that I never thought would occur. They went from World Series contenders to being near the bottom of the division in a MONTH! Not only that, they said goodbye to many of their franchise icons from the 2016 championship team. Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Javy Baez, Craig Kimbrel, and Joc Pederson. I also thought for a second that they traded Willson Contreras and Kyle Hendricks as well. There is only 1 thing that is going through my mind. The 2016 Cubs are reincarnation of the 1986 Mets. They had the best season in franchise history, went onto overcome a 3-1 deficit in the World Series, and then never won it all again because of years of injuries and underachieving. The memories that I had of those Cubs teams will always be cherished, and they will forever be the team that broke the Curse of the Billy Goat. That team shares a special place in my heart, now all I can do now is hope that David Ross develops another elite pitching staff with the prospects they have on the way. They got great returns for those players so they’ll be back in a few years.
There is one team I forgot to go over in this division, Cincinnati. The Reds are currently chasing the Padres for the 2nd NL Wild Card. They didn’t make a move but there are a few things that have turned their season around. Joey Votto went on a 7 game Home Run streak, (It would have been a record tying 8 game streak if it weren’t the fences at Citi Field) plus the emergence of top prospect Max Schrock. I don’t think they will make the playoffs but they will come close, I will give you that. (If they wanted to really compete they should have gotten Trevor Story)
The NL West is easily the most competitive in baseball with the 3 front runners for the World Series title taking no prisoners. The Padres at this moment needed to make a few moves to add depth in the infield and in the bullpen. First they got Adam Frazier from the Pirates and then Daniel Hudson from the Nationals. They didn’t really need much but there is one concern. CRACK! Fernando Tatis Jr is back on the IL! It will be a little while before he comes back but if they can gain ground before he comes back #SlamDiego should have an outstanding chance at claiming the division.
The Giants are still at the top of the NL West but they needed to add more firepower to avoid falling into the traps of the Wild Card game. There was only 1 move that they made at the trade deadline. BOOM! Getting a former NL MVP in Kris Bryant to join their underrated core. As long as Buster Posey and Brandon Crawford continue their career arc seasons they should win the title of best team in baseball. However they will be on very thin ice because of…
THE DODGERS! They like most years have World Series ambitions but until Trevor Bauer comes back they need another top-flight starter in the rotation. Also Corey Seager was out for a while and Cody Bellinger and Mookie Betts have dropped off production just a tad bit too much. Their solution: THE TRADE! Casting off 3 of their top prospects to Washington for Max Scherzer and Trea Turner. Normally LA would be like “We need to keep our prospects to protect our future.” Now that their most hated rival has the best record in baseball they needed to prove why they are still the favorites to win it all. So now they will be throwing Kershaw, Scherzer, Buehler, Bauer, and Urias as their Top 5 starters. Who’s beating that pitching staff if everything goes according to plan.
Now it’s time for a BASEBALL BLOOPER! This month’s winner is the Milwaukee Brewers. In a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates Adrian Houser took a No Hitter into the 7th inning, and after giving up a walk to lead off the inning, Craig Counsell took him out and trusted the bullpen. Wouldn’t you know it the Buccos took full advantage and scored 5 runs in that inning to take the lead. Even if the game eventually went to extras the Pirates scored 3 in the 10th and won the game. Counsell look, I like what you have done with this organization and turning them into a contender. But just be careful about overmanaging when the playoffs arrive.
Bragging Rights Sports 